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NASCAR VP Elton Sawyer explains decision to use option tire at Richmond Raceway

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones07/16/24brianjones_93
NASCAR Richmond wet weather tires
Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

NASCAR drivers can use an option tire when they take the track at Richmond on Aug. 11 for one of the last Cup Series races of the regular season. While appearing on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NASCAR’s senior vice president of completion Elton Sawyer explained the decision to use the option tire, which started at the All-Star Race.

“We didn’t get exactly the result that we were hoping for at the All-Star Race. The test there was very encouraging,” Sawyer said. “…Fast forward, Goodyear did a test at Iowa in preparation for that event and also had the option tire there. Each of the teams that were testing had a chance to go out on that tire. In about 15 laps it was done. It was worn out.

“Fast forward, you look at Richmond, somewhere between North Wilkesboro Iowa as far as speed and then obviously a completely different surface. We felt like we wanted to be aggressive. We talked about it for a couple of years now. As far as our short-track package, we tried some aero parts and pieces that didn’t quite move the needle like we were hoping for. Tires have proven to do that.”

More on the NASCAR option tire making its Cup Series regular season debut

Adding the option tire is not a big surprise since Stu Grant, general manager of Goodyear Global Race Tires division, hinted in June that an additional race for tire-choice format could happen.

“This whole option tire thing is pretty exciting strategy stuff for us and for the sport,” Grant said before the Coca-Cola 600, per NASCAR.com. “You saw option tires in other forms of racing, you’ve really never embraced it in NASCAR, never really had a whole lot of dialogue about it until recently. You say, all right, we need to try to make the short-track racing a little bit better and then the option tire became more of a discussion with the crew chiefs, the drivers and with NASCAR. The whole North Wilkesboro thing came together pretty quickly and we said, hey, let’s give it a try. So we’ve got that data point — that’s nice. We’ve got that data point, and now we just go forward.”

Teams will be allowed to have two sets of option tires and six sets of prime tires. Fans can see the option tires when the drivers compete in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on Aug. 11 at 6 p.m. ET. All the action will be shown on the USA Network and NBC Sports App.