Denny Hamlin has long advocated for increased tire wear in the Cup series. The recent race at Bristol showed that tire wear could be the solution to disappointing races on short tracks since the introduction of the Next-Gen cars. However, NASCAR and tire supplier Goodyear have not yet explored this option. As a three-time winner of the Daytona 500, Hamlin urged the tire manufacturer to be more aggressive.
Hamlin reminded NASCAR that the 7th generation cars they produced perform poorly in traffic and are the worst in the history of the championship. He suggested that this problem could be partially solved if the left tires of the cars had more wear. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota wants Goodyear to stop producing such hard tires.
The Bristol race, which Hamlin won, provided NASCAR with a model to improve races on short tracks. This also sparked discussions about increasing power to deal with tire wear. It is crucial for the governing body and Goodyear to listen to the drivers and find a solution that aligns with both parties’ policies.
As co-owner of 23XI Racing, Hamlin highlighted why intermediate tracks have performed better in the Next-Gen era. He emphasized that cars perform well when there are multiple lines for drivers to use, while short tracks cannot accommodate the same.
As Hamlin pointed out, the next race at Martinsville will also heavily depend on track position to determine the winner. It would be intriguing to see if Goodyear could introduce tires that replicate the excitement seen at Bristol.
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