The 2026 NASCAR Cup Sequence season begins now in a fashion of talking.
There might be two days of tire testing on Wednesday and Thursday for Goodyear to proceed refining its tire combos for the high-speed half-mile following drastic racing product swings that vary from conventional racing to excessive tire put on.
The swing is essentially believed to be a byproduct of temperatures, with cooler climate discouraging the rubber marrying to the monitor floor and creating the spring 2024 and fall 2025 races the place a set may solely final 30-50 laps when managed appropriately.
Whereas these races have been largely well-received for creating pace differential, and much more contact, the overall consensus is that there’s most likely a center floor someplace that isn’t as depending on climate situations.
The purpose of this take a look at
Normal view
Picture by: David Jensen / Getty Photos
That’s what NASCAR and Goodyear hope to determine over the following two days.
“Competitors officers indicated that one of many take a look at’s aims is to find out a tire setup that promotes fall-off and an emphasis on tire administration, however with out the extreme put on from the Cup Sequence’ most up-to-date race on Sept. 13. One other prime purpose is to zero in on a setup that’s extra temperature impartial, with tires that react the identical no matter any swings in temps.”
Conducting the checks are the next drivers and groups:
– No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota; driver Bubba Wallace– No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet; driver Alex Bowman– No. 60 RFK Racing Ford; driver Ryan Preece
This take a look at may also signify the primary time the brief monitor package deal has been outfitted with the 750 horsepower tapered spacer, one of many new guidelines for the NextGen automotive subsequent 12 months, up from its present 670 HP goal.
After the Bristol take a look at, NASCAR and Goodyear may also conduct a take a look at of some sort at North Wilkesboro, the place the Sanctioning Physique may also contemplate making technical modifications to the automotive to proceed enhancing the brief monitor racing product.
When this automotive first debuted in 2022, it significantly improved racing on the intermediate tracks, however on the expense of flat brief tracks and street programs, anyplace that had only one line, as a consequence of how aero delicate the trailing automotive is.
NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell mentioned final month that there’s a willingness to attempt to take a further swing at making an attempt some issues along with the horsepower improve.
Joey Logano, Staff Penske Ford
Picture by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Photos
“I believe what you’ll see us do is, we bought the drivers, with the counsel from Christopher Bell and others, Joey Logano, speaking about, ‘Hey! Let’s strive a few of these issues.’ Working with 3 of the OEM producers and crew chiefs or Heads of Competitors. Placing some concepts collectively, going and making an attempt it at North Wilkesboro and see what occurs.”
Bell, for his half, says the Cup Sequence vehicles must react nearer to the Xfinity Sequence vehicles.
“I believe they should get the Cup aero map to match the Xfinity Sequence vehicles,” Bell informed Motorsport.com final weekend at Phoenix Raceway. “That may be the perfect case state of affairs, to get the Cup vehicles to react just like the Xfinity vehicles.
“I used to be an enormous advocate of going again to narrower tires, however after all of the work Goodyear has put on this 12 months, the vehicles are sliding round loads now. We go to street programs and brief tracks, and I can promise you, it’s slippery. At Martinsville, and the Charlotte Street Course, we’re sliding the automotive round loads and are overpowered with the present horsepower.
“I don’t know if it’s aero or mechanical, however I believe it’s aero as a result of we drive the automotive in yaw just like the Xfinity vehicles can and I believe that’s an enormous a part of the attention take a look at — the way in which the Xfinity guys appear like they’re hustling the vehicles. Cup vehicles, although we’re near uncontrolled, it doesn’t appear like it on TV. I’d like to get us nearer to the Xfinity automotive.”
The Xfinity Automobile is nostril down and tail up, however the Cup automotive makes its downforce from the rear with the assistance of the diffuser so it’s tail down and nostril up.
Bell agrees that’s the largest drawback, so how can we repair that?
“I don’t know,” he mentioned with fun. “We have to discover a method to optimize with that too. Like, NASCAR can’t inform us ‘drop the nostril and lift the tail’ as a result of that’s not how this automotive is perfect. We’ll all the time evolve again to nostril up and tail down perspective as a result of that’s how the automotive was designed.
“It’s worse in visitors. That is why we will’t get the automotive in entrance of us free. This hurts passing. We have to optimize the automotive with the nostril down and the tail up, and no matter will get us there, that’s what we have to do.”
Along with the tires and aerodynamics, NASCAR may also be testing the brand new Electrical Management Unit and Knowledge Logger for subsequent season – the McLaren TAG-510.
Brad Keselowski couldn’t reply what he needs NASCAR to take a look at with out figuring out what they had been open to taking a look at when requested.
“You need to be extra particular for me to have a robust opinion however I do know the ECU is an enormous a part of that take a look at and getting that proper,” Keselowski mentioned. “There are a whole lot of issues that these checks might be essential for.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has advocated striping the NextGen down completely for brief monitor races.
The crew chief’s perspective
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So how do Cup Sequence crew chiefs plan on attending to the place Bell prompt? In brief, crew chiefs like Bell’s shot caller, Adam Stevens, doesn’t actually know.
“I believe everybody has a deal with on what they wish to occur however I don’t suppose anyone has a deal with on what it’s going to take, aerodynamically to make that occur,” Stevens mentioned. “I will surely put myself in that class. All of us need the trailing automotive to not be at such an obstacle to the main automotive. Easy methods to make that occur, I’ve not put any time or examine into that. I can inform you the those who have taken the time to through the years, haven’t had a lot success anyway so I can’t inform you what widget we have to strive both. If anybody is aware of what that widget is, it isn’t me.”
Rudy Fugle, who serves in that function for William Byron, worries that it will be an costly endeavor to even strip the automotive down.
“My opinion on the aero aspect of it’s fairly complicated,” Fugle mentioned. “With the way in which the underbody and the way in which the splitter is and the way in which the air flows to the louvers, I believe it will be fairly costly to do some of these things. I haven’t heard of any of their plans to be trustworthy with you … however there are positively some issues that I believe may assist however they’re fairly large-scale issues for my part.
“It must be a redesign of some issues. There are some smarter aerodynamicists on the market than me. I am not one in any respect, so positively smarter than me. Perhaps they’re getting someplace that I do not learn about.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief for William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Picture by: David Jensen / Getty Photos
Chris Gayle mentioned he needs to get the vehicles off the shocks and take a look at eradicating elements of the sealed underbody.
With all of that mentioned, everybody is happy for a minimum of transferring the product ahead, even incrementally with the horsepower improve. Paul Wolfe, who serves as crew chief for Joey Logano, mentioned it’s not going to be an enormous distinction however pairing the horsepower with extra good points from Goodyear, and perhaps an aero tweak right here or there, all begin to add up.
That has actually been the case from the place this automotive began in 2022 to 2025.
“The horsepower factor has been on the radar for some time,” Wolfe mentioned. “I’m excited for the course. That’s good. I’m not conscious of any of the aero stuff that’s been talked about. We’re already on two completely different packages relating to mile and a half versus brief monitor. We’ve run each packages on brief tracks.
“It’s arduous to say something has been an enormous extra mover on the aero aspect however with all this being mentioned, we have to remember that not one change goes to be large, it’s about stacking little modifications right here and there to make the racing higher. I noticed the place some guys mentioned ‘weren’t going to see something out of the 750’ however is it going to be evening and day, no, however relating to managing and utilizing your tires, these issues, including horsepower isn’t going to make it worse. It’s going to make the damage worse, which is the place we’re making an attempt to go.”
Wolfe mentioned ‘we are attempting to stack a bunch of little issues’ to make the leisure will increase, which is not any completely different than what groups do in looking for pace will increase.
“I’m excited to see the 750 package deal and I don’t suppose it’s going to be worse, and it ought to directionally make issues higher,” Wolfe mentioned. “We’ve accomplished some good issues with tires this 12 months. Goodyear has pushed the boundary there. We’ve seen good outcomes there and I’m excited to proceed down that path.
“This can be a robust one, and I don’t know that we as a sport are all the time going to knock it out of the park there, however it should proceed to evolve and we’ve gone in the precise instructions and I’m excited to proceed down that path as properly.”
NASCAR mentioned it hasn’t but decided the parameters and scope of the North Wilkesboro take a look at, together with what might be examined and what number of members.
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