The new NASCAR wet tire rules give teams more control when rain changes the track during a race. Ahead of this weekend’s racing at Bristol Motor Speedway, officials have changed how wet-weather tires can be used on short ovals.
The basic rule has not changed. Wet-weather tires can still be used at ovals measuring one mile or less. What has changed is who gets to decide when teams switch between wet tires and slicks.
Previously, NASCAR controlled that decision throughout the race. Now, once the race starts, teams can make the call themselves when the track is damp.
There is one important condition. NASCAR still has to declare the track wet before teams can use wet-weather tires. At the start, every car will use the same tires. NASCAR will decide whether the field starts on slicks or wets.
After the green flag, teams get more choice. If rain brings out a caution and NASCAR calls the track damp, each team can choose its tires. They can stay on slicks or switch to wets based on the track conditions.
There is a catch on pit road. If NASCAR declares pit road damp, any caution-flag stops will be non-competitive. That means nobody can gain or lose positions during the stop. If some drivers stay out, the cars that pit will fall in behind them when they come back onto the track.
Green-flag stops are a different story. Those stops will remain competitive, so teams can roll the dice on strategy and try to steal track position. If a crew chief gets the tire call right, a driver could come out ahead while others wait it out.
The change comes after the August 23 New Hampshire Motor Speedway incident. Shane van Gisbergen had built a lead of more than seven seconds on wet-weather tires. Then NASCAR called a competition caution and sent everyone back to slicks during the scheduled non-competitive pit stop.
That decision rubbed some people the wrong way, especially with van Gisbergen having built such a healthy advantage on the wet tires. Now NASCAR is putting more of that decision in the teams’ hands when conditions keep changing.
“We always listen to fan and industry feedback,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said. He added that the competition team moved quickly after the strong reaction to the New Hampshire race.
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Bristol is one of several ovals where the wet-weather tires are approved. The list also includes Iowa, New Hampshire, Phoenix, Martinsville, North Wilkesboro and Richmond.
At Bristol’s half-mile track, a little rain could now create some very different strategy calls. Instead of waiting for NASCAR to make the tire decision, teams will have to judge the conditions for themselves and live with the result.
With the NASCAR wet tire rules now allowing teams to choose between slicks and wets after a caution, strategy could play a bigger role at tracks like Bristol.
