BRISTOL, Tenn. -- For the second time in two seasons, NASCAR Cup Series drivers have no idea what to expect entering a race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Will there be extreme tire wear as there was during last season's spring race, or will the drivers be able to complete long green flag runs without issue as they did in the fall?
"I think all signs point to a race like the spring," Alex Bowman said after winning the pole at Bristol. "We started practice with rubber already on the race track from the Xfinity cars, peeled it right up, and sawed the tires right off.
"Confusing why we're doing it again when we didn't do it in the fall. Obviously, it's really cold today, but I don't know. It's going to be warmer tomorrow; maybe that changes it. It's really difficult to say."
The Saturday morning practice session took place on a day when temperatures topped out in the low 50s. The track had rubber from the morning's Xfinity Series practice and qualifying sessions, but the rubber did not remain as the first group completed its 25-minute session.
The track largely remained clear as the teams saw extensive tire wear in only 30-40 laps. Bristol's surface shredded the tires like a grater on a block of cheese, and the rubber that came off the tires piled over by the outside wall.
We’ve got some worn-down tires. pic.twitter.com/Lg4MxCr3ux
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 12, 2025
This was wildly different than what the drivers expected entering the weekend. They thought they would see relatively little tire wear. They expected the standard Bristol race where track position is king, and one driver can lead nearly every lap.
So what happens now that the tire wear is more extensive than they thought it would be? Will nine sets of tires be enough for Sunday's 500-lap race?
"If it turns out to be something different, which I think is a very low possibility, then you adapt from there - just like everyone had to do last spring," Denny Hamlin said before practice.
"But that is really important in a driver, crew chief relationship to understand - what are the things we need to work on? I've got the experience from last year to know that there are certain things I'm going to need out of the car if it is going to be a tire conservation type race."
Said Ryan Blaney after practice, "I think it's gonna be a lot of managing through the run. A lot of guys had cords after 35 laps, so that's gonna be really important.
"We'll see if we have enough tires for the end of it."