NASCAR's Cup Series drivers are consistent in their requests for tires with aggressive falloff. According to Goodyear, the upcoming playoff race at Watkins Glen International will feature a tire that delivers exactly what they want.
"I'll tell you it is extremely aggressive," Goodyear Director of Racing Greg Stucker said during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "We saw close to four seconds of falloff over the course of the 25-lap run.
"I'm surprised, but it just wore, and it fell off."
This aggressive falloff came to light during a Watkins Glen tire test in June. Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, and Austin Cindric took part in a two-day session while representing their respective manufacturers.
The session featured compounds previously used at Circuit of the Americas and Sonoma Raceway. Goodyear also brought four developmental compounds while searching for the best option for this fall's playoff race.
Multiple drivers spun during the session. They also said they had fun while adapting to the different types of compounds.
"Tyler Reddick was the one that really liked it the most," Stucker said about the new Watkins Glen tire. "He came in with a grin. So that's what we want, that's exactly what we've been looking for.
"That's the kind of thing we want to manage. And I think he really enjoyed driving it. The tire stayed under him. He just needed to handle it differently."
Goodyear has been more aggressive this season with its tire compounds. Most of the time, this has been on purpose. Creating the softer option tires for North Wilkesboro Speedway and Richmond were examples of this.
The spring race at Bristol was more of an accident as tires wore much faster than Goodyear expected. The eventful race still provided feedback that Goodyear and NASCAR's teams could use for future events on the schedule.
Now, Goodyear will be able to put this information to use during the opening round of the playoffs as drivers battle for the all-important win.
"Several years back, we probably never would have gone down this road as aggressive as it is," Stucker said. "I think this race car -- the wider tire, bigger wheel diameters, independent rear suspensions -- the car enables us just to be this much more aggressive.
"And that's what people have asked us to do. That's what we went to Watkins Glen with the intent of doing, and we came out of there with a package that is extremely aggressive."