CONCORD, N.C. -- The ability to test is a rarity in the modern era of NASCAR, so it should come as no surprise that participating drivers shared their excitement Tuesday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Sure, it felt a little "weird" to be at NASCAR's home track for something other than a race, but they weren't going to complain.
"We don't get to do these very often anymore, so yeah, it was really nice to be able to come and run some laps and change some things," Aric Almirola told AltDriver after controlling Joe Gibbs Racing's Xfinity car during the opening day of the test.
"Most of the time, we practice and really, you can only change some wedge and track bar height and some air pressure and go race. You kind of show up with what you think is the best, and you're always kind of safe.
"You never really have the opportunity to go outside of the box because if it doesn't work, you're trapped with it. Here at a test like this, you can really wholesale it, make some big changes."
William Byron discusses the Charlotte tire test and then discusses the current state of intermediate racing in #NASCAR
The softer tires question came from @KellyCrandall pic.twitter.com/7FgPo6uPKw— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) March 18, 2025
Almirola was one of the few Xfinity and Cup Series drivers who took part in two test days at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He joined Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Chase Briscoe, Sheldon Creed, and Austin Hill.
The first day had a session featuring multiple tire options over several hours, yet the purpose wasn't to test a specific compound for a specific upcoming race.
As multiple drivers said, the intermediate tire is in a good spot. It has the fall-off they desire at tracks such as Charlotte, Kansas, Homestead, and Las Vegas. Attempting to go softer could potentially be a detriment for Goodyear.
That doesn't mean these drivers were going to give up the opportunity to complete extra laps, discuss potential changes with their teams, and put those ideas into practice.
"I just like making laps," Blaney said. "We don't get to do this stuff anymore. You're lucky if you get one test a year. This is my one test that I get this year.
"...I just like making laps because I don't race outside of the sport of NASCAR. I don't really do anything other than Cup racing nowadays, so it's nice for me just to run and be around the guys and go through changes that we're not really able to do on the weekends anymore."
For participating drivers, these tests can provide almost a secret weapon for races that count in the championship standings or pay big money.
Blaney's teammate, Joey Logano, specifically points to a test at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2024 as the reason for his dominant win in the All-Star Race. He completed hundreds of laps in a more relaxed environment and then led 199 more during the primetime event.
Veteran drivers embrace the opportunities to test, especially after seeing how NASCAR went away from extended time on the track as their careers progressed. They embrace any chance to learn a new track or new tire.
Younger drivers see just as much value in these test sessions. They can continue to gain experience in race cars and can do so without worrying that a mistake will end their weekend.
In Sheldon Creed's case, he can use the test to build chemistry with Haas Factory Team after only moving to the organization over the offseason and starting five races.
He and his No. 00 team can build their own notebook instead of just trying to copy what other groups have done in the past.
"So valuable for us," Creed said about the test. "We've run speedways, a road course, and then Phoenix, Vegas now. So I feel like we've just been running kind of what Cole (Custer) and Riley (Herbst) have been good with in the past.
"...Just got to visit some things that I thought we struggled with in Vegas. Felt like some things helped a lot and other things I didn't quite like. Just being able to do that and change shocks and springs in the race car can go a long way."