Three NASCAR Cup Series teams are taking on Michigan International Speedway as part of another important test.
RFK Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Trackhouse Racing are at the 2-mile track Tuesday, along with Goodyear. The purpose is to test softer compounds specifically built for Michigan.
They will also test different tire constructions for intermediate tracks and their larger counterparts as the entire industry pushes toward more tire wear and falloff with softer compounds while avoiding unexpected blowouts.
The drivers in attendance for the test are Chris Buescher of RFK Racing, Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing, and Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing. Buescher previously won at Michigan during the 2023 season.
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They form the second group to test at the 2-mile track. They follow Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing, Joey Logano of Team Penske, and Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing in 2022.
Michigan is a smoother track, so the tire falloff has not been as significant in recent seasons. This forced Goodyear to find an appropriate tread compound and thickness that would help with tire wear during hot, summer races.
"Excessive and sustained heat is the enemy of a race tire," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of racing, in a 2022 press release. "When you have a smooth track surface, like the one at Michigan, tires just don't wear naturally.
"Heat gets generated the more a tire is run, but on most tracks, that heat gets dissipated as the tread wears. At Michigan, as on other low-wear tracks, we design the tire with an appropriately formulated tread compound and minimal tread gage to help control the heat generation and enable the tire to run at a more optimal performance level."
This Goodyear test follows a two-day session at Charlotte Motor Speedway featuring Ryan Blaney of Joe Gibbs Racing, William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports, and Ryan Blaney of Team Penske. This trio tested several compounds built specifically for 1.5-mile tracks such as Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Kansas Speedway.