RICHMOND, Va. -- Cup Series teams had limited time to experiment with the softer option tires Saturday at Richmond Raceway, but they came away wanting to see them used more frequently.
This was a tire that delivered fast lap times early, as well as the fall-off that the drivers sought at the Virginia short track. It brought back some old-school feelings for the veteran drivers.
"Personally, I would love the option tire -- the soft tire -- just to be the tire," Denny Hamlin said after winning the pole. "We stopped around lap 40 or so on that run, and I feel like it was just about to take off lap time-wise. That's kind of what we used to have back in the day.
"It is possible. We've built a tire that has some good fall-off to it. There was some front-end grip as well, so if we are experimenting with this to see if we can run those tires in a race as the only tire, I think that is certainly a viable option."
Hamlin is not the only driver who voiced support for using the softer tire in the future, something Goodyear said was a possibility heading into the Richmond weekend. Kyle Busch, William Byron, and Josh Berry all had solid experiences during the extended practice session.
"It's just what you want."@austindillon3 debriefs on tire falloff with @NASCARonNBC's @kimmiecoon following practice. pic.twitter.com/P28ezl8pbm
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 10, 2024
Berry, in particular, told AltDriver that this softer tire could be the new standard for the short tracks. He said that he had run "pretty hard" for 40 laps and that he didn't have any noticeable issues with his right-rear tire.
"(It) brought me back to days of being at Myrtle Beach and having a 100-lapper there, so it was pretty cool," Berry said while laughing.
While Berry, Busch, and Hamlin were in favor of just making the option tire the standard moving forward, William Byron took a different approach. He mentioned the possibility of having multiple tires, something similar to what Formula 1 does.
"I feel like that's going to create some passing and differences between everybody," Byron said after qualifying inside the top 10.
Of course, Saturday was just a preview. The practice took place with temperatures in the low 90s and on a surface that drivers compared to a cheese grater.
The surface will remain unchanged on Sunday evening as drivers prepare to take the green flag. The difference will be the temperature. The forecast calls for temperatures in the low 80s at the start of the race and temperatures in the mid-70s during the final stage.
"(The tires are) only gonna last better as the track cools off and as the track takes more rubber," Berry said. "They're gonna last better and tire wear is going to only improve as we go. So I think it's a great step forward."
The tires are unlikely to fall off aggressively during the pivotal regular-season race, but that doesn't tamper the expectations for Cup drivers. They expect to see better racing with these tires, and they would certainly support using them on a more extensive basis at other short tracks.
"I think it's great for fall off," Austin Dillon said after posting the fastest lap in practice. "At some of these short tracks, we need it.
"I think it's a no-brainer for Martinsville (Speedway). You should take that tire no matter what. If you don't do two combinations, at least take the red (tire)."