The first two seasons of the Gen 7 era featured short track racing that disappointed drivers and fans. The situation has changed, according to Ryan Preece, as NASCAR and Goodyear have continued to experiment in pursuit of progress.
NASCAR hasn't put more horsepower in the cars as Preece and other drivers desire, but the aggressive moves with tire compounds have paid off.
"I feel like our short track product is only gonna continue to get better, especially after what I felt like we saw with Martinsville in the fall," Preece said during a media session on Wednesday.
"And really, the trajectory that I feel like we're trying to go into for Richmond and all those things will pay off if we can continue that for a place like New Hampshire or (North) Wilkesboro and continue on.
"But those types of things don't happen overnight."
The process that Preece referenced began with different parts of the Gen 7 cars. NASCAR implemented a new rules package in 2023 that reduced the number of downforce-producing aero parts. This package included a reduced number of diffuser strakes and engine panel strakes, as well as a smaller rear spoiler.
NASCAR then tested a new short track package at Richmond that featured a modified splitter to provide downforce in dirty air. The expectation was that this would increase the passing opportunities at short tracks and road courses.
These aero package changes did not produce the desired results. Meanwhile, Goodyear worked on creating softer tires that would create wear.
This led to the option tire, which NASCAR first used during the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The tire then returned for a points-paying race at Richmond and delivered for the competitors.
"It was fun, man," an excited Suarez told AltDriver at Richmond. "I give a huge credit to NASCAR and Goodyear for bringing this option tire because it's a lot of fun. I don't see why we don't have an option tire everywhere we go."
Last season, Goodyear brought an even softer compound to the playoff race at Martinsville Speedway. The right-side tires were the option compound that appeared at North Wilkesboro and Richmond. The left-side tires were even softer.
This tire setup, which NASCAR and Goodyear also used at the Clash in February, forced drivers to manage their equipment instead of going all-out once the green flag waved. It also helped create a second groove that the drivers could use to make passes instead of simply bumping competitors out of the way.
Having only one tire set instead of multiple options takes away some of the strategy for teams, but that's perfectly fine with Preece. He knows the engineers and crew chiefs can find other ways to gain an advantage at the historic short track.
"From the strategy standpoint, if you have a tire that's a little bit better and it can get you off cycle that can sometimes be interesting and nice, but you could also do the same things if you changed lengths or other things that create different strategies, rather than having a straight-up race of 'Hey, we need to pit now,'" Preece explained.
"I like the fact that we're gonna bring a tire that in 90 or 100 laps that if you beat on it, you're gonna pay the price. I think if we continue to go down that avenue and trying to keep getting even more and more aggressive, it's only gonna be better and better."