Did a NASCAR Official LEAK Ryan Preece’s 2025 Plans?
What’s Happening? On Monday, NASCAR hosted a test of Goodyear’s wet-weather tire at Homestead Miami Speedway. While this testing is newsworthy…
Lost in the shuffle of Ryan Preece’s alleged leak was the story surrounding that leak. Preece was testing a car for RFK Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Monday. However, that test was not for the two to become acquainted; it is a part of a broader story.
What’s Happening? On Monday, NASCAR hosted a test of Goodyear’s wet-weather tire at Homestead Miami Speedway. While this testing is newsworthy…
@brakehard RYAN PREECE DRIVES RFK CAR AT WET WEATHER TEST #nascar #racing #motorsport ♬ original sound – brakehard
On Monday, three drivers representing the three NASCAR manufacturers tested wet-weather tires at Homestead-Miami Speedway following the NASCAR race weekend at the track. These three drivers were Alex Bowman of Chevrolet, John Hunter Nemechek of Toyota, and Ryan Preece of Ford.
This test, on an intermediate track, could be NASCAR’s most prominent wet weather test to date. It featured five different sets of tires, including four different wet-weather compounds. While the drivers were not testing in the rain, the cars turned laps on an artificially damp track.
This test is monumentally significant as it shows a potential future change in NASCAR’s precedent on wet-weather racing at ovals.
For the majority of its history, NASCAR has hesitated to race in wet weather. This was not from a lack of trying, as road courses have seen NASCAR put on races despite a wet track. These road course packages featured the necessary tires and windshield wipers.
However, when it came to NASCAR’s ovals, the tracks where cars can face high banks and fast speeds, the sport held off. That changed last season when NASCAR used a grooved “wet-weather tire” in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville.
That spring 2023 race, held under damp conditions rather than a downpour, changed the future of NASCAR. Its success resulted in a 2024 season in which the NASCAR Cup Series officially used a wet-weather tire on an oval under race conditions.
First, at the spring race in Richmond, the NASCAR Cup Series started the race on wet tires and damp conditions. However, following a pop-up appearance at the All-Star race, NASCAR dove headfirst into wet oval racing at New Hampshire, battling small showers throughout the day.
Despite these efforts from NASCAR, they still hold off on using the tires at mile-and-a-half or intermediate tracks such as Homestead. This is due to the slower speeds of short tracks. So, is this test a sign of future changes to come?
In the same interview in which he allegedly leaked Ryan Preece’s new job, NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran spoke highly of the test. “Goodyear has done just a fabulous job with the tires,” Moran said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Furthermore, the three drivers agreed on one tire they liked the most, another good sign.
Moran also said that they expect to use the wet weather tire more next season. However, according to Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, this intermediate test is more of an exploratory test, similar to the tests they did with short tracks and the wet weather tire.
While we may not see the tires on an intermediate track soon, this test is a major step toward that once-unthought-of occurrence.
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