Merely a week after the aero package threat at Darlington Raceway last weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series is headed to Martinsville, the first short-track stop of the season, this time with 750 horsepower, for the first time in the Next Gen era. And Austin Cindric has already sounded the alarm, warning that the race could trade finesse for contact, with drivers expected to feel the shift right away.
Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR, Cindric pointed out, “Martinsville also comes like a drop gear change, too. So they’re kind of anticipating some of the power changing things up a little bit.”
The track’s layout already leaves no room to hide, with two tight corners, linked by short straights. It forces drivers to slow to a crawl before jumping back on the throttle, lap after lap, for 400 of them.
Now, adding more power to that chaotic race, the strain could show up the moment drivers pick up the throttle out of the corner. And the most brunt will be taken by the tires, wearing down with each lap as the rear fights to hold on.
Cindric compared it to what the Cup drivers experienced at Bowman Gray Stadium during the Clash, saying, “We go to Bowman Gray, and we’re not even getting full throttle, even in our qualifying laps or best laps or fast laps, new tires, whatever you have. So, you know, we’ve trended over the last few years of going to tires that definitely wear out more and more.”
Even on fresh rubber, drivers there could not stay in the gas; that’s how little grip was on offer. Martinsville could tell a similar story, only this time with more horsepower power grazing the rear tires.
In recent years, NASCAR has leaned into softer tires that wear out more quickly, opening the door for strategy to come into play and for drivers to move through the field. The trade-off is that the grip fades with each lap, forcing drivers to manage the slide while still chasing track position.
Cindric has seen how that usually plays out at Martinsville. “There were times last year at Martinsville where you’re struggling to get full throttle as the right rear and right side tires fall off. So I definitely think it’s going to make an impact, probably more so than maybe anywhere else, I can think of that we’re adding power this year.”
Where Darlington turned on aero, Martinsville will be the test of engine versus tire, and over a long run, the tire will most likely give way.
Besides, the track evolves during the stint. As laps build up, rubber wears down, shifting grip levels and creating patches that can catch drivers out from one corner to the next.
That is why Cindric called Martinsville the place where the shift of the short-track package will hit home. “If there’s anywhere we’re going to feel it, it’s going to be Martinsville. I mean, we’re doing two U-turns and coming from a stop in comparison to most of the places we go. So, from what I did on the SIM today and everything else, I think it’s definitely going to make an impact. And you’re definitely going to have to be pretty nice to those tires,” he added.
It could eventually come down to how well drivers can balance the tire-wear situation. If they push too hard, the tires give up the ghost, while taking care of them may pay off later in the run.
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