While NASCAR fans are cautious of the new tire set to debut this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin seems excited, as he claims during the latest episode of Actions Detremental, he heard the new right side tire “destroyed” a testing machine at Goodyear.
Since the fabled spring 2024 race at Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR has dreamed of a scenario where tire wear is once again the talk of the town when NASCAR rolls out of the half-mile oval.
That now iconic race saw tire management factor in as cold temperatures generated massive amounts of fall off, which helped create some of the best short track racing in the still youthful life of the NASCAR Next Gen car. Nonetheless, since that afternoon, NASCAR at Goodyear has struck out in its attempts to achieve this racing in back-to-back outings utilizing that same tire.
This weekend, NASCAR and Goodyear are set to debut a new tire for Bristol, and, according to Denny Hamlin’s sources, this tire’s wear is already impressive, even prior to leaving the factory and without any on track testing.
In the latest episode of his podcast Actions Detremental, Hamlin claimed that during a tire wear test at the Goodyear factory, the right side tire for this weekend’s race “shredded into the machine immediately.” The veteran driver, who won that fateful Bristol Spring race, also claimed that he had heard, due to this level of fall, assuming that it was unexpected, the tire “destroyed the machine.”
“There’s a tire that goes on this sandbelt machine, and then [it] checks the wear, ‘How is this tire gonna wear under certain loads?’ And apparently, they put on the Bristol right side tire, and it shredded into the machine, immediately. It was so aggressive that it just, it destroyed the machine. It just unraveled and got caught in the machine.” — Denny Hamlin
The four-time Bristol winner did note that the tire had come “right off the line,” meaning it had not had time to properly cure and “stiffen up,” meaning that this tire was much softer than it will be by the time it gets to the track.
Of course, Hamlin did clarify that this was all hearsay, saying, “this is not factual whatsoever.” But this optimistic outlook from one of NASCAR’s most outspoken drivers, and critics of the Next Gen Car, should by no means be overlooked.
When the NASCAR Cup Series rolled into Bristol this April, tire wear during practice made fans and drivers excited with hopes that the race would look like it did the year prior.
That race saw sixteen different race leaders, nine cautions, and tire marbling coating the track like Parmesan cheese. Those who fared the best in that race were those with experience maintaining their tires, with Hamlin and his teammate Martin Truex Jr going at it for the win.
Unfortunately, this year’s spring race was similar to last year’s night race, with four drivers leading, including race winner Kyle Larson, who led 411 of 500 laps, adding to the 462 laps he led last fall.
During this episode, Hamlin did not hold back, saying he wants the same chaos that fans saw in the spring of 2024. “I’m all for team chaos this week,” Hamlin said. “I hope we can’t run 50 laps. I just hope they have enough tires.”
But this is likely easier for Hamlin to say, as he is already locked into the playoffs Round of 12, while other drivers, like back-to-back Bristol pole winner Alex Bowman, sit below the cutline.
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