The Food City 500 race at Bristol Motor Speedway is proving to be a tough nut to crack for the drivers. Shifting from a dirt surface to a traditional concrete surface, it was expected that racing would be better on the newly paved track. However, that has not been the case so far.

The inside track with the chemical compound termed resins, along with the surface of the short track, has caused massive tire wear for multiple drivers. This has resulted in a number of cautions and even teams making changes to their tire strategy. For the time being, it looks like the teams and drivers will have to devise a new plan to tackle the unforeseen challenge they face at Bristol.

Dale Earnhardt Jr welcomes the return of tire management tactics in the Cup race

While there are questions regarding Goodyear’s capability to deliver race-ready tires for the Food City 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr seems to dig this change in the trend of tire management. Back in the day, cars running at better speeds had to juggle managing tire wear as well as their track position. And the same challenge seemed to take much of the field by surprise during the race.

It is indeed frustrating for the teams and drivers to be put under the added pressure of now managing the tires till the end of the race. But this challenge seems to have got Dale Earnhardt Jr excited about the remainder of the race. Taking to X, he wrote, “Hell yes. Managing tire wear in a Cup race? Been a long time. Fascinating stuff. Is running low or high better for wear? Better be smart on the short run to make the long run a success.”

In the end, wiser and more experienced drivers like Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr who managed to strike a fine balance in terms of tire management and finishing the race. Coming to the final few laps of the race, a fair few of the drivers couldn’t make it till the end as their worn-out tires resulted in flats. With the rest of the field struggling to make it till the end, Hamlin ran away with a commanding win, with his teammate Truex Jr following him in a close second spot.

However it wasn’t just Dale Jr who was excited to see the sport return to its roots but also the fans, who were up for surprises thrown at drivers during the race.

Fans react to Bristol bringing back the old trend of tire management racing

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As soon as Dale Earnhardt Jr shared his thoughts about the return of tire management racing for the Bristol race, a bunch of fans soon swarmed the comment section, sharing their sentiments and thoughts on the same. Sharing his excitement about the race, a fan wrote, “This tire makes this race 10x more entertaining to watch. I know the drivers don’t like it but as a fan this is incredible to watch!”

Expecting a similar trend in the upcoming short track races on the schedule, another fan wrote, “Been calling for it. And here we are. COTA, Richmond, and Martinsville in the next few weeks would be interesting”.

Read More: “Truth Hurts”: Dale Earnhardt Jr Left Regretting After Former JRM Maestro Breaks Silence on Controversial Exit

Seeing the funny side of the troubles of the drivers with tire wear at Bristol, a user wrote, “I have heard of running out of gas but has anybody ever run out tires?”

Taking it a notch further, another fan shared his dream scenario of running short track Cup races, “Image this kind of strategies we’d see without these stage breaks”.

What are your thoughts on the return of the tire management strategy returning back to Bristol? And looking at Bristol’s enticing weekend, would you like a similar trend to continue in the upcoming short-track races?