Toiled by the ongoing debacle with the short-track package, NASCAR’s official tire partner Goodyear tested four or five compounds, especially for the short tracks to counteract the ‘parity’ issue. Recently, at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the brand hosted tire tests on the Truck Series for which three drivers from all three manufacturers were called upon to relay their valuable feedback. Trucker and part-time Xfinity driver, Corey Heim of TRICON Garage was among that trio. And, the Toyota garage driver didn’t shy away from sharing his honest thoughts while also mentioning his opinions on the newly repaved Bristol Motor Speedway, sharing the ebbs and flows of the new surface.

Corey Heim shares his thoughts on the newly repaved Bristol Motor Speedway

The last three years have seen dirt covering the track surface at Bristol Motor Speedway, and for the first time since 2020, the half-a-mile facility will host the Truck and Cup Series races on concrete. As the action returns to BMS, fans are anxious about NASCAR’s short track package, which has taken a beating due to the current Next-Gen platform.

As Denny Hamlin stated, ‘parity’ has made passing extremely difficult which in turn has got the excitement factor stooping low. However, Heim has shared his experience driving on the newly repaved Bristol track before the event heads to the facility this weekend. He said, “It’s definitely just got a lot of grip. It’s certainly a lot different than last year. Started off today by running pretty much the exact same racing line that I did last year in the old pavement and you know, there’s really no reason to have your entry so straight and you’re going to go straight now with all the grip. Get more of a circle and use a lot more racetracks.” 

While the trucker appreciated the time and effort put into it, he also revealed how this will factor in the race, stating this will give the Cup Series drivers an advantage as the field develops that tenacity late into the race. Adding to his take, he further added, “Its going to be tough to see how the race goes.You know, there’s definitely no second groove today. You know, as most repaves are, they’re pretty single group for a while until we work it in. Props [to] NASCAR for having us, you know, work the second groove in. I think it’ll help the Cup guys get acclimated and hopefully make it raceable right from the start. Luckily we have some lower series as well that are raised on it and make it more racy I guess if you will.” 

While drivers have been stating their opinions on the renovations and the tires, Goodyear executives also put their point forward.

Director of Racing, Goodyear explains the new tire compound

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Besides Heim, Ben Rhodes from ThorSport Racing representing Ford and Christian Eckes piloting the #19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing with Chevrolet were the others who were called upon for the tire testing. With the racing returning to the half-mile track’s concrete surface, Goodyear had a specific role to play, maintaining the grip despite concrete being a slippery surface compared to the conventional tarmac used in various other tracks.

Detailing what the team at Goodyear has done, Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing, said, “When we race on a concrete surface, certainly one of our goals is getting a tire to wear. Concrete, like we have at Bristol this weekend, is generally a relatively smooth surface and does not promote a lot of wear. We took a step with our right-side tire last fall at Bristol with a compound change, and we return on that set-up for this race. Tire wear is good for racing because it leads to lap-time fall-off and more passing throughout a run.”

With the tire manufacturer bringing in new rubber, can it deliver the hype it is creating and give fans an engaging package? For that, we will have to wait for the Truck Series race on Sunday, March 17.

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