2025 is here, but the Goodyear Tire conversation is still alive. Who can forget last year’s spectacular Bristol race in March? Drivers ran a tire management race, as they could not go full speed without their tires lasting a few laps. Denny Hamlin aced that event, diligently handling the wearing tires with his short-track racing skills. And this year’s Bowman Gray Clash also brought the same smile to his face.

The Cook Out Clash race last Sunday was a thumping success in many regards. The atmosphere was heavy with gearhead love, as the fans roared their cheers. The ‘Madhouse Mayhem’ ensued with a lot of torn-up race cars – but the track package? Perfect, in Denny Hamlin’s words.

Denny Hamlin commends Goodyear

Well, after the Bristol race in March 2024, Goodyear worked hard to replicate the same tire-wear race. However, they were wildly unsuccessful in North Wilkesboro and Bristol (September). We all know how Kyle Larson dominated 462 of 500 laps in the latter race, showing how passing problems affected drivers. Massive criticism had mounted on Goodyear for their fruitless efforts. However, now Denny Hamlin offered a healthy change to this conversation.

Coming to Bowman Gray, drivers got the best short-track performance in several years. Passing, rubbing, or bumping did not create problems. This is what enthralled Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin. He said in a recent ‘Actions Detrimental’ episode: “Honestly, it exceeded my expectations from the production standpoint.” Then he lauded Goodyear’s efforts: “And the on-track standpoint… we talk about them a lot, we give them a lot of s–t, like the Goodyear tires. I think that we finally got a good short-track tire here that creates the ability to pass after they start to wear.” 

Then Denny Hamlin stressed the importance of tire wear in races. “So it’s a signal that to create more passing in our series, let’s get more wear. It’s not just heat that we got to get in the tire, we gotta get the thing to wear.” Then came another bout of approval for Goodyear’s tires, which is a welcome change after the criticism they faced last year. “This tire that they developed…that started with Martinsville…it was an option tire at Richmond. It will be the option tire when we get to Phoenix. So I think this is a good tire. And it’s certainly helping short-track racing with the Next-Gen car.”

The results of this experiment were visible last season. Both Richmond and Martinsville spiced things up since drivers could mix strategies. The race wasn’t just about saving tires and drivers playing it safe. They could go for a more aggressive strategy and prove it on the track. With Bowman Gray using the same tire offering as Martinsville, the parallels are clear. Moreover, NASCAR plans to run tests in Phoenix during the spring race to see if the tire strategy from Bowman Gray can be implemented in the championship race.

Besides Goodyear revamping its tires for the good, the Clash also saw another improvement. That was in the excitement level of the fans.

Cheering them up to glory

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the previous host of the Clash, has a 77,500 seating capacity. Bowman Gray Stadium, in comparison, only has 17,000. Yet in terms of the sentiments and heavy emotions related to racing, Bowman Gray tops the charts. Even though 60% of the fans in attendance hailed from outside the Triad area of North Carolina, they knew core stock car racing. You could tell from the bicep tattoo of a No. 3 wrapped in angel wings or the outline of Richard Petty’s signature on somebody’s shoulder. These diehard fans had their eyes glued to every lap and did not hesitate to roar their displeasure when their favorite drivers were wronged.

This unbridled excitement impressed Denny Hamlin: “I thought the atmosphere was fantastic. Overall, I thought everyone did a great job with it.” Race winner Chase Elliott also heaped praises on the enthusiastic fans, comparing them to the LA fanbase. “It was a great environment before the race. I just think probably the biggest lesson I’ve taken from the weekend is kind of reaffirming my belief in less is more. Like this crowd, it wasn’t an 80,000 to 90,000-person crowd, but it was a smaller number, a more intimate number. To your point, they were all very much into the show.”

Evidently, drivers had a lot of takeaways from the Clash race. From Goodyear tires to excited fans, Denny Hamlin and others got a good start to the season.