NASCAR adjusts wet weather tire procedure for ovals
CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR announced Thursday that they have adjusted the procedure for how teams can use wet weather tires on ovals.
In June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, when teams ran the final 77 laps of the NASCAR Cup Series race on wet weather tires, officials dictated when they could change those tires.
Starting this weekend at Richmond Raceway, officials will let teams make that decision. They will also let teams manage how they wish to use their allotment of wet weather tires. This weekend, they will have four sets of tires.
As a result, teams can choose to stay out and gain positions, in relation to those who pitted.
These procedures are similar to, but not the same as, what is already in place for road course races. NASCAR officials will still dictate when teams can go from slick tires to wet-weather tires on ovals.
That is subject to change as more oval races happen with wet-weather tires.
While there have been 19 instances of teams using wet-weather tires on road courses in points-paying NASCAR national series competition, there have been just four such instances on ovals.
The June New Hampshire race was only the second instance for the NASCAR Cup Series. Teams also ran the first 30 laps of the Easter Sunday race at Richmond Raceway on wet weather tires.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series ran a small part of the June New Hampshire race on wet-weather tires. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series had a similar instance in last year’s Martinsville race.
MORE: Who can’t be stopped in the rain? The best of NASCAR rain racing
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com