BRISTOL, Tenn. — Since NASCAR rolled out the Next Gen car, drivers have often said their abilities have been minimized. A driver’s talent was no longer the difference between winning and losing.
On Sunday, though, Bristol Motor Speedway’s annual spring Cup Series race was a throwback to a time when a driver’s skill set could be showcased to its fullest. Excessive wear forced drivers to manage their tires to such a degree they could rarely race all out, lest they risk a flat, creating a delicate balance where drivers had to pick and choose when to push.
Many pushed too hard, and they suffered the consequences. Others, like race winner Denny Hamlin, thrived, with the veteran at times conceding spots to competitors, knowing it was in his best interests to hold back. It’s why this victory, the 52nd of his career, resonated more than others since the advent of the Next Gen car for the 2022 season.
“This is the first time the driver played a huge role in a long, long time. Long time,” Hamlin said. “It’s a different philosophy from what we’re used to, which is everyone is just kind of on the gas all the time, running the bottom, the shortest way around. Technique was a huge deal today.
“I know I had such a huge role in the result. If the car was not good, I wasn’t going to win. But I feel like I played a huge factor in the result. It’s really a proud one for me. Certainly, one of the more proud ones I’ve had in my career, no question.”
Hamlin may be biased, considering he was holding the trophy after surviving a day when tires could go about 50 laps before problems began. It’s easy to be happy while standing in victory lane celebrating.
But Hamlin wasn’t alone in the sentiment after 500 laps on the demanding half-mile track.
“It was more in our hands than probably ever has been,” said Chase Elliott, who finished eighth. “I don’t know if you want that every week, but it was really fun and refreshing. It was kind of cool that you could kill your tires if you weren’t smart about it and you could make them last if you were.”
Throughout the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted messages on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, about how what he was watching resembled so many from years past where drivers had to manage their tires, rewarding those who could do it best. In many recent races, drivers have been able to run flat-out with little worry about tire wear.
“Hundred (laps) to go. Most entertaining short track race we have had with the Next Gen,” Earnhardt posted.
Yeah, no talk of “track position” and “passing is so hard” https://t.co/ebXKgO8NtH
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) March 17, 2024
And the statistics backed up the claim that Bristol hosted a classic on Sunday. The lead changed hands 54 times, a track record. And 16 different drivers led, also a track-best.
“I think it was probably one of the best short track races I’ve ever seen,” NASCAR chief racing development officer John Probst said afterward.
Said Justin Haley, who finished 17th: “I loved it. I don’t know what social media says, but as a driver, I thought it was fun because you had to manage it. You weren’t all-out the whole time, so it was fun to have a major part in how the car ran.”
Some, though, were less enthusiastic.
Fifth-place finisher Kyle Larson said while there were elements he enjoyed, like the 50-lap window or having to slow down to such a significant degree to conserve tires, this form of racing is not something he’d want to do every week. Elliott echoed those comments, saying that while tire wear is a good thing, “there’s probably a little better balance somewhere there.”
Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney offered a more pointed review.
“No, I didn’t have fun,” said Blaney, who finished 16th. “I mean, what’s fun about riding around, creeping around, can’t run 50 laps unless you blow a tire? You got guys with blown stuff creeping around the racetrack.
“I bet it was entertaining to watch. It was a little bit of a wild race — not in a good way.”
“This is the first time the driver played a huge role in a long, long time,” Denny Hamlin said of Sunday’s race in Bristol, where he earned the 52nd win of his career. (Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)
Going into Sunday, most expected tire wear to be a factor after potential issues became apparent in Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions. But no one, from NASCAR to tire manufacturer Goodyear to drivers to crew chiefs, seemed to have a clear idea why this race unfolded this way.
“We put as much science to it as we can possibly put to it,” Probst said. “But at the end of the day, right? You got so many factors and variables that go into it. We’ll just have to look at it.”
One notable difference between this weekend and last September when NASCAR previously raced at Bristol was how the track was treated in an attempt to improve grip. In the fall, officials added PJ1 traction compound whereas this weekend resin was used in case NASCAR had to race in damp conditions. During a tire test earlier this year, it was discovered that PJ1 wasn’t effective on a wet track, as it actually made it slicker.
Could this be the catalyst for what was an entertaining race even despite a similar tire compound to last fall’s race?
“We’re trying to understand what’s different,” Goodyear racing director Greg Stucker said. “Why is the racetrack behaving differently this weekend than what it did a year ago? It’s the same, it’s the same package. It’s the same tire combination.
“Obviously, the difference is resin was placed on the lower groove instead of the PJ1. Yet I still think the racetrack should be taking rubber as it did last year. It took rubber immediately during that race.”
Whatever the reason, the result was a record-breaking race vastly different from most other short-track races during the Next Gen era. This one offered more passing, greater driver influence and did away with the tedious conversation about potential fixes to enhance the on-track product.
“This is supposed to be a sport,” said Chris Gabehart, Hamlin’s crew chief. “It’s supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to force these guys to make decisions in the car. Do I go now? Do I not? The crew chiefs make decisions on how they treat the tire, what their setup is, how long do you want to run this stint. You can’t just run the fuel tank out and the tire not blow. It might blow on you.”
(Top photo of Denny Hamlin and others during Sunday’s race: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images)
