Denny Hamlin left the recent NASCAR race with a positive outlook for the first time in a while, praising Goodyear tires for reshaping the dynamics of short-track racing. Saturday’s 400-lap event at Richmond featured a tire that wore out significantly, encouraging drivers to rely on speed, strategy, and skill to gain an advantage, which created nonstop excitement on the track.
Although the Next-Gen cars still showed some issues, Goodyear’s tire design caused nearly 83% tire falloff, forcing racers into aggressive and tactical battles. This led to numerous lead changes and an action-packed race that reminded fans of the classic, bumper-to-bumper style that once defined NASCAR short-track racing.
Hamlin Applauds Goodyear for Transforming Richmond Race Experience
In the past, short tracks like Richmond were among the most thrilling NASCAR venues, second only to superspeedways, with close, competitive racing. However, since the introduction of the Gen 7/Next Gen car, the quality of short-track passing has diminished noticeably, frustrating drivers and fans alike.
This season continued to see strategy-focused wins at tracks such as Michigan, Indianapolis, Iowa, and Dover, which often resulted in less thrilling finishes. In sharp contrast, the Cook Out 400 at Richmond stood out thanks to the new Goodyear tire, which Hamlin credits for reigniting genuine racing excitement.
Thank you, Goodyear, for bringing a tire that had over 2 to 2 1/2 seconds of fall-off. That’s great,
Hamlin said, showing his appreciation for the tire manufacturer.
Deserving, very, very deserving in that… Richmond was kind of one of the very first short tracks that was getting the oh man, this is kind of boring
type of feel, right? And, like, it’s good to see that. Like, OK, yeah, the tires do matter, right?
Hamlin elaborated on how the tire impacted the racing style:
Everyone’s got a lot of grip because the tires got a lot of grip, and then all of a sudden people start passing. It’s like that’s what we wanted to see. And so that puts it back into the driver’s hands. And hopefully, this is something that will be our loud and tire as well.
So something to look forward to there. It looks, it seems like they’re trying to make this our standard short track tire because I believe it is the same as Martinsville now Richmond, I’m sure there’s another in there, but. We’ve softened up the tires. It’s a really good thing,
he added.
Renewed Hope for Short Track Racing’s Future
At 44 years old, Hamlin views this tire adjustment as a critical step toward restoring driver control and fan enthusiasm in short track racing. While he did not win at the 0.75-mile Richmond track, the tire’s rapid wear and falloff offered him and other drivers a fresh opportunity to engage in competitive racing that rewards pure driving talent and strategy over pit tactics alone.
This development could signal a larger shift in NASCAR’s short track races, potentially becoming a standard approach to reinvigorate the sport and bring back the close-quarters action that long-time enthusiasts have been missing.
