NASCAR Kicks Off 2026 Short Track Season Preparations with Crucial Goodyear Tire Test

NASCAR’s journey towards an optimized 2026 short track racing product officially commenced this week with a two-day tire testing session for Goodyear. The high-speed half-mile track, a staple of the Cup Series calendar, served as the proving ground for new tire compounds designed to address the volatile performance swings experienced in recent seasons. These swings have ranged from traditional, close-quarters racing to extreme tire wear, often influenced by ambient temperatures.

The observed variability in tire degradation has been a significant talking point. In cooler weather conditions, the rubber has struggled to "marry" with the track surface, leading to situations in spring 2024 and fall 2025 races where tires could only endure 30-50 laps before requiring a change, even with careful management. While these instances were largely met with positive reception for creating significant speed differentials and promoting more on-track contact, a general consensus among drivers and teams points towards a desire for a more consistent middle ground. The ultimate aim is to achieve a racing product that is less susceptible to meteorological fluctuations while still delivering compelling on-track action.

Goodyear’s objective during this test was multifaceted: to refine tire combinations that promote meaningful fall-off and necessitate strategic tire management, but without the excessive wear that characterized some of the most recent Cup Series races on similar circuits. A parallel and equally critical goal was to develop a tire setup that exhibits greater temperature neutrality, ensuring consistent performance across a range of track conditions.

Participating in this crucial evaluation were three prominent teams and their drivers: the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota piloted by Bubba Wallace, the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Alex Bowman, and the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford with Ryan Preece behind the wheel.

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This test also marked a significant milestone as the short track package was outfitted with the 750 horsepower tapered spacer, a notable increase from the current 670 HP target. This adjustment is part of the new technical regulations slated for the Next Gen car in 2026.

Following the Bristol test, NASCAR and Goodyear are scheduled to conduct further evaluations at North Wilkesboro. At this venue, the sanctioning body will also explore potential technical modifications to the car’s design, with the overarching goal of continuously enhancing the short track racing experience.

The Next Gen car, which debuted in 2022, demonstrated considerable improvements on intermediate tracks. However, its performance on flat short tracks and road courses, particularly in single-groove scenarios, was impacted by its aerodynamic sensitivity, creating challenges for trailing cars.

NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell acknowledged last month the organization’s openness to exploring various avenues for improvement, beyond just the horsepower increase. "I think what you’ll see us do is, we’ve got the drivers, with the counsel from Christopher Bell and others, Joey Logano, talking about, ‘Hey! Let’s try some of these things.’ Working with three of the OEM manufacturers and crew chiefs or Heads of Competition. Putting some ideas together, going and trying it at North Wilkesboro and see what happens," O’Donnell stated.

Bell, a vocal proponent of refining the Cup Series car’s behavior, believes that aligning its characteristics more closely with Xfinity Series cars would be a significant step forward. "I think they need to get the Cup aero map to match the Xfinity Series cars," Bell told Motorsport.com. "That would be the best-case scenario, to get the Cup cars to react like the Xfinity cars."

He further elaborated on the current challenges: "I was a big advocate of going back to narrower tires, but after all the work Goodyear has put in this year, the cars are sliding around a lot now. We go to road courses and short tracks, and I can promise you, it is slippery. At Martinsville, and the Charlotte Road Course, we are sliding the car around a lot and are overpowered with the current horsepower."

Bell attributed this phenomenon to aerodynamic factors, noting, "I don’t know if it’s aero or mechanical, but I think it’s aero because we drive the car in yaw like the Xfinity cars can and I think that’s a big part of the eye test — the way the Xfinity guys look like they are hustling the cars. Cup cars, even though we are close to out of control, it doesn’t look like it on TV. I would love to get us closer to the Xfinity car."

A key aerodynamic difference highlighted is the car’s stance: Xfinity Series cars exhibit a nose-down, tail-up attitude, whereas the Cup car’s downforce is generated more from the rear via its diffuser, resulting in a tail-down, nose-up configuration.

Bell acknowledged this disparity as a primary issue, but finding a solution remains complex. "I don’t know," he admitted with a laugh. "We need to find a way to optimize with that too. Like, NASCAR can’t tell us ‘drop the nose and raise the tail’ because that’s not how this car is optimal. We’ll always evolve back to nose up and tail down attitude because that’s how the car was designed."

He further explained the implications for on-track competition: "It’s worse in traffic. This is why we can’t get the car in front of us loose. This hurts passing. We need to optimize the car with the nose down and the tail up, and whatever gets us there, that’s what we need to do."

Beyond tires and aerodynamics, NASCAR is also testing the new McLaren TAG-510 Electric Control Unit (ECU) and Data Logger, set to be implemented next season.

Driver Brad Keselowski emphasized the importance of the ECU test, stating, "You have to be more specific for me to have a strong opinion but I know the ECU is a big part of that test and getting that right. There are a lot of things that those tests will be important for."

In parallel, there have been discussions and advocacy for a more fundamental approach to short track racing. Dale Earnhardt Jr., a prominent voice in the sport, has previously advocated for a significant simplification of the Next Gen car for short track events.

The perspective from crew chiefs on how to achieve the desired aerodynamic balance, as described by Christopher Bell, remains a work in progress. Adam Stevens, crew chief for Bell, expressed the complexity of the challenge: "I think everyone has a handle on what they want to happen but I don’t think anybody has a handle on what it’s going to take, aerodynamically to make that happen," Stevens commented. "I would certainly put myself in that category. We all want the trailing car to not be at such a disadvantage to the leading car. How to make that happen, I have not put any time or study into that. I can tell you the people that have taken the time to over the years, haven’t had much success anyway so I can’t tell you what widget we need to try either. If anyone knows what that widget is, it isn’t me."

Rudy Fugle, crew chief for William Byron, voiced concerns about the potential cost of significantly altering the car’s aerodynamic package. "My opinion on the aero side of it is pretty complex," Fugle stated. "With the way the underbody and the way the splitter is and the way the air flows to the louvers, I think it would be pretty expensive to do some of these stuff. I haven’t heard of any of their plans to be honest with you… but there are definitely some things that I think could help but they are pretty large-scale things in my opinion." He added, "It would have to be a redesign of some things. There are some smarter aerodynamicists out there than me. I’m not one at all, so definitely smarter than me. Maybe they’re getting somewhere that I don’t know about."

Chris Gayle suggested exploring the removal of certain components, such as parts of the sealed underbody, to improve the car’s handling.

Despite the challenges, there is a palpable sense of optimism regarding incremental progress. Paul Wolfe, crew chief for Joey Logano, believes that the combination of the horsepower increase, potential gains from Goodyear’s tire development, and targeted aerodynamic tweaks will collectively contribute to a more engaging product. "The horsepower thing has been on the radar for a while," Wolfe remarked. "I’m excited for the direction. That’s good. I’m not aware of any of the aero stuff that’s been talked about. We’re already on two different packages when it comes to mile and a half versus short track. We’ve run both packages on short tracks."

Wolfe emphasized the cumulative effect of small changes: "It’s hard to say anything has been a big more mover on the aero side but with all this being said, we need to keep in mind that not one change is going to be huge, it’s about stacking little changes here and there to make the racing better. I saw where some guys said ‘we’re not going to see anything out of the 750’ but is it going to be night and day, no, but when it comes to managing and using your tires, those things, adding horsepower isn’t going to make it worse. It’s going to make the wear worse, which is where we’re trying to go."

He further elaborated on the team’s approach, drawing parallels to how teams seek speed improvements: "we are trying to stack a bunch of little things" to enhance entertainment value.

"I’m excited to see the 750 package and I don’t think it’s going to be worse, and it should directionally make things better," Wolfe concluded. "We’ve done some good things with tires this year. Goodyear has pushed the boundary there. We’ve seen good results there and I’m excited to continue down that path. This is a tough one, and I don’t know that we as a sport are always going to knock it out of the park there, but it will continue to evolve and we’ve gone in the right directions and I’m excited to continue down that path as well."

NASCAR has yet to finalize the specific parameters and scope of the upcoming North Wilkesboro test, including the exact technical aspects to be examined and the number of participating teams.