How NASCAR's wet tires enhance racing in the rain? All you need to know

NASCAR recently rolled out its new creation for the rainy weather for the second time this season. The USA Today 301 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway witnessed a two-hour and 15-minute rain delay at Loudon. To curtail further delay, NASCAR officials allowed the teams to use the wet-weather tires to continue the 18th race of the season until its end.

The Goodyear's wet-weather tires were used for the first time in the points-paying race in Richmond Raceway earlier this season. To avoid delay, NASCAR ran the first 30 laps of the Toyota Owners 400 race 15 minutes after the scheduled start. However, as the surface dried from the heat of cars and tires, teams got a chance to switch back to the slick tires after a non-competitive pit stop. The wet tires first debuted on the oval track in the 2023 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

The wet tires used by teams have tread patterns similar to any passenger car. While the standard stock car tires are slick tires with no tread patterns, the patterns on the wet tires are designed to throw out water, allowing for a better grip on the damp oval tracks. Also, the water keeps the tires cool. However, the teams have to change the tires as soon as the track dries, because the wet weather tires heat up faster.

Although NASCAR is not known for racing in wet weather, after the race at New Hampshire, NASCAR's wet weather tires were deemed successful. The New Hampshire Motor Speedway witnessed Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell secure his third win of the season.

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"We’d have been done with 82 laps ago" - NASCAR V.P reacted to the New Hampshire race

NASCAR's Vice President of Competitions, Elton Sawyer, talked about the successful attempt that helped NASCAR continue its Cup Series race rather than ending it prematurely. Sawyer said (via NASCAR):

"Oh, we would have (had to call the race if we didn’t have wet-weather tires). We’d have been done with 82 laps ago. It gave us an opportunity to get back green. You know, we were up against it with daylight as well, but kudos to our teams, our drivers, our owners, and especially Mr. (Jim) France for his vision."

"We ran 301-plus laps today. Went into the overtime. Our fans that bought a ticket, they got to see some great, exciting racing. And there’s still some things that we’re learning through this process and in all honesty, we’d like to be out of the tire business. We’d like to just turn that over to the teams. But as we continue to take small steps and learn, eventually, we’ll get there. We just want to do this in the safest way possible," Sawyer added.

Apart from #20 Christopher Bell taking the checkered flag for the third time this season, Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe made a comeback after finishing second and adding points to his overall standings. Fellow SHR driver Josh Berry secured a P3 and proved his worth as he hunts for a new ride for the 2025 season.

Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson and RFK Racing's Chris Buescher rounded up the top five after finishing P4 and P5, respectively. #5 Larson has reclaimed his number 1 spot in the overall standings with 620 points under his belt

Here's a glimpse of Sunday's USA Today 301 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

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