NASCAR drivers Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon, and Josh Berry were part of a tire test this past Monday that took place at the Phoenix Raceway and featured the drivers testing multiple compounds with the goal to have teams move towards softer tires that have advanced wear and better grip. Journalist Bob Pockrass caught up with the drivers in Las Vegas this weekend to talk about their experiences trying out the different compounds in the test session.
Reddick discussed how the tire testing didn't reveal any definitive understanding for which compound should be explored further, but he did acknowledge that the session was fruitful because it has provided some direction for Goodyear.
"I think it gave them some idea of what direction they could go but certainly we weren’t seeing the lap time fall-off that was expected with that softer tire. So, that was a bit head scratching. But, I think they’re able to take notes on wear and temperatures of the tire and get feedback from the drivers on what it did to the balance of their cars. I think they have an idea of what they can do, but we didn’t really find a solid answer," Tyler Reddick said.
Trending
#21 driver Josh Berry also echoed similair thoughts when he spoke about his session.
“We tried some softer lefts, I think there’s some potential there to keep going down that road. But, it seemed like it needed to be figured out a little more to feel super confident.”
Talking about the variety of tires that the manafacturer brought to the test, Richard Childress Racing's Austin Dillon was pleased.
“It’s good to see Goodyear be aggressive on the different types of tires it brought”
The three drivers will be taking part in today's Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube taking place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway at 3:30 PM E.T.
Tyler Reddick on the importance of tire strategy for third-place finish at COTA
At the beginning of March, the Cup Series headed to the Circuit of the Americas for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix where Tyler Reddick achieved a pole position qualifying result. At the end of the race, Reddick ended up with a third-place finish behind race winner Christopher Bell and second-place finisher William Byron.
At the time that it was announced that Goodyear would be conducting a test at Phoenix featuring the 23XI Racing driver, Reddick took a moment to discuss the importance of tire strategy, specifically at COTA.
“COTA has had some good races over the years, certainly, but I feel like we were primed to have that good finish we did because the tires were important to have. They did matter, so hopefully, it allows us to more frequently pit for tires and allows more rubber to go down on the track. The more rubber gets on the track, the more that we’re going to have to search around for grip. So I’m excited about it.” [via NASCAR]
Tyler Reddick's highest finish this season has come at the Daytona 500, where he completed the race in second place.
