Wet-weather tires will be available for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) should rain dampen the race weekend at the 0.526-mile oval.
The National Weather Service indicates sunny skies Friday and Saturday, but a 50% chance of showers Sunday afternoon. Should it actually rain, racing action would return much sooner than in years past with the wet-weather tire on hand.
The wet-weather tire procedure, first introduced into the sport on road courses, debuted on ovals in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2023 and has been used at Richmond Raceway (spring 2024) and New Hampshire Motor Speedway (summer 2024) in the Cup Series since.
RELATED: Martinsville schedule | Cup standings
A reminder of process: According to the NASCAR Rule Book, the series managing director declares when wet-weather conditions are in place.
Then, when the race is ongoing, NASCAR determines the tire configuration in the event of damp conditions. In simplest terms, on ovals where wet-weather tires are utilized, NASCAR will make the determination on whether “slicks” or “wets” are being used, depending on the track conditions.
Following the New Hampshire race last season, where the tire configuration was used on a damp surface, NASCAR adjusted its procedure, stating that if natural cautions fall under a wet-track condition, teams will manage how to use their allotted sets of wet tires.
Previously, NASCAR dictated when teams could change one set of wet tires to a new set of wet tires on ovals. The adjustment was made to allow teams to strategize. In this scenario, for example, teams could decide to pit for new wet-weather tires or stay out on older wet tires and gain track position.
If track conditions change to dry, as determined by the series director, NASCAR will throw a caution to allow teams to change from wets to the primary sets of tires.
Goodyear will allot a maximum of four sets of wet-weather tires this Sunday at Martinsville. In addition to noticing the tread on the tires, fans can easily tell the difference by the white Goodyear lettering (as opposed to the standard yellow).
Phoenix Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway are also ovals where wet-weather tires could be used. The list also includes Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in the Craftsman Truck Series.