DOVER, Del. — NASCAR Cup Series teams were alerted earlier in the week that the Dover Motor Speedway track preparation crew was going to splatter resin throughout all four corners from the apron all the way to the SAFER barrier for Sunday’s All-Star Race (1 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Having resin applied from corner entry to corner exit across the full width of a specific venue is not a one-off occurrence. Nashville Superspeedway, another concrete surface, has had it applied several times with the goal of widening the racing groove and helping tire wear.
Crew chiefs within the Cup garage had a variety of opinions on how the resin would impact racing. Before Friday’s lengthy 90-minute session, Tyler Allen, crew chief of the No. 54 Toyota for Ty Gibbs, didn’t anticipate much of a difference from prior Dover trips.
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“I don’t think there’s going to be too many surprises,” Allen stated. “I think the hope is we don’t burn through that first set of tires so quick and be a little gentler on those.
“I don’t expect it to be much different, honestly. As rubber lays down, guys will chase the gray, the top might start to come in. There might be a little bit of movement, but expecting a typical Dover [race].”
Blake Harris, crew chief of Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet, which is not locked into the main event, noticed an immediate difference. He observed drivers maneuvering up the track and diamonding the corners a mere 15 to 20 laps into a run. In prior years, that took upwards of 100 laps, Harris pointed out.
“I think at least, according to the drivers, they felt like the racing line got in a lot quicker,” Harris stated. “Typically, when we come here, especially after any other series, we just feel the rubber off immediately and shred our tires. Tire wear seemed to be a little bit better. Some of the guys were able to move up and find some grip. Typically, that’s 100 to 200 laps into the race before we see that. So for those guys to be able to move up in practice and get a look at that, hopefully that resin will widen the track out a little bit quicker.”
The application of the resin was before the weekend began, and it won’t be touched before the scheduled green flag on Sunday. After thousands of laps turned by drivers across all three national touring divisions, the chances of the resin wearing out are high. But even if it does, drivers will be chasing to find that extra grip, which could lead to a higher racing line.
Like most Dover events, track position is expected to be of the utmost importance. And with this year’s All-Star format opening with a pair of 75-lap segments (an inversion from 26th at the end of the first stint) before a 200-lap dash to the finish, having a good starting position is crucial.
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Harris added: “You certainly want to qualify well so you get one of those first stints under your belt and get a good finish and not have to rely on passing a bunch of cars in the event that becomes difficult. Definitely think having a good, clean, solid lap [on Saturday], along with a good qualifying spot, will make or break how we are on Sunday.”
The increase to 750 horsepower is another factor. Gibbs, who has consecutive Dover top 10s in points-paying races, could be one of the beneficiaries, having won at the Monster Mile’s sister track, Bristol Motor Speedway, last month.
“It suits him well. It’s a hammer-down race track,” Allen added. “He loves to go fast. A lot of ties to Bristol with the track surface. We’re all pretty excited. Sim went well. There’s a lot of variables: new tire, new aero and 750 horsepower.”
Meanwhile, Bowman is a former Dover winner (2021) and has five straight finishes of eighth or better.