Carson Macedo and other WoO drivers are working to get a feel for the new tires
Horsepower is important in racing. Aerodynamics, chassis design, the right shocks and springs, track knowledge, and a good crew are essential for success in motorsports. But none of those things matter if those things can’t be translated to the track itself. And the components on a race car that are most responsible for making that translation are the tires.
Teams in all forms of racing hire specialists to understand and work with the tires in hopes of maximizing their car’s performance. Those four patches of rubber are vital in determining success or failure in competition and racers make every effort to have them working in concert by feature time.
Because of their importance, any change made to the tires will cause quite a stir within the racing industry. Accordingly, those components mentioned in the opening paragraph of this piece will require adjustment when the tires are changed. Crew members may have to rethink setups and drivers may have to change their approach for getting around the track to compensate for the transformation.
Such a change has occurred this year for competitors on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series as Hoosier Tire has introduced a new tire for the tour.
DirtVision.com offered an explanation of those changes during one of the recent races that streaming service aired. In the video, Nathan Repetz, tire specialist for the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 car and driver Carson Macedo demonstrated the differences between the new tire and the old one.
According to Repetz, there are five significant differences between the old “H” tires and the new “D” tires. Tread pattern, camber, compound, casing options, and side wall stiffness have all been adjusted. Drivers and teams have been working to acclimate themselves and their machines to those most vital of components since the tire’s first appearance in the sixth race of the 2023 season at Lincoln Speedway on March 18th.
Since its inception, the new tire has carried four different drivers to victory lane in its first five events.
Repetz explained in the DirtVision video that the tread pattern on the previously used tires only allowed for running in one direction. The recently introduced tires have “block” patterns that will allow them to be flipped so that they can be run in both directions, even to the point of having the Hoosier letting on both sides, which would potentially allow for extended life.
Further, the new tire is designed in such a way as to not get too hot, and thus, blister.
Hoosier took the camber out of the rear tires making them completely flat across. This factor adds to the ability to run the tires in either direction. At the same time, there was no change to the compound of the left rear. However, the right rear tire has been made of a harder compound in hopes of creating longer life.
In terms of casing of the tire, some of the circumference options have been taken away.
There have been significant changes to the sidewalls of the tires in that the right rear has been stiffened while the left rear sidewalls have been softened. Repetz explained that Hoosier’s hope is that the rear tires will work better together as a set than was the case with the old tires.
For the most part, it appears as if the drivers and teams have adapted well to the changes.
Rico Abreu admitted after winning the first race he entered this season that he did not even know there had been a change until he rolled through the pit gate at Lincoln Speedway(PA). That being the case, the changes must not have been too drastic or everyone was so inexperienced with the tire that no one had an advantage.
Brad Sweet has won twice on the updated rubber. The four-time World of Outlaws champion likes what he has experienced so far.
“Ever since we put these new tires on I feel like the driver has a lot more control about what’s going on,” Sweet explained following his victory at Magnolia Motor Speedway. “I’m really enjoying the finesse we have back and the setups that we’re able to run in the car. That’s really playing into my driving style and the way that we do our car.”
That statement followed comments that came after Sweet finished second at Talladega Short Track. He pointed out that, “It’s super technical right now. I feel like a lot is on the driver and the mechanics to get the car right with these new tires.”
Spencer Bayston finished third at Talladega and claimed afterwards that the differences seem minimal.
“I don’t have the experience and feel like Brad or Donny(Schatz) or David(Gravel) may have with as many laps as they have been racing over the years on the old tires,” Bayston said. “It’s definitely different but I’m struggling a little bit to detect the differences. I felt like after Lincoln we had a pretty good baseline for the next week and here we are on the podium.”
Jacob Allen offered a view that likely matches many other competitors following his third-place effort at Devil’s Bowl Speedway(TX).
“I’m feeling good on the new tires. It took a couple of races to figure that out and it feels good to have an understanding of it and get my car adjusted to it.”
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