Sunday's race at Phoenix featured a new wrinkle -- two sets of softer, option tires. Heading into the weekend, no one knew if these tires would deliver the same level of excitement as they did at Richmond last season, but the Cup Series drivers seemed to walk away impressed.
"They just make you feel like Superman," Justin Haley said about the option tires after a crash led to a 34th-place finish.
"I like the tire. I honestly feel like we should go to it everywhere. They make the cars drive a lot better. I don't know if that's what you want, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out."
Shane van Gisbergen echoed this sentiment while pointing out the differences between the harder primary tires and the softer option tires that promised more grip and more falloff.
"I really like the soft tire. They just give you so much more feel," van Gisbergen said. "It feels like they should probably be the primary tire, and (Goodyear) should make a softer one.
"The cars move around, and you have so much pull going on, but yeah, it is what it is. On the yellow, we kind of struggled a little bit."
The difference between the two tires was noticeable. Drivers who put the red option tires on their cars were able to move easily through the Cup Series field. This includes Joey Logano, who received a penalty for a restart violation in the first 15 laps.
Logano put the option tires on his No. 22 Ford after a caution on Lap 92. He restarted 24th but took the lead on Lap 130.
The three-time Cup champion was not the only one who made similar moves. Ty Dillon gained 16 spots in just over 20 laps using option tires. Ryan Preece gained 15 spots in the same number of laps and took the lead during the final stage.
Option tire >>>@RyanPreece_ moves past @CBellRacing for the lead! pic.twitter.com/Bh9GK6iOfa
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 9, 2025
These drivers were unable to secure the win due to a penalty (Dillon), running out of tires (Logano), and a rash of late cautions (Preece). Yet, they proved they could gain ground quickly using these tires.
The positive reviews continued throughout the garage as Zane Smith and Chris Buescher both mentioned the amount of fun provided by these option tires. However, Buescher and race-winner Christopher Bell both noted that they prefer only having one type of tire compound during a race weekend.
"Everything went according to plan at Phoenix, and the option tire worked very well," Goodyear Project Manager Mark Keto said in a statement to media members. "It gave teams a chance to vary their strategies as to when to use them and maximize their effectiveness to gain track position over teams that were out on the prime tires.
"Teams were also able to manage their options once they got track position and make them live longer into a run. Overall, we were very happy with the balance and strategy of the prime/option tire set-up and how it added to the racing all day."