Undoubtedly, NASCAR’s Michigan International Speedway is the fastest track on the Cup Series schedule. It’s a two-mile track that often sees low tire wear and has smooth 18-degree turns. Basically, it’s a perfect setup to test the limits of the car, and that’s what drivers do.
Thanks to which, NASCAR’s fastest qualifying lap in the next-gen era has also been at Michigan. Currently, Chase Briscoe holds that record by clocking a 195.514 mph speed in the recent qualifying session at the FireKeepers Casino 400.
While the cars are running as fast as ever at Michigan, NASCAR has changed one thing. The tire compound on the left side tires is new, and it’s already caused trouble. The NASCAR community is worried if that’ll cause a wreck fest at the upcoming Michigan race. Given the speed at which cars run there, it could be dangerous.
NASCAR’s Michigan Race Could Be Eyeing a Lot of Wrecks
For the Michigan weekend, NASCAR has given the teams a different tire setup. The right tire is the same; they ran in the 2024 race, however, the left one is new. It’s the same tire that debuted in the recent Charlotte race. It’s basically a different compound altogether, with which NASCAR and Goodyear are hoping to get more tire wear and fall off.
Also, Stu Grant, Goodyear’s general manager of global race tires, spoke on this. He said, “Michigan is extremely fast with a track surface that is pretty smooth. For the fans, another great aspect of Michigan is that it has multiple racing grooves, enabling drivers to run different lines to affect their set-up and make passes.”
However, the left-side tires have already been causing trouble for the Cup drivers. During the practice sessions, Tyler Reddick and Shane van Gisbergen had their left rear tire go flat. Also, 2023 champion, Ryan Blaney’s left front tire went flat during the session.
This had some fans worried. The possibility of a flat tire in a high-speed race like Michigan is a risky combination. One curious fan asked Motorsports Journalist, Bozi Tatarevic, “I wonder if we’ll see this many tire issues in the race tomorrow. @BoziTatarevic.”
According to Tatarevic, the flats were the result of having limiters inside the rear shocks, which put significant pressure on the side walls of the tires while braking. That’s especially the case when teams have lower air pressure in the rear tires, a common practice used to getting the car as low as possible, activating the diffuser, and maxing out on the down force produced.
So, basically, what Tatrevic was trying to say is that if these limiters were removed, the chances of having flats in the Michigan race could be reduced. In an X post, he wrote, “Removing the limiters would offer a similar risk/reward situation but without the risk of having flat tires. If there were no limiters in the shocks, then the risk would be going too low with your suspension and hitting the track with the diffuser.”
Removing the limiters would offer a similar risk/reward situation but without the risk of having flat tires. If there were no limiters in the shocks then the risk would be going too low with your suspension and hitting the track with the diffuser.
— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) June 7, 2025
Well, if that’s the case, teams would have to be careful with how much they can push the limits of the rear tires while adjusting the tire pressure. Only time will tell if we get a great race or a total wreck fest.