We joke about the many reasons why NASCAR racing machines don’t have the same character as race cars from the 1980s and older did. They are silhouette racers, template cars at best. For a long time, four-door front-drive family sedans like the Toyota Camry and the Ford Taurus were the vehicles represented on the track, and you knew that based on the sticker packages that the cars were wearing at the time. Over the last couple of years, NASCAR has at least attempted to address some of the criticisms in certain areas. The Ford Taurus, Chevrolet Impala and Toyota Camry have given way to the Mustang, Camaro and Supra. The body shapes are starting to slightly resemble the production vehicle shapes…at least, in the nose cones. But one last bit of antiquity is going to become redundant in the next couple of years: the fifteen-inch wheel and tire combination.
The upcoming Generation 7 NASCAR stocker design, which is slated to appear around 2021, will be the first car to wear the Goodyear-designed 18-inch wheel ant tire package, which is currently in early planning stages. The reason for the change, according to Goodyear’s Director of Racing Greg Stucker, is to help make the stock cars more relatable to the vehicles that a customer would buy off of the showroom floor. Begrudgingly, he’s right…when even most cheap cars are running a 17-inch wheel and tire package (the Chevrolet Spark is one of the very few still running a 15″ setup), it might be time to make a change for visual impact. But how will that affect drivability? Nobody will know until Goodyear starts track-testing the new package, which is most likely to start taking place once the Generation 7 vehicles start hitting the tracks.
We wonder if the new wheels will look like what you see in V8 Supercars…that wouldn’t be too bad. But we’d still miss the deep-dished D-window mags.
Fantastic. Spec chassis and a 17 inch wheel will surely bring the fans out. Heck, why not go all the way and jump right up to a 26 inch, some pretty green lights in the fender wheel wells for night racing, and for the truck series, Nascar might require the Carolina Tilt.
9 out of 10 fans are there for the action & seeing their favorite drivers – does NASCAR really think the average fans gives a #hit what the rim diameter is, much less who the tire manufacture(s) is/?!?!??!
More ignorance.
Why does it matter what the wheel size is? Set the external dimensions and characteristics of the tire and leave it alone.
A good part of the problem is the voluminous rulebook. This is why the cost of racing has skyrocketed.
Spec parts.
Spec manufacturers.
Spec setups.
Mandatory sharing information.
What if every quarter of a football game the team moving the ball the most ‘wins’ that segment?
Fans continue to flee the france family farce in droves and the biggest reason is the decision makers at the top.
Convince me I’m wrong.
NASCAR needs to go back to factory stock “tub” for the vehicle and a factory part number on the block and heads.Make them real cars again.
I agree. They are no longer Stock Cars. I’m fine with running a Supra / Camaro / Mustang. Those are supposed to be the performance cars. Let’s see a Coyote V-8 engine, an LT V-8 engine and a BMW, uh I mean Toyota inline 6 all going toe to toe. Sure, fill them with a cage, fire suppression, harnesses, etc to make it safe.
Then, go race for 500 miles. The winner after 500 miles wins the points. None of this segment racing and points for leading at half way crap. F1 awards points for the finish and only the finish. That is a system that works.
The size of the tire is not the reason I stopped watching. The sponsorship of everything makes it a 500 mile commercial, and the drivers are not allowed to race each other. IROC died because the spec cars became boring, NASCAR should pay attention.
NASCAR continues to be lost. The car has been a huge problem since the Car Of Tomorrow (COT) with that stupid splitter making the cars aerodynamically sensitive. Instead of backing away from downforce they increased it for 2019. Fans don’t care for slot car racing but NASCAR keeps chasing irrelevant things like big rims and glass dashes.
What do they say? The first generation builds it, the second maintains it, and the third runs it into the ground.
Screw NASCAR………..
they want to RELATE more ? who the hell are they kidding with cars that all look the same , other than STICKERS !!
alot of the drivers will loose their skills with the new wheel tire package , and there will be alot more spinning , and loss of control
Naahhh…
NAPCAR would NEVER use an alloy wheel!
WAY too advanced.