In the 2025 NASCAR season, Goodyear rolled out a new right-side tire to amp up wear and shake up strategies, debuting at Kansas in September and hitting Las Vegas in October. The goal? More tire management, longer green runs, and smarter pit calls. Goodyear’s Justin Fantozzi called it a grip-speed balancer for tracks like smooth Kansas, opening fresh strategy doors in the push for dynamic racing. And now RFK’s Ryan Preece is dropping a bold hint on how this tire flip could totally rewrite the playbook.
Preece’s Pit Strategy Wake-Up
In a recent interview, Preece laid it out straight: “A lot of us drivers have been talking about needing tire wear and how it changes race approach. Drivers from late models, like me and Chase Elliott, are used to managing long green-flag runs, so this falls into our wheelhouse.”
He’s spot on with Goodyear’s 2025 tweaks to right-side compounds, cranking up wear to force real adjustments over those marathon greens. Guys like Preece, schooled in late models where you nurse tires through aggressive hauls, thrive here. The Kansas and Vegas tests? Built for pit variability, testing who can stretch rubber without folding.
Preece kept the heat on his RFK ride: “That was my best race car at RFK. Even after a penalty, we came out and charged all the way toward the top five. It shows how well our car handled long runs.”
[Twitter quote from Chase Holden]“A lot of us drivers have been talking about needing tire wear.”
Ryan Preece breaks down how Goodyear’s new compounds is making teams rethink setups, and rebounding after a penalty for a Top 10 finish in what he called one of his best race cars ever. #NASCAR
Under these new compounds, tire savvy and setup let him bounce back fast at Vegas, slicing through traffic post-setback. Strong long-run machines turn penalties into pit stops, not race-killers, proving teams that nail the wear game flip the script.
Then he nailed the fresh-tire fireworks: “Once fresh tires were on, it was go time. From 20th to 9th in the final laps, it really showed the strength of our car and how tire strategy can change the race.”
After Goodyear’s tire gamble at Bristol, even Ryan Blaney had admitted, “The tires were interesting. No one expected that. I guess that’s what they want.”
The new wear shifts gears from babying rubber to unleashing hell on restarts, where Vegas conditions handed aggressive pushes to the prepared. Preece’s late charge spotlights the edge: master the compounds, and you own the close, turning strategy into straight firepower across the Cup grid.
Preece hit stride at Vegas last weekend, snagging ninth, his second top-10 in nine races.
Preece’s Roval Rebound
Vegas vibes were high after his March third there, and five of his top-10s at those ovals landed in his last seven starts. But starting from the 16th, he grinded: 14th in Stage 1, then a dip to 31st in Stage 2.
Then a final-segment surge to ninth for the No. 60 RFK crew. That late rip from 31st? Pure tire strategy is paying off under the new Goodyear wear, letting him carve up the pack despite a speeding penalty that forced a scramble.
“We had that little opportunity with 15 to go, and we took advantage of it and drove from 20th to ninth. And really, I thought, probably could have been top six. I just need to be a little bit more patient with some of the things I’m learning, but I’m really proud of this Sysco/crumbl Ford Mustang,” he said post-race, tipping his hat to the team’s long-run hustle that echoes those late-model roots he hyped.
That shared track blood? It sharpens Preece’s edge on tire calls but packs tough love, no slack from his co-pilot. Keeps him accountable, on and off the oval. With three races left, he’s gunning for that first Cup win, chasing nods from Heather, Brad Keselowski, and RFK, all while the Goodyear wear keeps rewriting those bold tactics.
