The drivers tackled the tire test after the spring race at Bristol

Six Cup teams took part in a tire test on the short concrete track on Tuesday and it remains unclear whether it resulted in solid responses or will prompt a change in the tires used for the next event.

The September 21 race will be held at night and serves as the final race in the last 16 of the Cup Playoffs.

In the March race, Goodyear brought the same tire combination that was used in last September’s race, but it became clear from the start of the tire drop that it was not putting rubber on the track, which resulted in excessive tire wear.

Teams quickly discovered that they couldn’t go more than 47 to 50 laps before they risked straining the tire to the point of losing air pressure.

Justin Haley, Rick Ware Racing, Ohanafy Ford Mustang, Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing, Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan / Bassmaster Classic Chevrolet Camaro, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang\ and Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Mavis Toyota Camry quick oil change

Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

Much of Tuesday’s test was focused on trying to determine how the traction compounds that were used at the Bristol track relate to the performance of the tyre.

“Goodyear realized that the PJ1 was a great help to the tire and made it live much longer. The resin they ran last time doesn’t seem to let the tire settle and just makes dust,” said driver Austin Dillon.

“By laying down rubber, you can run longer runs. The tire felt good and I had good lap times. The tire has dropped quite a bit. Over 30 laps it was almost a second – a pretty good drop. That drops pretty quickly, so if your car is a little bit better than the next guy, you can manage the tire and pass the guys in front of you.”

Chase Briscoe, driver of the Ford No. 14 of Stewart-Haas Racing, said he still doesn’t quite understand why the March race played out the way it did.

“It would be different if this was the first Next Gen race I’ve ever had here, but I’ve run other races before and never had this problem. Now it’s like a no-brainer,” he said. “At the beginning of the day I could run 25 to 30 laps and there at the end I ran 40 laps.

“If there had been more cars here, we would have had more rubber. It creates a unique challenge and puts a lot in the hands of the driver. We don’t really have that in other places we go to.”

Briscoe said everyone realizes that September’s night race will be held in cooler temperatures, which will change the dynamics of the race.

However, even running in the warmer temperatures on Tuesday did not produce the expected results in tire wear.

“The only thing that’s weird to me is that we were in 85-, 90-degree weather and we still didn’t have that rubber build-up or that discoloration (on the track). I’ll let the guys who are a lot smarter than me figure it out,” he said.

“It’s mind-blowing, trying to see what’s changed here in a year. At the Night Race I think you’ll see the same typical Bristol races where we start at the bottom (lane) early and then by the end you can run up and down.”

RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher also thought the tires would last 40 to 60 laps with Tuesday’s warmer temperatures.

“We felt like there was still some wear and tear, so they took the PJ1 off halfway through the day. I vote for PJ1 and am a fan of him as long as he stays on the narrow side,” he said.

“PJ1 looks to wear down on a race weekend and the hope is that the groove will move to where we’ll start chasing the middle and top (lanes).”

Also participating in Tuesday’s test were Rick Ware Racing’s Justin Haley, Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie and Legacy Motor Club’s John Hunter Nemechek.