The NTT IndyCar Series has announced a late change of format for the 2024 season finale at the Nashville Superspeedway which will make two compounds of tires available to all drivers.
Multiple compounds are often used in the series, but usually only when competing on a road or street circuit.
The addition of multiple tires during the finale weekend on Nashville’s 1.33-mile oval is meant to provide additional strategy considerations for the teams and should help create a speed difference among cars on different strategies.
IndyCar experimented with alternate tire compounds once in 2023 during the race at World Wide Technology Raceway.
The trial was a success with little to no problems throughout the weekend, but the difference in performance was minimal and there was next to no real world difference once the race was underway.
“The time between the announcement of a new Nashville venue and the race itself was just seven months,” said Cara Krstolic, director of Race Tire Engineering and Production for Firestone.
“Our Firestone team rose to the challenge of an extremely short design cycle and its shortest-ever production timeframe to produce tires for a now heavier hybrid-powered car on a track the NTT IndyCar Series hasn’t competed on since 2008.
“Following two tests on the Nashville oval, we worked with IndyCar to create differentiation in tires that would provide fans and competitors with an exciting race. To achieve that goal, Firestone is providing an alternate tire for the Music City Grand Prix. Lessons learned from introducing alternates on an oval last season at St. Louis also contributed to our preparation.
“The goal for the alternate tire is to have significant wear and degradation to the point that team pit stop strategies could change as tires may wear before the end of a fuel stint. They are also designed for the different grip levels of the two types of tires to aid in creating more passing opportunities.”
Drivers will have both compounds of tires available during practice and qualifying, and must use a single set of primary tires and two sets of softer alternate compound tires during the race.
The race distance for the race on September 15 has been set at 206 laps, and will decide the 2024 champion by giving either Alex Palou or Will Power his third career title.
