Richard Boswell: Goodyear Brought 10 Tire Combinations to Phoenix Test
Following their best finish of the season, a 12th-place finish in last Sunday's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway, there wasn't much time to celebrate the positive result for Austin Dillon, the driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, and his crew chief Richard Boswell.
The pairing was due back at Phoenix Raceway on Monday, as they were among the three teams to take part in a lengthy Goodyear tire test as the tire manufacturer and NASCAR continue to try to hone in on the best tire combination for November's NASCAR Championship Race at the 1-mile oval.
According to Boswell, who conducted an interview with SiriusXM Speedway on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday afternoon, Goodyear brought some tire compounds to the test that were even softer than the compound that was used as the "Option" tire in last Sunday's race.
"They did, they actually did. They brought a couple of different options that were softer than even the option tire that we raced on Sunday."
The crew chief, who won last year's Southern 500 at Darlington and is in his first season with Richard Childress Racing, says Goodyear had them change tires 18 times during the 12-hour test session, and a total of 10 different tire combinations were tested out throughout the day of cranking out laps at Phoenix Raceway.
"I don't know where they're going to end up. We took the Martinsville tire. I, personally, felt like that was a great option to come back on, but it's really not a whole lot different than the red option tire that we had on Sunday. Goodyear did a great job. They brought -- I think we put 18 sets of tires in a 12-hour span," Boswell explained. "10 different combinations, so, they did their homework. They came prepared. They kept us busy all day, but I think they’re on the right track. Super gripped up tire, falls off a lot more, and it’s rewarding for guys who take care of their stuff, and it makes for some really good racing 20-30 laps into a run.”
While Boswell preferred the Martinsville tire during the test session, he admitted there was very little difference between that tire and the tire that Goodyear used as the "Option" tire in last Sunday's race. That being said, he will defer to Goodyear's decision-making on what tire eventually is used for the Championship Race in eight months.
“You know, I didn’t see a huge difference between the tire that was our option tire on Sunday, and the Martinsville tire, which I felt like was the best option we tested. There wasn’t a huge difference," Boswell said. "I think that from that standpoint, we’re going to take the guidance from Goodyear, and their engineers on how the construction of that tire is built to make sure that it can go 80-90 laps at Phoenix, but from what we saw on some of the 50-lap runs yesterday, I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”
NASCAR has already stated that they are looking at a softer tire compound for November's Championship Race, but the sanctioning body has ruled out bringing multiple compounds for competitors to choose from in the championship-deciding event. While the multi-compound situation may just be a novelty, which NASCAR is using to nail down how soft they can truly go without risking driver safety, Boswell has enjoyed the strategy aspect that multiple tire compounds have brought to the crew chief position.
He also feels bringing multiple tire compounds to tracks is a much better option than the ultra-hard tires that the sport was bringing to the race track for years.
“I definitely don’t think back to what we were doing is right. That’s just my opinion. I think that the option tire is fun," Boswell stated. "It’s fun for me to sit there on top of the box and try to understand how I can maximize my day by being on the same strategy as others because we’re better on reds, or by getting off of strategy. That’s fun. I’m not going to lie, it also causes stomach ulcers, but I enjoy it overall. I think NASCAR has to ultimately make the decision as to whether or not they want a prime tire and an option tire. If they want that, then I’m a fan of the option tire being the standard tire, and something even softer being the option. I like what we had, I liked the strategy that comes with it."
While multiple tire compound options may not be a thing that remains in the sport forever, Boswell feels it'll probably be a thing for a few more races this season as NASCAR is still undecided on what tire will decide a champion at Phoenix in the fall, even after last Sunday's Shriners Children's 500, which was won by Christopher Bell.
“You know, I don’t necessarily know that they’ve said one way or the other," Boswell noted. "Just from some of the conversations that I’ve heard, I wouldn’t be surprised if we go to some of these short tracks with option tires and continue to test different grip-level tires, different fall-off tires, so that they can make the best decision going into the championship weekend. For me, I think my gut probably tells me that the next couple of short tracks, we might still have that option tire until they’re happy with the durability and fall-off of a tire that they can bring back here in the Fall.”
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Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.