“What a F*ckin Joke”: Bristol Race Branded ‘Gimmick’ as Leaked Radio Leaves NASCAR Exposed

NASCAR has been leaving no stone unturned to improve its short track package. From making aerodynamic changes to the Next-Gen car to experimenting with different tire compounds to improve falloff. The sanctioning body has resorted to every measure imaginable to improve the quality of races at iconic venues such as Martinsville, Richmond, and Bristol. And now with tire falloff at an all-time high, drivers are running out of options, while crew chiefs are left scratching their heads at having a coherent strategy amidst the chaos. Meanwhile, NASCAR fans aren’t having it, with many of them taking to social media to vent their frustrations.

Tire wear. That has been the name of the game at the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Night Race so far. Going into the event, NASCAR had introduced a new softer right-side tire compound by Goodyear, and while wear wasn’t a big concern during Friday’s practice, the situation had flipped just 24 hours later. The circumstances were apparent by Lap 25 when AJ Allmendinger dropped from the lead to fifth place and reported a slight concern with the right-side tires to his team on the radio.

He wasn’t alone. Even William Byron was heard on the team radio saying, “This is f*cked, this is f*cked. Our right rears are f*cked.” Considering the situation, the sanctioning body was forced to take a drastic measure as they told Goodyear’s trackside personnel during the Stage 2 break to release an extra set of tires for each team’s allotment. The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck even heard a conversation on the team radio that said, “They’re in full protect mode, dude. They can’t have this race end with people out of tires, so they’re going to throw the caution for everything they can.”

Every team entered the weekend with 11 sets to use  — nine during the race, one in qualifying that was carried forward, and one for practice. However, it just goes to show how significant the wear was that NASCAR had to request another set for every side. According to Trevor Bayne, reigning champ Joey Logano had already used his last set of “sticker tires” with 108 laps remaining, which meant he was only left with used rubber for the remainder of the race. Gluck naturally asked on X, “How would that work?”

Taking the situation into consideration, it’s not surprising that the sanctioning body may be resorting to drastic measures to protect its reputation. Not wanting the headlines to be dominated by the drivers running out of tires, the sports hierarchy is ensuring there are plenty of cautions from now until the end of the race, so that racers can preserve their rubber until the checkered flag is waved. However, many fans were baffled at the circumstances and didn’t hesitate to voice their opinions on social media.

Frustrated fans express their dissatisfaction with NASCAR

As expected, it didn’t take long for fans to voice out their opinions on X. Considering how stop-and-start the race has been, one stock car racing enthusiast couldn’t help but say, “This is the worst race of the year. What a joke.” Echoing that sentiment, another NASCAR fan aimed a dig at those wanting to see more tire falloff to improve the short track package, going on to ask a rhetorical question, “And this is supposed to be a good race ??? What a f–king joke.”

One X user recalled the 2008 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which featured 11 cautions because of significant tire wear, resulting in a total of 52 laps being raced under the yellow flag. As a result, NASCAR was forced to throw a caution every 10-12 laps to allow teams to change tires before they failed. That’s why the fan said, “Oh god it’s like 2008 brickyard 400…” With Denny Hamlin and Co. accusing NASCAR of ‘monopolistic practices,’ the controversial decision taken by the sanctioning body prompted one fan to hint that 23XI Racing had been proven right, saying, “ITs a mOnoPoLy!”

Lastly, one fan predicted how the race was going to pan out, writing on X, “Everyone calling for my head at the beginning of the race because I knew this race was gonna be sh-tty after the first tire sequence. This sh-t s-cks. There’s no way you can say this is a good race.” What are your thoughts about the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Night Race? Let us know in the comments!