NASCAR no longer regulating minimum air pressure requirements

NASCAR will not regulate minimum air pressure requirements this season, giving crew chiefs more control of how little they put in their tires but also increasing the risk of a blowout. Goodyear will continue to provide teams with a minimum tire pressure recommendation.

Previously, NASCAR mandated the right front tire pressure and, in some cases, left-front tires. Now, it is up to teams to determine how low they inflate their tires. Robin Pemberton, senior vice president of competition, said NASCAR is allowing teams to police themselves in this area. "With Goodyear constantly working on their communications with the teams on tire durability, it's putting it in the team's hands for different strategies,'' he told NASCAR Talk Friday at Daytona International Speedway. "How low they think they can go.''

Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of race tires sale, said: "(Teams) have to make those calls. We try to give them as much data as we can for them to make those types of decisions.'' Pemberton said officials are working on having a tire pressure monitoring system on the dashboard to give drivers a warning when tire pressure is too low. Pemberton said that the system is "a ways away" from happening. NBC Sports