I don't watch NASCAR but isn't that what practice days are for? To asses tyre ware and optimise your car to make best use of the tyres? Seems strange to have a mandated pitstop on lap X to check the tyres.
It's not just checking the tires. The tires are actually replaced as they would be on any pit stop. The difference is I think Goodyear reviews the temp data for everybody and inspects any tire that looks like it might be close to failure. What they know is that all of the tires have been run in the same time frame and under the same ambient and track temperature conditions. Any differences in the tires would be due to set up differences and what the drivers did.
I think their practice sessions are too short to do the set up work they need to do AND do long runs. I'd have to look at one of their schedules to be sure, but the one or two sessions after qualifying would be the only time where you would be assured that everyone would be on their race set up and not a qualifying one. Even if you did a long run on the day before as a final tire check, you would need for the weather conditions to be essentially the same on race day for that check to be accurate. I think it would be for confirmation that things will be OK under racing conditions. Unless there is a problem, teams would not be doing much (or hardly anything at all) regarding set up. It's mainly for Goodyear; not the teams.
Just found a weekend schedule from 2011 for MIS...
Friday, August 19, 2011 8:00 a.m. Parking Lots Open
10:00 a.m. Gates Open to the Public
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Practice
12:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice
1:40 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Final Practice
3:40 p.m NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying
Saturday, August 20, 2011 7:00 a.m. Parking Lots Open
9:00 a.m. Gates Open to the Public
9:10 a.m NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Qualifying
10:10 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final Practice
12:00 p.m. Pre-Race Activities & Driver Introductions
12:30 p.m. Start of
VFW 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Sunday, August 21, 2011 6:00 a.m. Parking Lots Open
8:00 a.m. Gates Open to the Public
12:30 p.m. Pre-Race Activities & Driver Introductions
1:00 p.m. Start of
Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesThere's one session after qualifying, but it's time doesn't match with the race. Even if weather conditions were exactly the same for both days, it should be hotter at 1pm than it would be at end of Saturday practice at 12pm. Also, assuming it didn't rain, on Sunday you would have all the rubber put down on the track from the 200 mile Truck Series race as that happens after the last Cup practice session.
Edited by flatlander48, 17 January 2013 - 19:26.