NASCAR Brake Failures at Gateway Raise Questions About Restrictive Rules, Iowa Ties

The Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway turned into a brake failure epidemic on Sunday, with multiple championship contenders crashing out or limping to the finish. The issue is not new to the sport, and Iowa racing fans may recognize the pattern from similar struggles at tracks like Iowa Speedway.

Several drivers in the Chase for the Championship saw their races ruined by brake failures. Zane Smith hit the wall hard at the end of Stage 2 after a rotor failure. Ryan Blaney drilled the frontstretch wall on Lap 155 while running sixth. Chase Elliott collected Chase Briscoe on Lap 214 after his brakes gave out. Chris Buescher, a lower-seeded playoff contender, crashed with three laps to go and brought out the final caution.

Why Is Gateway So Hard on Brakes?

Gateway features long straights and heavy braking corners, a combination that puts extreme stress on brake systems. The problem has also plagued tracks like Loudon, Nashville, and Phoenix since the current generation car debuted in 2022.

Sunday marked the first race at Gateway with the new higher horsepower, lower downforce short track package. More speed down the straights and less spoiler to slow the cars at the end made the braking demands even greater.

Blaney's crew chief, Jonathan Hassler, admitted his team did not cool the brakes enough with their setup.

Gateway has always been a place that's tough on brakes. We've been on the good side of it before, but we knew there was a little more demand with this package. We certainly were trying to be conservative, but still didn't give it enough cooling, I don't think.

Championship leader Denny Hamlin said he was on the verge of a failure by the end of the race.

I would say I was on the verge. I had long pedal those last two restarts, so that's the indication you're usually about to blow one.

Some Teams Found Solutions

Not everyone struggled. Bubba Wallace reported no brake issues whatsoever while challenging for a top 5 finish late in the race.

Yeah, my car was fine. We've really worked on our brake package a lot over the last six years. And we feel like the 23 group has got into a really good spot for brakes. So, mine felt brand new to the finish.

William Byron finished fourth but needed crew chief Rudy Fugle to nurse him to the end. Fugle described the challenge of managing brake temperatures while trying to stay competitive.

Unfortunately, we've had some issues with this car since the start of it, at tracks like Gateway and Phoenix is on the edge of it, and Nashville; places with long straightaways. We have a lot of brake issues and it's caused some issues with a lot of the field; different manufacturers and different companies. It stinks because we don't have a lot to do with it. We get to pick brake pads and that's about it. It's tough.

Iowa Connection to the Brake Problems

James Small, crew chief for Chase Briscoe, told NASCAR.com that his team's challenges at Iowa were similar to an issue taking place in the REPCO Supercars Series. Iowa Speedway, located in Newton, is known for its own heavy braking demands, and local racing fans understand the unique challenges these tracks present.

NASCAR allows teams to choose which brand and type of brake pads they can run from any vendor. Some in the garage have speculated that teams using Ferodo brake pads have gotten into trouble at Nashville and New Hampshire.

Expanded Practice Adds to the Problem

Race-winning crew chief Cliff Daniels, who calls the shots for Kyle Larson, pointed to the expanded practice sessions as a contributing factor. Longer practice means more laps, more pad wear, and more thermal cycles on the brakes.

Yeah, just from the perspective of lap count, which is that much more brake pad wear and overall cycles. When you have the extended practice with two sets of tires, which we all wanted, we all love, and are grateful to have ... but when you come in to put on your second set of sticker tires, you're going to be sitting for a minute.

Daniels said his team uses a standard brake package that works well at these types of tracks, but he believes NASCAR should allow teams to change brake pads before the race after longer practice sessions.

Part of the conversation might be to consider in the future after we have these longer practice sessions at the Nashvilles, Loudons, Gateways, Phoenix, tracks that are notorious heavy brake-demand tracks -- do we allow the teams to put like-for-like changes, brake rotors and pads, on the cars going into the race?

Jeff Gordon Calls for More Flexibility

Jeff Gordon, Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, said the problem stems from a restrictive rule book that leaves teams with too few options.

I better be careful how I answer that, because I don't want to overstep. I feel like the reason we're in this position is because we're so limited. We need more options and more ability. If we want to cool more, cool more. If we want a different pad ...

Gordon said every team came into Gateway nervous about the brakes, and that is not a good situation for the sport.

I mean, our cars are notorious hard on brakes in general, then hard on them here. I feel like with the right amount of effort, they can come up with a solution. We shouldn't be coming here with teams feeling like the margins are that close. I think every team came in here nervous. When they dropped the green, they were nervous.

NASCAR rules currently do not allow teams to change brake pads after practice and before the race. Teams can change pads after the green flag, but that requires losing several laps behind the wall. Daniels and Gordon both believe more flexibility would help teams manage these extreme braking demands.

For Iowa racing fans who follow the sport closely, the brake issues at Gateway serve as a reminder of the challenges teams face at tracks with similar characteristics. The debate over rules and flexibility is likely to continue as NASCAR looks for solutions.