With the exception of Josef Newgarden – today’s pacesetter by a huge margin – the aces made three stops in last year’s 95-lap Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. But this year’s alternate [softer compound] Firestone tire is higher grip but also degrades more rapidly.
Team Penske-Chevrolet’s championship leader Will Power said he believed the track was a little harder on the tires this year because IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship didn’t run here the week before, as they did in 2021, so there was less rubber down.
