Testing for the Future of NASCAR
As the NASCAR Cup Series gears up for the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, tire supplier Goodyear is taking a proactive approach to ensure optimal performance. This includes a private test involving three top drivers, which will take place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The test is not open to the public and will involve Team Penske’s Joey Logano, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell.
This test follows the recent Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover, where Goodyear introduced a custom tire to address the unique challenges posed by the all-concrete “Monster Mile.” The Racing Eagle tire was designed to handle the high speeds, heavy loads, and slick concrete surface of the historic oval. According to Rick Heinrich, Goodyear’s NASCAR product manager, the design of the tread compounds was heavily influenced by the need to lay down rubber on the smooth surface.
“During green flag racing, laying rubber down on the concrete surface is a key factor in the design of our tread compounds,” Heinrich explained. “While the track turns black as cars lay rubber down during green flag racing, the hot tires then pick up this same rubber when the track cools under cautions. Dover presents a unique opportunity to engineer a tire to help in laying down rubber on a particularly smooth surface, and we’ve designed the product to do just that.”
Race winner Denny Hamlin, who secured his second consecutive victory at Dover in the No. 11 JGR Toyota, shared his thoughts on the new tire. On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin noted that the new tire was “better” but not significantly different from what they had before.
“I mean, Goodyear is trying to put us on softer tires, it’s just we haven’t found the limit of how soft we can go,” Hamlin said. “The pace wasn’t that much different; a lot of it was because of the temperature of the racetrack, it was brutally hot out there. So the grip of the tire was offset by the loss of grip of the race track this weekend.”
Hamlin, who also co-owns 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, mentioned that the NextGen cars do not load tires in the same way as the old Gen 6 models. His comments come amid ongoing difficulties faced by 23XI Racing, which is currently involved in an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR.
Other drivers, like Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, also reported minimal differences with the new tire. Larson told Frontstretch, “I didn’t notice a single difference today. I thought the style of how you manage the run and lap times and all that were very similar.”
Looking ahead, Goodyear has several events on its schedule. The company will prepare for races at Indianapolis and Iowa Speedway, followed by a road course event at Watkins Glen.
Larson aims to retain his crown at Indianapolis, having won the 400 for the first time in his career last July. Meanwhile, Hamlin, despite 16 attempts, has yet to win at the iconic oval, with his best finish being third on three occasions.
