text:
New look for the 2015 'Support the Troops' Goodyear Tires at Charlotte in May 2015.
Ran at Charlotte in May 2014 to show support for the U.S. Troops.
Image from Goodyear Racing's Twitter
Goodyear - based in Akron, Ohio,
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Past Tire Testing News:
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Scheduled or reported Goodyear Tire Tests for the 2015 season:
Dec 9-10, Charlotte: #88-Earnhardt Jr.(Chevy), #19-Edwards (Toyota), #9-Hornish Jr.(Ford), #27-Menard (Chevy)
Jan 19, Las Vegas: #41-Kurt Busch (Chevy), #2-Brad Keselowski (Ford), #20-Matt Kenseth (Toyota) & #47-AJ Allmendinger (Chevy)
March 2-3, Atlanta: cancelled
March 10-11, Charlotte: teams: #5-Kahne, #78-Truex, Jr., #43-Almirola, #23-Yeley
April 7-8 Richmond: teams: #24-Gordon, #14-Stewart, #2-Keselowski, #15-Bowyer, #42-Larson, #18-Ragan, #3-Dillon, #6-Bayne, #43-Almirola, #13-Mears
April 13-15, Kentucky: teams: #16-Greg, #1-McMurray, #55-Moffitt and #31-Newman
April 27-28, Indianapolis: teams: Hendrick, Furniture Row, Petty and BK Racing; drivers TBA
May 5, Iowa Speedway (XFINITY Series only)
May 11-12, Dover: teams: #47-Allmendinger, #11-Hamlin, #22-Logano, #10-Patrick
June 9, Darlington: teams: Childress, Ganassi, Roush, Waltrip
June 14, Richmond: teams #42-Larson, #6-Bayne, #55-Ragan #27-Brian Scott
June 30, (added) Darlington: teams: #2-Keselowski, #14-Stewart, #20-Kenseth
July 13-15, Chicago: teams: Hendrick, Furniture Row, Petty and BK Racing; drivers TBA
July 28-30, Bristol: teams: Stewart-Haas, JTG Daugherty, Penske, Gibbs;drivers TBA
Aug. 24-26, Homestead: teams: Childress, Ganassi, Roush, Waltrip; drivers TBA
Sept. 14-16, Kansas: teams: Hendrick, Furniture Row, Petty and BK Racing; drivers TBA
Oct. 12-14, Phoenix: teams: Stewart-Haas, JTG Daugherty, Penske, Gibbs; drivers TBA
Oct. 27-29, Auto Club: teams: Childress, Ganassi, Roush, Waltrip; drivers TBA
Each test has an extra day of open testing added
Only drivers who are licensed and approved for competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be eligible to participate in a NASCAR-approved tire test.
Goodyear schedules June 30 test at Darlington: A tire test with three Sprint Cup teams has been scheduled for June 30 at Darlington Raceway, Goodyear confirmed Tuesday. The session will include Brad Keselowski's #2-Ford, Tony Stewart's #14-Chevrolet and Matt Kenseth's #20-Toyota. This will be the second Goodyear test at Darlington in three weeks. NASCAR held a two-day test at the 1.366-mile oval on June 9-10 with the first day devoted to testing tires for the Southern 500 on Sept. 5. It's common for Goodyear to hold "confirmation" tests in the weeks leading into a race to select a tire, but it's unusual for multiple sessions to be conducted. The test is unrelated to the July 11 race at Kentucky Speedway, which will feature the debut of a lower-downforce rules package that NASCAR is trying in the hopes of increasing lead changes. NASCAR hasn't committed to the change beyond Kentucky, but executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O'Donnell hinted Monday that another race-specific rules package could be rolled out prior to the Chase for the Sprint Cup.(NBC Sports)(6-24-2015)
Testing at Richmond: A week after testing at Darlington Raceway, it's off to Richmond International Raceway for Goodyear officials and a handful of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams. The official tire supplier for NASCAR will test with four teams Tuesday at the 0.75-mile track in preparation for this year's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cutoff race. #42-Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates), #6-Trevor Bayne (Roush Fenway Racing) and #55-David Ragan (Michael Waltrip Racing) are scheduled to take part in the Goodyear tire test. NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Brian Scott (Richard Childress Racing) will also take part, stepping into the #27 for driver Paul Menard. The four will join several others on Wednesday for an open team test. According to officials, those scheduled to be on hand are #24-Jeff Gordon (Hendrick Motorsports), #19Carl Edwards (Joe Gibbs Racing), #22-Joey Logano (Team Penske), #9-Sam Hornish Jr. (Richard Petty Motorsports), #30-Jeff Green (The Motorsports Group) and #75-Clay Rogers (Beard Motorsports). Stu Grant, Goodyear's general manager for global race tires, said several options would be considered. "We've got a pretty good baseline at Richmond," he said. "I don't want to move too far off of that. We're not going to test a whole lot of different things. We ran a (multi-) zone tread at Richmond; we'll try a couple of zone treads, we'll try a couple of non-zone treads to see what happens ... we don't have a real big program (scheduled) so we can get that done in a day." Wednesday's test will be open to fans, with access to the grandstands through Gate 70 only.(NASCAR.com)(6-16-2015)
Goodyear still working on tires packages: The discussion continues between NASCAR and Goodyear as to what type of tire compound best suits the Generation 6 Sprint Cup car. While the tires were first in the news last weekend for the "Support Our Troops" branding as part of the Goodyear Gives Back program, the focus changed to the tire itself following the Coca-Cola 600. Although many of the teams have acclimated to the right-side multi-zone tires at Charlotte Motor Speedway by reducing camber to increase the contact zone and achieve grip, others are still searching for the right feel. Listening to Sunday's radio chatter and the consequent conversation on Twitter, it was clear that the current combination was a struggle for many of the competitors. Goodyear provided teams with the same left-side tires at the 1.5-mile track since 2012, the right-side tires were first run at Charlotte in the All-Star Race - as well as in the XFINITY Series race last Saturday. Teams first tested the tire in December with the new rules package for the Gen 6 cars. A confirmation test followed on March 10 performed by Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola, Kasey Kahne and J.J. Yeley. Introduced in 2013, the multi-zone tread tire incorporates two different compounds - one as a safety measure, the other for traction. The inside two inches is a more durable compound designed to resist heat. The "endurance zone" compound was used at Texas earlier this season. The outside 10 inches of tire features a tread intended to provide more grip for the drivers, hence the "traction zone". Still, as NASCAR attempts to solve its aero issues with the 2015 car package - and develop another set of rules for 2016 - the onus has been put on Goodyear to provide a tire that will enhance the competition.
"We have had a lot of discussions with NASCAR over the last couple of weeks and have covered everything from hard tires to super soft tires," Stu Grant, Goodyear's general manager of global race tires told Motorsport.com. "There is no clear direction at the moment. I would say it is a work in progress to figure out what the future rule package would be. Everything has been mentioned at one point over the last two weeks. We're fine as long as it's in the discussion stages but when it comes down to determining a strategy and a direction for a rules package and you start manufacturing tires and generating data, that's the long-leadb time item. You can talk all you want to about soft, hard, whatever tire but what we need to do is get some consensus on where we want to go and then say, alright Goodyear, this is where we want to go. But we need to get it finalized."(Motorsport)(5-28-2015)
Goodyear Gives Back" program - Support Our Troops: For the sixth straight year, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, exclusive tire supplier of NASCAR's three major national series, is rallying NASCAR fans to support members of the U.S. Armed Forces through its "Goodyear Gives Back" charitable program benefitting the Support Our Troops organization. To kick off the program, Goodyear will once again transform its NASCAR race tires by replacing the "Eagle" sidewall design with "Support Our Troops" messaging on all tires used during Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This effort coincides with the launch of Goodyear's charity auction at www.Goodyear.com/GivesBack, which features autographed NASCAR memorabilia, VIP race experiences and rides on the Goodyear Blimp. Proceeds benefit Support Our Troops, a nonprofit nationwide organization that works to bolster the morale and well-being of America's troops and their families. To-date, Goodyear Gives Back has generated nearly $1 million in cash and product donations to support the cause.
"For the past six years, the Goodyear Gives Back program has helped us bring race fans and the NASCAR community together in showing support for troops and their families," said Kris Kienzl, Goodyear's NASCAR marketing manager. "The response has been overwhelming. More than 40 NASCAR teams, sponsors and tracks have joined this year's effort by providing items for our charity auction and spreading the word among fans."
Fans can get involved by visiting www.Goodyear.com/GivesBack through July 6, 2015 to bid on unique NASCAR autographed items, Support Our Troops tires and VIP experiences, purchase Support Our Troops merchandise, or make a direct donation.
"The Goodyear Gives Back program has played a critical role in raising awareness and funds to better the lives of service men and women and their families," said Martin C. Boire, executive director of Support Our Troops. "It's a great symbol of support for those who sacrifice so much for our freedom."
This year's program is also a cornerstone of the "NASCAR: An American Salute" initiative, which highlights the sport's ongoing support of the U.S. Armed Forces and veterans. "The Goodyear Gives Back program continues to be one of the most visible symbols of military support during the Memorial Day race weekend," said NASCAR President Mike Helton. "We hope the combined efforts of Goodyear and NASCAR will encourage fans to show their support for the men and women who serve or have served our nation."(Goodyear)(5-24-2015)
"Support Our Troops" returns on Goodyear Tires at Charlotte: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series will run the same Goodyear tire codes at Charlotte this week . . . throughout the two race weeks at Charlotte, all tires will be branded with "Support Our Troops" as part of the Goodyear Gives Back program . . . while NASCAR teams have run this left-side tire code at Charlotte since 2012, this is the first race weekend on this right-side code . . . this right-side is a Goodyear multi-zone tread tire, which incorporates two distinct compounds on the same tire -- one for endurance and heat resistance on the inboard two inches of the tread and one for traction on the outboard 10 inches . . . this inboard (Endurance Zone) features the same compound that was run on the same zone at Texas, while this outboard (Traction Zone) features the compound run at Charlotte last year . . . this tire set-up was first tested at Charlotte in December, and was confirmed in a March 10 tire test at the track with drivers #43-Aric Almirola, #5-Kasey Kahne, #78-Martin Truex Jr. and #23-J.J. Yeley . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Charlotte . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire (Goodyear), see tire codes, pressure, set limits and more on the 2015 All-Star Race Info page - Tire Notes section.
Testing at Dover UPDATE: 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will visit Dover International Speedway on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 for an open test session next week, just weeks before NASCR makes its return to Dover for the May 29-31 race weekend. Fans that want to attent the test session may watch from the enclosed, climate-controlled seating located on the third floor of the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino. Fans can access this area by following signs to the Dover International Speedway ticket office and proceeding to the thrid floor. Drivers scheduled to participate include: #47-AJ Allmendinger - JTG-Daugherty, #43-Aric Almirola - Richard Petty Motorsports, #16-Greg Biffle - Roush Fenway Racing, #26-Jeb Burton - BK Racing, #3-Austin Dillon - Richard Childress Racing, #11-Denny Hamlin - Joe Gibbs Racing - #48-Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, #22-Joey Logano - Team Penske, #1-Jamie McMurray - Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, #13-Casey Mears - Germain Racing, #10-Danica Patrick - Stewart-Haas Racing, and #55-David Ragan - Michael Waltrip Racing.(Dover Speedway)(5-9-2015)
UPDATE: Testing Monday at Dover International Speedway were: #47-Allmendinger, #11-Hamlin, #22-Logano, and #10-Patrick.(Goodyear Racing)(5-11-2015)
Goodyear shortens upcoming Darlington test: Goodyear officials have changed next month's tire test at Darlington Raceway from a two-day to a single-day tire test, a move that will also change the date of the open team test. The Goodyear portion of the test, originally slated for Tuesday and Wednesday, June 9-10, has been shortened to a single-day test on June 9. The open team test will now be held Wednesday, June 10. Each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series organization may have one team on hand to participate in the open test. Organizations scheduled to participate in the Goodyear portion of the test are Richard Childress Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Only one Goodyear tire test and open team test is scheduled for this month, May 11-13 at Dover International Speedway. Organizations participating in the Goodyear portion, set for May 11-12, are Stewart-Haas Racing, JTG Daugherty Racing, Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing.(NASCAR.com)(5-7-2015)
Spring Goodyear testing underway: With the warming temperatures around the country, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company embarks on one of its rites of spring - testing season. The busy schedule started with a test two weeks ago -- April 7 -- at Richmond International Raceway with drivers A.J. Allmendinger, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart. Coming out of that session, Goodyear confirmed a set-up that included the same left-side tire as last fall with a new multi-zone-tread right-side tire. NASCAR's official tire supplier followed that up this week - April 13-14 - with a test at Kentucky Speedway. Drivers participating in that test were Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Brett Moffitt and Ryan Newman.
"The main objective of the Kentucky test was to bring the right-side tire there in line with several of the other high-speed mile-and-a-half speedways. What we tested incorporated a different mold shape and construction from what we raced there in the past," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of racing. "Additionally, with the lower downforce of the 2015 rules package, we felt a left-side compound adjustment to increase grip was justified. Both those goals were met, and all drivers involved in the test felt like the new combination was a nice improvement over the package raced in 2014 and prior."
Next up on the calendar is a trip to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 27-28. The organizations scheduled to take part are BK Racing, Furniture Row Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Petty Motorsports.
"The ground track surface at Indy makes it very sensitive to tire set-up," said Stucker. "The focus of the Indy test will be to make sure we have the correct tire combination to match the new characteristics of the low downforce, low horsepower 2015 rules package. The surface of the track is very abrasive, so getting the correct compounds and constructions to generate the desired wear characteristics, while maintaining the level of grip for competitive racing, is critical."
This season has brought a host of changes to the Sprint Cup set-up, and Goodyear has reacted to that with changes to race recommendations for three of the first eight points races. "To date, we're happy with the way the 2015 season has gone," said Stucker. "We feel like those adjustments we have made to tire recommendations from 2014 have been nice improvements, adding back some of the grip in a mechanical fashion to compensate for some of the grip lost through the aerodynamic downforce reduction. That will continue to be our focus in 2015 testing."
Upcoming Goodyear test sessions include Iowa Speedway on May 5 (Xfinity Series only), Dover International Speedway on May 11-12 and Darlington Raceway on June 9-10.(Goodyear Racing)(4-18-2015)
Goodyear explains problems of altering tires: The biggest topic of conversation over the past few weeks in the NASCAR garage has been tires -- more specifically, teams altering tires. Starting at the end of the 2014 season, NASCAR began taking tires from select teams as their post-race inspection process. The practice began again this year starting with the third race of the Sprint Cup Series season at Phoenix International Raceway. The rumor in the garage has been team are poking tiny 0.001- to 0.002-inch holes in the sidewall of the tire to bleed air pressure, allowing the tire to reach optimal pressure sooner and maximizing grip. Last week, NASCAR issued a P5 penalty to the #31 Richard Childress Racing team for manipulating tires at Auto Club Speedway. NASCAR did not say specifically how the tires were altered, and the team has appealed the penalty. While it is clear altering tires is a major violation of the NASCAR rulebook, why is it a bad idea to do so? Greg Stucker, director of racing for Goodyear, sat down with FOXSports.com Friday at Texas Motor Speedway to explain.
"The tire is a structure and it's kind of a membrane, it requires the air pressure to give it rigidity and to give it the load-carrying capacity that we need," he said. "It's not just the tire itself; it's a combination of the tire and the inflation pressure that's in the tire, the air that you put in the tire that enables it to carry that load. We make a pressure recommendations knowing what the loads are at a place like Texas, knowing what the construction of the tire is, so those two work together to carry the loads that the car is going to see," said Stucker. "If you try to manipulate that you could be operating outside the envelope where the tire is meant to operate. The other thing is ... you run the risk of damaging the structural members of the tire itself," he said. "The tire has cords; it has fabric that creates its structure. If you damage one of those cords, then you lower the integrity of that component. You certainly have a high risk that the tire could fail because you've damaged one of the components."
So while NASCAR made it clear with the penalties to Newman and the No. 31 RCR team that altering tires isa major offense, there is much more to the reasons behind the rule. According to Stucker, altering tires is not a concern for Goodyear in terms of competitive advantage; it is really all about maintaining the integrity of the tires on each car on the track.(FoxSports)(4-12-2015)
NASCAR opposed to use of bleeder valves: In other forms of motorsport, including short track and dirt racing, bleeder valves [for tires] are commonplace and allowed. That has been the number one question in the aftermath of the tire tampering penalty handed down to Ryan Newman, Richard Childress Racing and the #31 Sprint Cup Series team last week. This had prompted numerous drivers to suggest that NASCAR would be better off allowing bleeder valves as well. Jeff Gordon has been perhaps the most vocal proponent of bleeder valves in the Sprint Cup garage. Sprint Cup Series director Richard Buck [says] the technology is too inconsistent for use in NASCAR.
"In regard to the tire bleeders, we work our partner Goodyear and with our teams and at this point, I personally don't know if there are any bleeders out there at the level that these cars would require," Buck told Popular Speed on Friday afternoon. "I know there are other forms of motorsports like dirt car racing and sprint car racing that I've seen before and (those valves) were very touchy and non-repeatable. If they fail, it was a catastrophic failure of the system, so I don't think there is a system that is out there today." Furthermore, Buck is content without having bleeder valves because it's the same and fair for everyone in the garage. "It allows teams to adjust on the tires," Buck continued. "It allows for drivers to provide feedback on the tires. A driver can change the handling based on how he changes the load of the tire pressure. "So there still a lot of human interaction in working with the tires."(Popular Speed)(4-11-2015)
Testing at Kentucky: Eight NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and teams are scheduled to participate in the April 15 open test at Kentucky Speedway ahead of the track's Quaker State 400 in July. The open test will be preceded by a closed Goodyear tire test on April 13 and 14 with one team each from the following organizations: Chip Ganassi Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Roush Fenway Racing. On April 15, #16-Greg Biffle, #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #20-Matt Kenseth, #22-Joey Logano, #1-Jamie McMurray, #10-Danica Patrick, #31-Ryan Newman and #9-Sam Hornish Jr. are scheduled to participate in the open test with April 16 serving as a rain date before the Sprint Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend.(NASCAR.com)(4-10-2015)
Testing at Richmond on Tuesday & Wednesday UPDATE: Ever seen a movie preview that made you want to go see the main feature? Are you staying in town and wondering what to do during Spring Break? Richmond International Raceway has just the thing. We want you to join us as we preview some of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' biggest names on Wednesday, April 8 when they take to the track to prepare for the main feature, the Saturday, April 25 TOYOTA OWNERS 400. Check the full guest list: #24-Jeff Gordon, #14-Tony Stewart, #2-Brad Keselowski, #15-Clint Bowyer, #42-Kyle Larson, #11-Denny Hamlin, #3-Austin Dillon, #6-Trevor Bayne, #43-Aric Almirola, #13-Casey Mears, #78-Martin Truex Jr, and #47-AJ Allmendinger. Fans are invited to attend testing on Wednesday, April 8 from 10:00am-5:00pm. Sit in the grandstands and enjoy a sneak peek of what's to come in a few short weeks. To access the grandstands, enter through the Main Gate on the corner of Laburnum Avenue and Richmond-Henrico Turnpike. Once in the gate, park near the Virginia is For Lovers Frontstretch Gate and Gate 70, located in Turn 4. Fans can enter the grandstands through Gate 70 only.(RIR) Teams will also test on Tuesday, but the track is close to the public then.(4-7-2014)
UPDATE: The engineers and mechanics who hunched over an array of computers plied their trade with typical high-tech flair during Wednesday's open NASCAR test at Richmond International Raceway, analyzing data feeds and crunching numbers while their drivers made the rounds. The seven-hour session, which started 2 1/2 hours late because of early morning rain, came on the heels of Tuesday's rain-delayed Goodyear tire test here, where teams confirmed the rubber that will be used in the springtime 400-lapper. But in addition to making tires work, teams used the extra time to try different setups that may pay dividends in a little over two weeks. Thirteen drivers added the Richmond detour before heading to this weekend's racing at Texas Motor Speedway, driving cars equipped with ride-height sensors and pitot tubes to measure wind velocity. Additionally, three "wheel-force" cars -- one for each manufacturer and marked with a "W" beside their number on the scoring sheet -- also made the trip, each outfitted with a complex sensor attached to each wheel to measure load on the tires. The information from those three cars -- with Team Penske representing Ford, JTG-Daugherty Racing for Chevrolet, and Joe Gibbs Racing for Toyota -- would be shared within each manufacturer network. Tuesday at Richmond, teams tested tires for nearly four hours after steady showers pushed back the on-track schedule. Goodyear will employ zone-tread technology -- using two different rubber compounds, one for improved endurance and one for enhanced traction, in a single tread -- on its right-side tires. The left-side tire compound will remain the same as the one teams raced on last September.(NASCAR.com)(4-9-2015)
Are some teams tampering with tires? UPDATE: Hendrick crew chiefs Alan Gustafson and Chad Knaus talked to the media Friday morning at Martinsville Speedway:
The last two weeks NASCAR has taken tires from teams. After Fontana they sent some of those tires off to an independent laboratory. NASCAR said that is a part of a regular tire audit. What do you guys make of what is going on there? Do you thing they are looking for something specific?
GUSTAFSON: "It's hard to speculate because that is all I could do. In my experience there is a lot of smoke around that. There is a lot of talk, there is a lot of dialogue and there are a lot of rumors in the garage. Yeah, I think it is obvious that some people think something is going on and is NASCAR reacting to that? Or do they feel uncomfortable with what is going on? I don't know that answer. But I do think that it is something that is on the forefront of a lot of people minds. Obviously NASCAR is trying to make sure that we are all on level playing field and if anybody is violating that they will pay the price, which they reminded us this morning is very stiff. That is all I know. Anything beyond that is speculation besides the fact it is a hot topic."
So they warned you?
GUSTAFSON: "I don't want to say warned. Warned may not be the right term, just reminded."
Do you think something is going on?
GUSTAFSON: "Do I think something is going on? I mean I'm busy on Sunday's. I don't really watch what is going on. It's hard for me to say. I don't feel that I have enough information that would warrant a comment."
KNAUS: "I don't know. I don't know if there is anything or not. I really don't. Like Alan said, I'm busy on Sunday and I don't have a lot of friends in the garage. So, I don't talk too much. I don't talk to anybody else either so it's okay. My friends are outside of racing. So, I don't know what is going on. I really don't. I know I sent Richard Buck (Managing Director of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series) a text and said 'hey man could we poke holes in our tires is that okay?' He sent me a text back and said 'absolutely not'. So that is all I know."(Chevy Racing PR)(3-27-2015)
UPDATE: Alan Gustafson, Jeff Gordon's crew chief, termed it a "reminder." But those who may have engaged in alleged unapproved "bleeding" of air pressure from their racing tires-the source of prevalent rumors in the garage-would be well-advised to interpret it as a stern warning. When NASCAR assembled Sprint Cup Series crew chiefs for a Friday morning meeting at Martinsville Speedway one of the topics covered was to "remind" teams of the three primary taboos of NASCAR racing:
" Don't alter the engines in a manner outside the rule book.
" Don't do anything to alter the fuel provided by Sunoco.
" Don't make any unapproved alterations or treatments to the tires provided by Goodyear.
Tires, in particular, have been the center of attention since NASCAR made what it termed a routine "audit" of tires two weeks ago at Phoenix International Raceway. The consensus in the garage is that certain teams have been drilling minute holes in the tires to bleed off air pressure as it builds throughout a tire run. By maintaining consistent air pressure, it's easier to maintain the balance of the car.(NASCAR Wire Service)(3-28-2015)
NASCAR sends Fontana-used tires for further evaluation: NASCAR confirmed Wednesday that it sent some of the tires used by teams at Auto Club Speedway for further evaluation in a third-party review. The tires of #4-Kevin Harvick, #41-Kurt Busch, #27-Paul Menard and #31-Ryan Newman were taken after Sunday's Auto Club 400 and brought to the R&D Center in Concord, N.C., as part of what NASCAR deems a "tire audit." NASCAR wouldn't confirm which tires were sent for more examination, nor where they were sent. Goodyear is uninvolved in the process. The decision to confiscate the tires for further scrutiny was made independent of the tire supplier and unrelated to durability. Goodyear occasionally keeps tires for further examination (such as with tire failures on the cars of Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. last October at Kansas Speedway). It was the second consecutive Sprint Cup race that NASCAR conducted a tire audit. After the March 15 race at Phoenix International Raceway, NASCAR checked the tires used by Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick and found nothing out of the ordinary. NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O'Donnell told SiriusXM Satellite Radio's NASCAR channel that the audits were "just something we like to do every once in a while."(NBC Sports)(3-26-2015)
NASCAR reducing number of tires for teams at some tracks: NASCAR issued a bulletin Tuesday containing various updates to the Rule Book. The changes include a reduction in how many sets of tires a team can have for Sprint Cup races at Martinsville, Dover, Pocono, Michigan, Sonoma, Kentucky, New Hampshire Indianapolis and Watkins Glen. NASCAR cut the number of sets by one at each track for those races. Teams will be allowed 10 sets of tires for Sunday's race at Martinsville. They'll have nine sets of race tires available at Dover, Michigan, Kentucky and Indianapolis. Teams will have eight sets of tires for both Pocono races with seven sets available at New Hampshire's July race and five race sets at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. With a set of tires costing about $1,900, having to buy one less set will save teams teams about $20,000. NASCAR also reduced how many sets of tires teams are allowed for practice and qualifying by one set at Talladega (now allowed three sets), Daytona (three), Sonoma (four), Watkins Glen (four) and the August Bristol event (four). This reduction will save teams about $10,000. NASCAR has not set the limits for tires for the races starting with Richmond in September through the end of the season. Those races could provide teams more savings.(NBC Sports)(3-25-2015)
NASCAR examines tires from Harvick, Logano: NASCAR confirmed it found nothing out of the ordinary with the tires used by Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick in Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway. The tires were seized during Sunday's CampingWorld.com 500 in what was described as a "regularly scheduled audit" by NASCAR executive vice president chief racing development officer Steve O'Donnell. "We've done it in the past," O'Donnell told SiriusXM's "The Morning Drive" during a Monday interview. "It's something we check working with Goodyear, making sure the tires supplied are where we want them to be. It's just another area of the car. We don't expect to find anything; it's just something we like to do every once in a while." NASCAR normally examines tires at its R&D Center in Concord, N.C., but those from Logano and Harvick were checked at a remote site with NASCAR haulers on the road in the midst of a three-race swing through Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Phoenix and Auto Club Speedway. The decision to confiscate the tires for examination was made independent of Goodyear and unrelated to durability. The tire supplier occasionally keeps tires for further examination (such as with tire failures on the cars of Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. last October at Kansas Speedway).(NBC Sports)(3-17-2015)
Teams testing this week at Charlotte: Four teams are scheduled to take part in a Goodyear tire test test Tuesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Those teams are Hendrick Motorsports (#5-Kasey Kahne), Furniture Row Racing (#78-Martin Truex Jr.), Richard Petty Motorsports (#43-Aric Almirola) and BK Racing (#23-JJ Yeley). Tuesday's session is closed to the public. There will be an open test Wednesday at the track. Charlotte Motor Speedway officials state that teams expected to test that day include Kahne, Truex, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray and about half a dozen other teams. Wednesday's session is open to the public. Gates open at 9:00am. Testing is scheduled to run from 9:00am-12:00pm and from 1:00-5:00pm/et. The next scheduled test is April 7-8 at Richmond International Raceway. Four teams will test there. Each will have one car. Those teams testing will be Stewart-Haas Racing, JTG Daugherty, Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing. That begins a busy test period. Tire tests are scheduled April 13-15 at Kentucky Speedway and April 27-29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.(NBC Sports)(3-10-2015)
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)(2-14-2014)
Atlanta tire test canceled: The March 2-3 NASCAR tire test at Atlanta has been canceled. That was to have been held Monday and Tuesday after the Atlanta race and just before the Cup series begins its three-week West Coast swing. Teams that were to have taken part in that test: Richard Childress Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, Roush Fenway Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing.(NBC Sports)(2-3-2015)
Goodyear tire test at Las Vegas UPDATE: The first NASCAR test of the 2015 season is scheduled to take place Monday when four Sprint Cup Series teams participate in a one-day Goodyear tire test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The teams of #41-Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas Racing) and #47-AJ Allmendinger (JTG Daugherty Racing) will be on hand as representatives for Chevy; #20-Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing) is the Toyota entry while Brad Keselowski (Team Penske) and his #2 Ford team will be on hand to round out the test teams and vehicles. According to a Team Penske representative, Keselowski's teammate Joey Logano, crew chief Todd Gordon and several members of the #22 Team Penske group will be on hand as well to help and observe. In previous years, tire tests haven't generated a great deal of interest. Now that NASCAR no longer allows private team testing, however, track time is considered more valuable. Goodyear has scheduled 14 tests for the upcoming season; Monday's trip to Las Vegas is the only one currently on the schedule that does not dovetail with a team test. Others will be either one- or two-day tires tests followed by a single-day team test. For now, only a stop next month at Atlanta will see teams test prior to a Goodyear tire test at the facility. Teams will be given a four-hour window for testing one day before the start of that track's race weekend. A two-day Goodyear tire test will be conducted at the track on March 2-3 after the completion of the Sprint Cup event. In all other cases, the team test will come after the Goodyear test is completed.(NASCAR.com)(1-19-2015)
UPDATE: Monday's Goodyear tire test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway took on added importance for drivers #20-Matt Kenseth and #2-Brad Keselowski because of a slew of rules changes put in place this year by NASCAR. Kenseth and Keselowski were joined by fellow Sprint Cup Series drivers #41-Kurt Busch and #47-AJ Allmendinger for the one-day test on the 1.5-mile LVMS speedway. Although all Cup drivers will have to adjust to a number of changes this season, including a reduction in horsepower and a modified aero package, the biggest change will be NASCAR's ban on all private testing in 2015.
"I think any track time you get is really important with the new testing rules, banning all off-season testing, which I think we all like, but you've really got to take advantage of the tests when you get them and try to gather as much information as you can - hopefully useful information that you can use down the road," Kenseth said. "For us, we didn't run particularly well last year and we've got a new nose on the Camry this year and new rules changes and aero package and all that stuff, so we're just trying to get it sorted out and try to find a baseline and hopefully find something that drives good so we've got something decent when we come back here (March 6-8).
Keselowski, the defending winner of both the Kobalt 400 Sprint Cup Series race and the Xfinity Series Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, said he agreed with Kenseth. "More so than the changes to the car, the testing ban makes every test you do have that much more critical because you have so much less," Keselowski said. "In that light, a lot of what testing is isn't always developing the car, but you're developing your people, developing your techniques. We added two or three more people to our team so we're trying to develop them and get them up to speed, so it's really a great time for us as a team to have a test."(Las Vegas Motor Speedway)(1-20-2015)
Proposed 2015 NASCAR testing dates for Sprint Cup Series UPDATE: When NASCAR announced in September it was banning all private team testing, the perception was teams would not likely see the opportunity to do much on-track testing. NASCAR at the time said it hoped to incorporate more teams into the 12 to 15 tire tests done each season by Goodyear but that plan seemed to hit logistical roadblocks in recent months. The finished product, outlined in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rulebook, actually provides teams many opportunities to test on series tracks in the coming season. At Atlanta, an extra testing day has been added to the regular weekend schedule. In addition, an extra day of open testing as been added to Goodyear tire tests at Charlotte; Richmond; Kentucky; Indianapolis; Dover; Darlington; Chicago Bristol; Homestead; Kansas; Phoenix; and Auto Club Speedway:
Proposed 2015 NASCAR testing dates for Sprint Cup Series
Date: Type of test
Jan. 19: Goodyear tire test, Las Vegas
Feb. 26: Open team test, Atlanta
March 2-3: Goodyear tire test, Atlanta
March 10: Goodyear tire test, Charlotte
March 11: Open team test, Charlotte
April 7: Goodyear tire test, Richmond
April 8: Open team test, Richmond
April 13-14: Goodyear tire test, Kentucky
April 15: Open team test, Kentucky
April 27-28: Goodyear tire test, Indianapolis
April 29: Open team test, Indianapolis
May 11-12: Goodyear tire test, Dover
May 13: Open team test, Dover
June 9-10: Goodyear tire test, Darlington
June 11: Open team test, Darlington
July 13-14: Goodyear tire test, Chicago
July 15: Open team test, Chicago
July 28-29: Goodyear tire test, Bristol
July 30: Open team test, Bristol
Aug. 24-25: Goodyear tire test, Homestead
Aug. 26: Open team test, Homestead
Sept. 14-15: Goodyear tire test, Kansas
Sept. 16: Open team test, Kansas
Oct. 12-13: Goodyear tire test, Phoenix
Oct. 14: Open team test, Phoenix
Oct. 27-28: Goodyear tire test, Auto Club Speedway
Oct. 29: Open team test, Auto Club Speedway
(Charlotte Observer)(12-11-2014)
UPDATE: While teams will be prohibited from testing independently, there will be 12 Goodyear tire tests (with four teams apiece) that will be followed by a one-day open test that will allow one car per organization. Attendance isn't mandatory, and teams must indicate their attendance at least three weeks ahead. If a multicar organization has participated in the preceding tire test, it must use the same driver and team in the open test. The Goodyear tests will be held with a rotating set of three groups of four full-time teams. The first group comprises Stewart-Haas Racing, JTG Daugherty Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske. The second group: Richard Childress Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, Roush Fenway Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing. The third group: Hendrick Motorsports, Furniture Row Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports and BK Racing.
NASCAR also will hold "Rule Change Open Tests" in which all teams are allowed to "familiarize themselves with any rule changes from previous race seasons." The sessions will be limited to one "per racetrack grouping" (i.e. short tracks, road courses, speedways). A four-hour session Feb. 26 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (a 1.5-mile superspeedway) is the only Rule Change Open Test scheduled so far for the 2015 season.
While any other tests are banned for existing teams, the 2015 rulebook allows "New Organization Testing" for those "new to NASCAR to establish themselves." Those teams will be allowed five two-day tests at any track and must be approved by NASCAR. The rulebook defines a "New Organization" as a team that hasn't competed in more than 20 races or two seasons, whichever is first. Teams absent from a circuit for five years also can qualify for new organization status. The Goodyear tests are closed to the public and the news media. The news media will be allowed at open tests, and the public will be permitted access at each track's discretion.(USA Today)(12-12-2014)
Scheduled or reported Goodyear Tire Tests for the 2014 season:
March 25-26 -- Sonoma - Drivers: #9-Marcos Ambrose, #14-Tony Stewart, #18-Kyle Busch, #24-Jeff Gordon, #55-Brian Vickers.
April 8-9 - Michigan - Drivers: #15-Clint Bowyer, #16-Greg Biffle, #21-Trevor Bayne, #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #31-Ryan Newman.
April 14 - Kansas - Drivers: #20-Kenseth, #2-Keselowski, #3-Dillon, #4-Harvick, #5-Kahne, #7-Annett, #11-Hamlin, #13-Mears, #17-Stenhouse Jr.,#42-Larson, #43-Almirola, #51-Allgaier, #55-Vickers, #78-Truex Jr., #83-Bowman / Truex.
May 6-7 - Dover -- Drivers: #18-Busch, #99-Edwards, #78-Truex Jr, as well as teams from the Nationwide, Camping World Truck and K&N Series.
May 20-21 - Kentucky - Drivers: Sprint Cup #2-Keselowski, #1-McMurray, #55-Vickers; Nationwide,#7-Smith & #6-Bayne; Camping World Truck Series: #88-Crafton & #31-Kennedy.
June 10-11 - Chicago - Drivers: #11-Denny Hamlin, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #22-Joey Logano and #27-Paul Menard.
June 15-16 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Drivers: #16-Greg Biffle, #15-Clint Bowyer, #18-Kyle Busch, #22-Joey Logano, #31-Ryan Newman and #14-Tony Stewart.
July 8-9 - Richmond - Drivers: #43-Almirola, #41-Busch, #11-Hamlin, #16-Biffle, #42-Larson and #26-Whitt.
September 9 - Homestead - drivers Justin Allgaier(Hendrick Motorsports), Ryan Blaney (Team Penske), Austin Dillon (RCR), Sam Hornish (JGR), Danica Patrick (SHR), Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (Roush Fenway), and #78-Martin Truex, Jr.
October 28-29 - Auto Club - Drivers: #6-Bayne, #42-Larson, #78-Truex, Jr., and #55-Vickers.
Charlotte Test Notes from Charlotte Motor Speedway: The four drivers participating this week in Goodyear's tire test at Charlotte Motor Speedway couldn't be much different. They drive for different teams and different manufacturers. They have different driving styles and different personalities on and off the track. But one thing #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #19-Carl Edwards, #9-Sam Hornish and #27-Paul Menard all have in common is a strong desire to get a points race win at NASCAR's home track. With new rules limiting testing opportunities, all four drivers know that every practice lap is a chance to get a leg up on the competition before the 10 Greatest Days in Racing in May. Edwards, who joined Joe Gibbs Racing following the 2014 season, said that while it's hard to get good data for May's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600, the test is a good chance for his new team to get some practice under their belts.
"Conditions are really cool. There's not a lot of rubber on the racetrack. We're basically in the lower downforce 2016 trim," Edwards said of the conditions and setup for this week's test. "The biggest thing this test is helping me out with is to get used to this car, the new seat, (crew chief) Darian (Grubb) and the guys and how they do things here. It's been very good for me from that perspective."
Earnhardt said the test is a good chance to establish a winning chemistry with his new crew chief, Greg Ives, but also to keep his driving acumen sharp during the off season. "We're definitely going to take advantage of every little bit of track time we can get because the testing rules are a little tighter this year," Earnhardt said. "It's good for me and Greg to get to work together - to get a little rapport going - so when we take off and go to Atlanta, Vegas and Phoenix, we're communicating really well. When I go back to the track for the first time after a long layoff, I feel like I have a little rust to kick off. It's good to get out and exercise your legs a little bit."
While both Earnhardt (2000) and Edwards (2011) have scored NASCAR Sprint All-Star wins at the legendary 1.5-mile superspeedway, neither has visited Winner's Circle after a points race at Charlotte. In 16 career starts, Menard's best points finish is eighth, while Hornish has a career-best 13th place finish in seven starts.(CMS)(12-11-2014)
Hornish Encouraged By Charlotte Tire Test: It took a while for #9-Sam Hornish Jr.'s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test with Richard Petty Motorsports to get going on Tuesday, but he made the most of it. RPM's newest hire made laps around Charlotte Motor Speedway in the first of two days of Goodyear tire testing at CMS for the 2015 season. Hornish, #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #27-Paul Menard and #19-Carl Edwards tested NASCAR's new lower speed, lower downforce chassis. The good news was Hornish liked his car. The bad? He didn't get to drive it enough. "I enjoyed it a lot, but it rained overnight and we didn't get to go out on the track until noon," Hornish told SPEED SPORT. "It cut everything short as far as our day. We didn't get to tune on the car as much as we wanted to, but we got to go through some of the stuff that Goodyear wanted us to do. We've got (Wednesday) and hopefully things will cool off and we'll get a lot of testing in." Hornish's first day of on-track action with the 15 percent horsepower reduction was as productive as it could be, given the delay. His first impressions of driving the #9 car were positive as well. "I'm just excited about getting the opportunity to work with the people at RPM," Hornish said. "It's a new group of people and you need to (use the test to) talk to them and get to know them."(NSSN)(12-11-2014)
Goodyear tire test set for Charlotte UPDATE: The official start of the 2015 NASCAR season is more than two months away, but four Sprint Cup Series teams will be back on the track next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Goodyear officials have scheduled a tire test for Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 9-10 at the 1.5-mile speedway, with representatives from each of the three auto manufacturers scheduled to participate. Slated to take part in the test are drivers #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #9-Sam Hornish Jr., #19-Carl Edwards and #27-Paul Manard. It will be the first official on-track effort for Edwards since he departed Roush Fenway Racing to join JGR as well as the first for Hornish with RPM.(12-3-2014)
UPDATE: Goodyear officials are looking to get a baseline for how the 2015 NASCAR rules package for intermediate tracks - which includes a reduction in horsepower as well as less downforce - impacts tire wear. With NASCAR banning private testing for 2015, such tire tests are expected to make up the bulk of the on-track time for teams outside of race weekend activities. Fans will be allowed to attend the test, according to CMS vice president of communications Scott Cooper. The track will open its fifth floor clubhouse seating. Fans can enter the second floor ticket office and take the elevator to the fifth floor between 9am to 5pm/et. It is expected that many of those tests could be intertwined with open tests for all NASCAR teams, although the process for how that will work has yet to be announced. Greg Stucker, director of race tire sales for Goodyear, said last month that officials had been trying to map out a plan to allow each of the parties involved to "get their work done" during such opportunities while still reducing the number of overall tests. Goodyear officials have said the next tire test is expected to come in January at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.(NASCAR.com)(12/3-12/8-2014)
Tire test upcoming at Auto Club Speedway: Several NASCAR teams will be at Auto Club Speedway for the Goodyear Tire Test on Oct. 28-29, 2014. After the tire test at Auto Club Speedway, there are only 3 races left until the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion is crowned. Teams scheduled to test are: #6-Trevor Bayne, #42-Kyle Larson, #78-Martin Truex, Jr., and #55-Brian Vickers. The Goodyear Tire Test at Auto Club Speedway is the perfect opportunity to experience NASCAR at Auto Club Speedway before this season concludes. Fans will be able to watch the Goodyear Tire Test from the infield Terrace Suite rooftops, just above Pit Road on Tuesday, Oct. 28 between 9:00am-5:00pm. Ticket holders will be admitted for free (must present Auto Club 400 ticket or proof of purchase) or fans can purchase an Auto Club 400 ticket or make a #10 donation to the Auto Club Speedway Foundation benefiting Lefty's Reading Challenge and local schools.(Auto Club Speedway)(10-22-2014)
Goodyear warns teams that high speeds could impact tires: Goodyear has warned teams that increased speeds at Charlotte Motor Speedway will put a heavy emphasis on the right front tires in Saturday night's race - a potentially key development for drivers trying to advance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. Stu Grant, general manager of worldwide racing for Goodyear, said Friday the tire manufacturer provided durability guidelines a day earlier for teams to use in their preparations. #41-Kurt Busch set the track record in Thursday qualifying with a lap at 198.771 mph. It broke #11-Denny Hamlin's record of 195.624 set in 2013 and was the fastest lap ever recorded on a 1.5-mile track. Busch's speed was also almost 4 mph faster than the lap #48-Jimmie Johnson turned to win the pole in May. Although the pace of Saturday night's race will slow compared to qualifying speeds, Goodyear felt teams needed to be informed, particularly after championship contenders #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. and #2-Brad Keselowski both blew right front tires last week at Kansas and are in danger of being eliminated from the Chase. Keselowski's tire went back to North Carolina from Kanas with Team Penske, and was received by Goodyear on Thursday for further analysis at its Akron, Ohio, facility. Goodyear does not have Earnhardt's tire because Hendrick Motorsports was doing its own examination and had yet to ship it to Akron. Goodyear officials did look over both tires at Kansas, but Grant said "nothing jumped out at us." Damage appeared to be to the inside shoulder, belt-edge. In the past, Goodyear has found that teams were too aggressive with either their air pressure or camber settings, causing tire failures. Earnhardt crew chief Steve Letarte and Keselowski crew chief Paul Wolfe both told Goodyear their setups were not aggressive enough to cause tire failures.(Associated Press)(10-11-2014)
NASCAR confiscated tires after Chicago UPDATE: NASCAR confiscated tires from the #2-Brad Keselowski, #4-Kevin Harvick, #31-Ryan Newman and #78-Martin Truex Jr.- teams last week at Chicagoland Speedway. Although there was speculation that teams were attempting to bleed air from the tires to gain grip, Sprint Cup Series Richard Buck said it was "just for normal due diligence". The tires were taken to NASCAR's Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. "That's just part of expanding the R & D Center," Buck said. "We bring the stuff back, keep it under our custody like we do with all the parts that are there and keep them for further evaluation. It's just part of the process. Some were taken during the race, some after. It's just a nice sampling of what's out there." Buck would not confirm whether he found anything unusual with the tires, other than to say, "We're already here at New Hampshire." Generally any infractions stemming from improprieties would be announced prior to the next event.(Motorsport)(9-20-2014)
UPDATE: According to MRN's Pete Pistone, NASCAR also took tires from the teams of #13-Mears, #22-Logano, #42-Larson and #48-Johnson after the New Hampshire race.(9-22-2014)
Tire testing at Homestead: Goodyear is hosting select NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams at Homestead-Miami Speedway for a tire test on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 from 9:00am - 5:00pm/et. The Speedway Club will be open to the public for free viewing. Per NASCAR rules, Chase drivers are not eligible to participate in the test.(HMS)
DRIVERS: According to Goodyear Racing, drivers participating in the test are: Justin Allgaier (testing for Hendrick Motorsports), Ryan Blaney (Team Penske), Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing), Sam Hornish (Joe Gibbs Racing), Danica Patrick (Stewart-Haas Racing), Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (Roush Fenway), and Martin Truex, Jr. (testing for JTG Daugherty Racing).(9-9-2014)
Drivers want lower downforce, softer tires in 2015: Drivers are optimistic that a lower downforce, softer tire package tested at Michigan International Speedway Monday will work for a full field of 43 cars. NASCAR directed nine teams during a test for potential new rules for 2015. A variety of horsepower and aerodynamic packages were tested at the 2-mile track. The goal was to make the cars raceable enough that a driver can gain ground on the leader. During 20-lap runs, the drivers apparently passed the most in the low-downforce, soft-tire package. Low downforce can be achieved in a variety of ways, including a smaller rear spoiler. "They went through all the high-downforce stuff and less power and kind of the direction they went this year but even greater, and it was honestly really bad," said Joe Gibbs Racing's #20-Matt Kenseth. "It was really singled out, you couldn't pass, you could draft a little more on the straightaway but you're almost wide open in the corners. At the very end, they took all the downforce off and gave us all our power back and did all that and it was pretty much unanimous from the drivers, ... it was awesome." No one is sure what NASCAR will do, as it will take the data from the test and evaluate it to make the 2015 rules. "It was like going back 15 years in time or something like that," Kenseth said. "You could pass actually in the corners. ... You could get one guy on the bottom, one guy on the top. The air wasn't so turbulent that you couldn't get outside of people. So the track got really wide. It was like the track aged 10 years. It was awesome. Everybody got out with a smile on their face. You actually wouldn't feel as guilty cashing your paycheck on Friday anymore because you actually had to drive the cars like you used to."
"If you listen to all the drivers, they're really excited and would like to see NASCAR at least go and investigate that direction for sure," said Roush Fenway Racing competition director Robbie Reiser. "I know from the test and the reports everybody has talked about, it seems like everybody really liked what they saw at the end of that Michigan test. They used the words, 'We can drive the car.' That is an important aspect of stock-car racing. They wanted it to be less dependent on the aero side and a little more dependent on the driver side." Reiser said he believes teams would like the rule package by early September but would be happy if they get it by the end of September. I know NASCAR is under pressure to try to get us rules, but we really need to make the right decision."(Sporting News)(8-23-2014)
Could NASCAR require tire pressure sensors? At several tracks this season, teams have experienced issues with tire failures - and [Jimmie Johnson] certainly hasn't been immune to those issues. At New Hampshire two weeks ago, the # 48 had two left-rear tires failures in the first 11 laps, the second of which put him out of the race. Although Johnson protested, "I can promise you one thing, it wasn't due to low left rear tire pressure," Goodyear had a different diagnosis after examining the tires. As was the case with #22-Joey Logano and #43-Aric Almirola earlier in the weekend, Goodyear believed the tire failures were due to low air pressure. Each week Goodyear makes minimum air pressure recommendations. But teams don't always adhere to the numbers.
So if the teams don't follow the suggested minimum air pressures, how does Goodyear protect itself against the negative publicity when a driver has a blowout? How about a tire sensor to discourage teams from fudging on their numbers? "We've talked to NASCAR about different things like that," Greg Stucker, director of race tire sales for Goodyear, told Motorsport.com. "We worked on those on and off for several years, but it's come more to the forefront in our discussions with how they're looking at their new officiating. But no decisions have been made whether or not we're moving forward on that. We're doing research and trying to figure out what our options might be in a situation like that, but nothing for sure." Stucker says a tire pressure monitor on a race car would use the same technology to report psi "no different than what you see on your street car these days."(Motorsport)(8-5-2014)
NASCAR delays Homestead tire test: The Goodyear tire test at Homestead-Miami Speedway has been moved to Sept. 9, when the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field has already been set. The original test date was Aug. 26. NASCAR said Friday it was moved because too many teams already planned to test that week at Chicago. It's not been determined yet if Chase drivers will be allowed to test at Homestead, site of the season-ending race that will decide the champion. NASCAR initially said no Chase drivers could participate in the test, but all organizations represented in the Chase could attend. Teams were told to send a substitute driver instead of a Chase driver. The restrictions hurt many teams, including Team Penske, which has both of its drivers already qualified for the Chase.(Associated Press/ESPN.com)(8-1-2014)
Chase drivers can't tire test at Homestead: NASCAR will not allow championship-eligible drivers to participate in a Goodyear tire test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But, to ensure fairness, NASCAR will allow all organizations represented in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship to participate in the Aug. 26 test because Homestead is the site of the title-deciding season finale. Teams will have to send a driver not qualified for the Chase to the tire test. The restrictions create a dilemma for Team Penske, which has both #2-Brad Keselowski and #22-Joey Logano already qualified for the Chase. The two-car team does not have another Sprint Cup driver on its roster. Hendrick Motorsports also has three of its four drivers qualified. Should #5-Kasey Kahne qualify for the Chase, Hendrick would have to look outside its immediate organization for a substitute.(Associated Press/ESPN.com)(7-30-2014)
Tire testing at Richmond UPDATE: Several drivers are scheduled to test tires for Goodyear at Richmond International Raceway on Tuesday and Wednesday. Participating drivers include #11-Hamlin, #16-Biffle, #26-Whitt, #41-Busch, #42-Larson, and #43-Almirola.(7-8-2014)
UPDATE Goodyear spent Tuesday and Wednesday testing tires at Richmond International Raceway, hoping to avoid a repeat of April's Toyota Owners 400. During that race, several drivers complained of disintegrating tires, and a handful of drivers saw their right front tire blow, costing them a shot at victory. The company brought about seven new models to the track and had six Sprint Cup drivers on hand to drive them. After sets of 50 laps in the summer sun, the feedback was positive. "I'm excited about coming to Richmond with whichever [new] tire they bring," Aric Almirola said. "They're all driving great on our car." #11-Denny Hamlin thought the heat provided an ideal testing ground. "The track is hot enough to where it's taking rubber, so it simulates a pretty good racing surface," he said. "These are extreme conditions, and that's what you want to be tire testing in." Drivers were asked to rate the tires that they tried. Goodyear is secretive about the process and won't reveal specifics about the tires they will ultimately provide teams with for the September race at Richmond International. Hamlin said the tire issues this spring were caused by a change in the car design which produced more downforce on the right front tire. "It puts Goodyear in a tough spot to build a tire that's reliable, without making it so hard that it's like concrete and the racing is awful," Hamlin said. He explained that harder tires aren't as fast on the track. Drivers were also using the opportunity for extra laps at Richmond to plan ahead for the fall race. #26-Cole Whitt, who has finished 43rd and 41st in his two Richmond Sprint Cup races, was working on his turning lines out of turns 1 and 2. "We're working on our stuff as much as Goodyear is working on the tires," he said. #16-Greg Biffle said there's only so much that can be done, though, since Goodyear wants all the laps run a certain way, to provide consistency in their testing. For #42-Kyle Larson, the testing was an opportunity to drive the track more than he was able to in April.(Roanoke Times)(7-10-2014)
Goodyear completes Indy, Chicago and Kentucky tests: With its at-track session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this past Monday and Tuesday, Goodyear completed a busy stretch of testing in preparation for this summer's NASCAR schedule. Participating in the test at Indianapolis were #16-Greg Biffle, #15-Clint Bowyer, #18-Kyle Busch, #22-Joey Logano, #31-Ryan Newman and #14-Tony Stewart. "Our test speeds were extremely fast at Indianapolis," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of racing. "Like a lot of race tracks we've been to this year with this new car package, it appears the race pace can be significantly faster than it's been in the past. Because of that, we have to make sure we come back with a recommendation that is robust enough for the conditions we'll have in the race. "The weather conditions during the test were exactly what we have to come to expect during the race weekend in late July -- pushing 90 degrees and sunny. That enabled us to evaluate the tires we brought under the proper conditions." More than the weather conditions, the race conditions always conspire to make the Brickyard 400 one that is high up on Goodyear's radar. "The thing about Indianapolis is the tough conditions the cars -- and the tires -- have to endure," said Stucker. "The surface is very abrasive, the long straightaways and short chutes are fast, cornering is tough with very little banking. Combine that with this new car package, and you've got conditions that put a lot of stress on the tires."
In spite of some of the speeds where teams were consistently running a half-second faster in race trim than in the past, the test was problem free outside of one incident with the Stewart Haas Racing car of Tony Stewart. On day two of the test, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion had a right-front tire lose air 17 laps into a 20-lap run. "Tony was approaching the end of a very strong 20-lap run, with his lap times as much as a second faster than what has become the norm at Indianapolis at that point of a run. It appears that increased, sustained speed over that run generated a significant amount of heat, which eventually caused the right-front to go down. Those are the conditions we have to consider in making the right decisions for the race." Goodyear will continue to talk to the Indianapolis test teams and review the data from the session to come up with its final recommendation over the next week.
Over recent weeks, Goodyear also completed tests at Chicagoland Speedway (June 10-11) and Kentucky Speedway (May 20-21). At Chicagoland, Goodyear confirmed its expectations and will bring a race recommendation that includes the same left-side tire it ran at that track last season and the multi-zone tread right-side that was run at Texas earlier this season. Handling the test at Chicagoland were #11-Denny Hamlin, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #22-Joey Logano and #27-Paul Menard.
At Kentucky, Goodyear ran a true confirmation test and will race the same combination of left- and right-side tires they ran at that track in 2013. Running at the Kentucky test were #2-Brad Keselowski, #1-Jamie McMurray and #55-Brian Vickers.
Goodyear continues its testing program with sessions at Richmond International Raceway on July 8-9 and Homestead-Miami Speedway on August 26.(Goodyear Racing)(6-20-2014)
Testing at Indy UPDATE: There are six Sprint Cup Series drivers expected to participate testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday and Tuesday, June 16 & 17. #14-Stewart, #31-Newman, #16-Biffle, #22-Logano, #18-Busch and #15-Bowyer. As is customary in these things, the event will be officially closed to the public but at the south end of the facility, in front of the IMS Hall of Fame Museum, will be open for free spectator viewing.(Indianapolis Star)(6-13-2014)
UPDATE: Six drivers hit the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday afternoon for a tire test ahead of July's Brickyard 400. During the closed portion of the test, #14-Tony Stewart made contact with the Turn 1 wall. He was not transported by paramedics, according to IMS officials. He is, however, in contact with NASCAR medical personnel. In addition to Stewart, #31-Ryan Newman, #15-Clint Bowyer, #22-Joey Logano, #18-Kyle Busch and #16-Greg Biffle were part of the test. Drivers go through tire tests all the time throughout the year, and Bowyer candidly summed up what the drivers get out of them. "Testing sucks, I'm not going to beat around the bush about it," said Bowyer, laughing. "It's so much more fun to come here and compete...You go out there as a driver and make a few laps, and come back in and complain about it, it wasn't very good, or it may have been good. Then, you make more changes and go back out and try again." Newman, who won the Brickyard in 2013, was just happy to be home in Indiana. "It always will be a special place. Not just because I won here, but I have family here," said Newman. "We went over and played some putt-putt last night, rode some go-carts. That type of thing I don't get to do very often. Just in general, the Speedway is a special place."(WISH TV)(6-18-2014)
Will run at Charlotte in May 2014 to show support for the U.S. Troops.
Image from Goodyear Racing's Twitter
Goodyear Honors Troops with 'Goodyear Gives Back' Campaign: Continuing its long history of supporting the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, exclusive tire supplier of NASCAR's three major national series, has launched its fifth annual "Goodyear Gives Back" charitable program benefitting the Support Our Troops organization. To kick off the program, Goodyear will once again transform its NASCAR race tires by replacing the "Eagle" sidewall design with "Support Our Troops" messaging on all tires used during Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This effort coincides with the launch of Goodyear's charity auction at www.Goodyear.com/GivesBack, which features autographed NASCAR memorabilia, VIP race experiences and rides on the Goodyear Blimp. Goodyear will match funds raised through the charity auction up to $50,000. Proceeds benefit Support Our Troops�, a nonprofit nationwide organization that works to bolster the morale and well-being of America's troops and their families. To-date, the Goodyear Gives Back program has provided more than $800,000 in cash and product to help troops and their families. Fans can get involved by visiting www.Goodyear.com/GivesBack through July 31, 2014 to bid on unique items and VIP experiences, purchase Support Our Troops merchandise (while supplies last), send notes of thanks to troops, or make direct donations to Support Our Troops.(Goodyear)(5-24-2014)
Testing at Kentucky: A trio of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will visit Kentucky Speedway this week for a two-day Goodyear tire test before turning their attention to the season's longest race. The teams for #2-Brad Keselowski, #1-Jamie McMurray and #55-Brian Vickers will spend Tuesday and Wednesday testing Goodyear tires at Kentucky Speedway ahead of next month's Quaker State 400. The tire test also will include representatives from the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. Expected to participate are the Nationwide teams for #7-Regan Smith and #6-Trevor Bayne. Representing the Camping World Truck Series will be the #88 ThorSport Racing Toyota team (Matt Crafton) and #31 Turner Scott Motorsports Chevy (Ben Kennedy). One of the Nationwide teams and one of the Camping World Truck teams will be at the track each day. Sprint Cup teams will participate both days before returning to North Carolina. Opening practice for this weekend's Coca-Cola 600 is Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Kentucky Speedway)(5-20-2014)
Tire test underway at Dover UPDATE: Goodyear is conducting a tire test Tuesday and Wednesday at Dover International Speedway. Drivers participating are #18-Busch, #78-Truex, Jr., and #99-Edwards.(Goodyear Racing)(5-6-2014)
UPDATE: Nationwide drivers Ty Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) and Elliott Sadler (JGR), as well as two teams from the Camping World Truck Series (the #29 from Brad Keselowski Racing and #51 from Kyle Busch Motorsports), are at Dover, too. Goodyear says that Busch, Truex and Edwards will be running both days, while Dillon and Sadler will get one day each.(NBC Sports)(5-7-2014)
NASCAR meets with Michelin: Just days after several Sprint Cup champion contenders had issues with where the rubber meets the road in Richmond, NASCAR officials met with representatives from Michelin at the R&D Center in Concord, NC. The timing of the Tuesday meeting is coincidental considering the rash of failures experienced by competitors in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series last weekend. According to a Michelin source, however, it was a "mid-level meeting" that was scheduled before the Richmond race. "It was generally a get-acquainted and get-familiar with the tech center, and some relationship building," said the source. It likely also involved some regional and "grassroots" possibilities that could involve NASCAR and Michelin to partner. Michelin already supplies tires for the NASCAR Europe series, and also is a supplier for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship's GT-Le Mans class. The TUDOR Championship is the NASCAR-controlled sports car series that was formed by combining Grand-Am and the American Le Mans Series.
The other three classes in the TUDOR Championship have Continental as the lone supplier. The GT-Le Mans series competitors can run whatever tire brand they choose. At the 24 Hours of Daytona, the tire of choice was Michelin. At the 12 Hours of Sebring, the only team that did not run Michelins was the Falken Tire-sponsored car. Michelin North America is based Greenville, S.C., about 100 miles south of NASCAR's Research and Development Center. Michelin reportedly is interested in bidding against Continental when the TUDOR Championship rights expire. Continental renegotiated its contract following the merger of the series and is in the first season of a multi-year deal. The exclusive Goodyear contract with NASCAR's top three touring series, including Sprint Cup, runs through 2017.(Motorsport)(4-30-2014)
Several teams have tire issues at Richmond: Several Sprint Cup drivers battled tire issues Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, causing some cars to catch fire from the burning rubber. Among the drivers who had problems were #48-Jimmie Johnson, #99-Carl Edwards, #15-Clint Bowyer, #41- Busch, #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr and #36-Reed Sorenson. Goodyear brought a new tire combination to Richmond, with its new multi-zone tire on the right side. The outward 10 inches of the right-side tire had the same compound as last year but the inside two inches of tread surface was designed for more endurance, with a tougher, more heat-resistant compound. It appeared the inside few inches of the tires were unraveling, causing the areas around the brakes and wheels to catch fire when rubber became entangled with wheel and suspension parts.
"There are a number of cars that don't have any issues at all and they have got a good balanced car and everything is fine," Goodyear Racing executive Stu Grant told Motor Racing Network during its race broadcast. "But what we're seeing is the inside shoulder of the right front is wearing through the tread and through the overlay. It's important to have a good balanced car, it's important to not have a lot of camber, and it's important to try to stay off that right front. But having said that, it looks like the operating window is pretty narrow for these guys. If they miss it by a little bit, you're going to get into that right front and we're going to have to work on that." Goodyear most likely will conduct a tire test and bring a new tire for the Richmond race next September, a pivotal event as the final race before the Chase for the Sprint Cup field is set.
"The tire was adjusted properly on many of the cars, and I think some of them took it overboard," NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said. "Goodyear being a good partner, they'll get together and if it's something we need to re-do before we get back in here in the fall, I'm sure Goodyear is more than happy to test and build another tire."(Sporting News)(4-27-2014)
Goodyear announces return of "Support our Troops" tires: With the calendar set to dig deeper into the heart of spring, certain annual racing traditions associated with the month of May take hold. Goodyear started one of the newest institutions as a simple expression of gratitude and awareness five years ago. Now it's accredited as a nearly seven-figure fundraiser for America's military. The Ohio-based tiremaker announced Saturday at Richmond International Raceway that the logo for the Support Our Troops Foundation will adorn its racing tires for the fifth straight year in all three of NASCAR's national series. The program will roll out in conjunction with the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 race weekends at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Goodyear's involvement is part of an annual NASCAR industry-wide movement that often reaches its height around memorial Memorial Day and July 4 weekend. In the coming weeks, patriotic paint schemes, military salutes and more details will emerge to raise awareness and support.(NASCAR.com)(4-27-2014)
Goodyear completes tire tests: The early spring has been a busy time for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company's racing program. The exclusive tire supplier for NASCAR's top three has run three at-track tests already, with many more on the books. The testing season started with a two-day session at Sonoma Raceway on March 25-26. The goal was to improve overall grip for cars on the 1.99-mile, 10-turn road course.
"The surface at Sonoma tends to be pretty slick, particularly in hot weather like is possible for California in June," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of race tire sales. "The recommendation we came up with will incorporate a new tread compound, which was unanimously chosen as a grip improvement by all drivers that evaluated it."
Two weeks later, on April 8-9, Goodyear tackled Michigan International Speedway, in an effort to monitor the track surface since it's repave in 2012 and evaluate the impact of the 2014 rules package on performance at the ultra-fast, two-mile track.
"As expected, the cars were extremely fast at Michigan," said Stucker. "Our tire recommendation will incorporate the same left side as raced in 2013, along with a multi-zone tread right side tire. The inboard portion of the tire - the endurance zone -- will use a new compound formulated specifically for the Michigan test, aimed at controlling the heat and wear of that high stress zone. The outboard portion - the traction zone -- will utilize a compound very similar to what was raced there in 2013. Overall the grip level was good, as evidenced by the speeds teams were able to run."
Just last week (April 15), Goodyear visited another recent repave in Kansas Speedway. The initial focus of this test was to refine the multi-zone tread right side tire raced at Kansas last October. With sustained testing speeds at the existing track record, heat and wear rates were up, necessitating a change in direction.
"With the 2014 rules package, more severe operating conditions were expected at Kansas," said Stucker. "With what we saw on the right side, we've decided on a conventional, single tread compound design, formulated to address treadwear, while maintaining the heat resistance still required for this surface. This compound will be the same as the one used in the traction zone of the Michigan right-side tire. The left-side tire will be the same one we raced at Kansas last October."
The first three tire tests of the year have been fruitful. Goodyear will follow up with sessions at Dover International Speedway (May 6-7), Kentucky Speedway (May 20-21), Chicagoland Speedway (June 10-11) and Indianapolis (June 15-16) in the coming weeks as it continues to fill in its 2014 tire lineup.(Goodyear PR)(4-25-2014)
Tire Testing at Kansas: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams converged on Kansas Speedway for a Goodyear tire test Tuesday in preparation for the track's first night race next month. Goodyear allowed one car per organization to the single-day test, held in advance of the May 10 event at the 1.5-mile track. The teams took part on a cool spring day that portended potential track record speeds at a facility where #20-Matt Kenseth set the existing mark of 191.864mph in qualifying last April. Although the track hosted its first Sprint Cup weekend in 2001, temperature extremes in the region led officials to surface the facility in 2012. Speeds jumped as a result, and last fall Goodyear brought to Kansas its multi-zone tread tire, which combines one compound designed for traction and another toughened for durability. Different multi-zone combinations have also been used for races at Texas and Atlanta, and another is planned for next week's event at Richmond.(NASCAR.com)
Teams that were scheduled to test were: #2-Keselowski, #3-Dillon, #4-Harvick, #5-Kahne, #7-Annett, #11-Hamlin, #13-Mears, #17-Stenhouse Jr.,#42-Larson, #43-Almirola, #51-Allgaier, #55-Vickers, #78-Truex Jr., #83-Bowman / Truex.(MRN's Dustin Long)(4-16-2014)
Teams to test at Michigan UPDATE3 - 215mph & 217mph: a few NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will test (tires) at Michigan International Speedway on Tuesday, April 8 & Wednesday, April 9. Scheduled to test are: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #16-Greg Biffle, #15-Clint Bowyer, #21-Trevor Bayne and #31-Ryan Newman. The Turn 1 grandstand seats will be open for fans free of charge on April 8-9.(MIS)(4-2/8-2014)
UPDATE: Greg Biffle's #16 Ford Fusion was first car on track at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn on Tuesday in a delayed start to the two-day Goodyear tire test there by several Sprint Cup teams. Four Cup outfits, led off by Biffle, who drives for Roush Fenway Racing, and #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the track mid- to late-afternoon after a lengthy delay due to moisture on the 2-mile oval thought to be originating from behind the concrete walls following a brutal winter. The problem was addressed by MIS staff and Goodyear personnel and testing finally cranked up around 4:00pm/et. It was scheduled to continue into early evening, or when it became too dark to run safely. #21-Trevor Bayne and #15-Clint Bowyer also participated in Tuesday's test. #31-Ryan Newman is expected to join in with the others at MIS Wednesday. Fans are welcome to watch the tire test free of charge Wednesday from the Turn 1 grandstand seats.(Detroit Free Press)(4-9-2014)
UPDATE2: How fast is NASCAR's new Sprint Cup car with new aerodynamic rules on one of its fastest tracks? #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. topped 215 mph during a test Wednesday morning at Michigan International Speedway, one of NASCAR's fastest tracks. Track president Roger Curtis tweeted about Earnhardt's fast speed. Clint Bowyer, meanwhile, said he ran 217 mph during Wednesday's test.(Sporting News)(4-9-2014)
UPDATE 3: Blazing fast speeds continued at Michigan International Speedway on Wednesday during the second of a two-day tire test. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver #15-Clint Bowyer said he went 217 mph during the morning session. "That's white-of-your-eyes-fast," he added. Bowyer, along with #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #16-Greg Biffle, #31-Ryan Newman and #21-Trevor Bayne are taking part in the second of a two-day Goodyear Tire test at the two-mile racetrack. Earnhardt Jr. said he was hitting speeds between 212 to 215 mph in the straightaways and about 180 in the turns. And while speed was the topic of the day, the drivers were at the track to test tires for Goodyear.
"This is one of our better tracks, and our fans will probably say the same," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Having the success here over the last four or five years has given us a lot of confidence when we come here, and I think that's why Goodyear brings us to test. "I enjoy racing here. It's a fun track. The asphalt is really aging well and it's just going to keep getting better and better over the next couple of years."
Newman and Biffle agreed, adding the winter has aged the track, making the super-smooth surface less oily, and creating additional grooves. "I think (Michigan) will be a good race; I really do," Biffle said. Though speeds on a racetrack are sexy, speedway President Roger Curtis said passing and fierce competition is what makes great racing. "The drivers are posting 200 mph. That's awesome. The fans get very, very excited about that. But at the end of the day, on Sunday when the green flag drops, the numbers 'two zero zero' they're not anywhere in the fans' minds. It's lead changes, it's the competition." The track was repaved in 2012, making for blazing fast speeds. Since then, the asphalt has aged but NASCAR has made significant changes to the cars, thus keeping speeds very fast. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Michigan International Speedway this summer for two weekends: Quicken Loans 400 weekend, June 13-15 and Pure Michigan 400 weekend, Aug. 15-17. For tickets and camping, visit www.MISpeedway.com or call 800-354-1010.(MIS), see some video of the test at RPM2Night.com.(4-9-2014)
Latest on tires at Texas: Tires remained the hot topic at Texas Motor Speedway, where NASCAR and Goodyear took the unprecedented step of discussing the compound selected for Sunday's race before a single lap had been turned. Goodyear's multi-zone tread tire is making its season debut at Texas, where speeds inched toward 200 mph in Friday's opening practice session. There was one major incident, 100 minutes into practice, when #41-Kurt Busch wrecked hard into the outside wall. Busch, winner of last week's race at Martinsville, appeared to blow a left rear tire before losing control of his Chevrolet and crashing. His car caught fire, and as his Stewart-Haas Racing team pulled out the backup, Busch said the left rear tire started to separate on the backstretch. The left side tires being used at Texas are the same ones Goodyear has used at the last two races here. The multi-zone tread tire combines two distinct rubber compounds on right-side tire, with the outside 10 inches of tread designed for traction, and the compound on the inside two inches is designed for durability.(Associated Press)(4-5-2014)
NASCAR puts pressure of preserving tires on teams: NASCAR will not regulate tire pressures at Texas Motor Speedway, and if drivers have tire failures during Sunday's race officials believe they won't be able to blame Goodyear. Hoping to give more control over setups and strategy to race teams, NASCAR is refusing to get involved in monitoring whether teams choose to follow recommendations set each week by Goodyear. There were multiple tire issues at California two weeks ago, and many drivers tried to blame the product Goodyear brought to the track. NASCAR insisted the issues were self-inflicted and a product of teams going far beyond the air pressure limits recommended by the manufacturer. With a handful of drivers predicting similar problems this weekend at Texas, NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said each team controls its own fate. "We want to be open enough to give the teams opportunity to adjust and have different setups out there and be more aggressive or less aggressive whenever they sit fit," Pemberton said Thursday. "We want the teams to be able to push the limit, and that's what we expect out of them. If a guy has a tire issue that is self-inflicted and gets out of the car and blames Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., that's a bad deal. That basically is what some of them tried to do at California." Goodyear each week presents teams minimum pounds per square inch pressure recommendations based on both testing and data from previous tires. NASCAR has maintained the majority of failures at California occurred when teams decided to go below the recommended pressure. Goodyear this week presented teams a chart of recommended inflation pressures and times before a possible failure based on testing data. Pemberton said it is up to the teams to walk the fine line of pushing the limits Goodyear gives them in an effort to rise in what's shaping up to be a very competitive season.(Associated Press)(4-4-2014)
Goodyear to run multi-zone tread right-side at Texas: One of the technical highlights of the 2013 NASCAR season was Goodyear's introduction of its multi-zone tread tire. After running the concept that combines two distinct rubber compounds on the same right-side tire at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway last year, this week the tiremaker adds Texas Motor Speedway to its roster of tracks at which this technology will be used. Goodyear's multi-zone tread tire combines one compound that is run on the outside 10 inches of the tread that is designed for traction with another compound on the inside two inches that is designed for durability. The inside compound is toughened up because that is the part of the tire that sees the most heat and takes the most abuse.
Like Atlanta, Texas has proven to be one of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit. On the one hand, it is abrasive and wears tires quickly. On the other hand, it produces high speeds and high loads. That combination makes Texas the ideal track for the multi-zone tread technology. "With this 2014 rules package, we expect speeds and loads to be up at Texas," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of race tire sales. "Like at Atlanta last year, we didn't want to sacrifice grip on a worn racing surface. We decided to bring our multi-zone tread to enhance the durability on the right-side, and we are coming back with the Texas left-side we've run there in the past to maintain grip. This season, we've already broken track records on the two intermediate tracks we've raced so far - Las Vegas and California. There's no reason to think Texas won't be more of the same."
In preparation for NASCAR's early season races, Goodyear has worked throughout the off-season, testing and confirming its tire recommendations with the new rules package. Because of the scheduling demands of producing 150,000 NASCAR tires each season, at-track testing is not always an option. That make's Goodyear's lab testing, which replicates actual race conditions, more important.
"We conducted lab durability testing with this package to verify the performance of this tire set-up, including the validation of our air pressure recommendations," said Stucker. "Our test process enables us to utilize track and car data to simulate actual race conditions. When time does not allow for a track test, this modeling, in essence, allows us to do the same thing. Once we generate this data, confirming our recommendation and at which air pressures the tires need to be run, we share that information with the teams. The teams have the ability to use this inflation data, along with the tire characterization data we supply each week, to make choices to optimize endurance and performance. Teams have asked for some flexibility with how they set up their cars. This information is just another tool in their toolbox."
Goodyear will recommend minimum inflation pressures of 23 psi (front) and 21 psi (rear) on the left-side and 51 psi (front) and 47 psi (rear) on the right-side at Texas. As always on fast, abrasive tracks, tire management will be important this weekend at Texas. With its new multi-zone tread right-side tire, Goodyear has enhanced its durability while maintaining a good amount of grip. That should prove to be a good combination for the racing.(Goodyear PR)(4-2-2014)
Teams complete tires test at Sonoma Five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams completed a rain-dampened two-day Goodyear tire test at Sonoma Raceway on Wednesday. Intermittent rain fell at the raceway both Tuesday and Wednesday, but #9-Marcos Ambrose, #18-Kyle Busch, #24-Jeff Gordon, #14-Tony Stewart and #55-Brian Vickers were able to log approximately nine hours of track time over the two days. "Goodyear had a pretty stout tire here last year, and they want to improve on it if they can. They came here with some different compounds to try, and a good mix of teams and drivers to get feedback," said Ambrose, who started from the pole in Sonoma in 2012. "We also get a chance to set up the car up with the new technical regulations, which is helpful for the team. Ninety-five percent of the time was getting tires dialed in for Goodyear, and then the rest of the time was for us to see what we'll need when we come back." The two-day test marked the first Goodyear Sprint Cup Series tire test of the year, and is currently the only scheduled road-course test. Goodyear worked closely with the teams and drivers to develop a durable race package while giving teams the appropriate amount of grip.(Sonoma)(3-27-2014)
Tire failures impact many teams Sunday: Sunday's Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway produced a massive number of tire failures, as Goodyear Eagles exploded with shocking regularity from the opening 20 laps until the end of the race. #48-Jimmie Johnson, #4-Kevin Harvick, #99-Carl Edwards, #16-Greg Biffle, #9-Marcos Ambrose, #2-Brad Keselowski, #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. and #15-Clint Bowyer were among the top drivers who saw their races go out the window because of tire failures. But afterward, most of the drivers weren't pointing the finger at Goodyear as the source of the problem. Instead, they pointed to changes with the cars and how they are set up for 2014. Last year, NASCAR loosened rules on how much air pressure the teams must run in their tires and how much camber they can run. This year, NASCAR added downforce with a new, larger rear spoiler.
Some teams got very aggressive by running extremely low air pressures on left-side tires -- 11 pounds per square inch in some cases, vs. the Goodyear recommendation of 22 psi -- and equally aggressive camber, which is defined as how much the tire slants away from vertical when viewing it from the front or back. Lower air pressures combined with aggressive camber make for extremely fast speeds, but it greatly increases the risk of catastrophic tire failure, which is what happened again and again and again on Sunday. "Last year we opened up the rules on camber for the rear end," added Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition and racing development. "I would say that a year ago at this time we were early in the process, and teams were probably not as aggressive as they wound up being as the season unfolded, as they got the mechanics better in their cars and the opportunity to be able to make parts and pieces live longer. Now, I think they're probably a little bit better prepared for that. So if they had too much camber -- they've got a lot of choices, so if they had too much and it abused the tire, that's what happens." Asked by FOXSports.com if he thought the tire failures were a Goodyear problem, Pemberton was clear. "No," Pemberton said. "We've talked to Goodyear. We have asked, the competitors have asked to bring more aggressive tires, to bring tires that they need to manage and want to -- how they use them and how they get the most out of them. At this point in time, I think Goodyear, it's the same tire that we've run on in the past. Just the car is a little bit different."(FoxSports)(3-24-2014)
Some teams having tire problems: A Goodyear official said there were 10 incidents with tires during practice at Auto Club Speedway the past two days as some Sprint Cup teams struggled to adapt setups. With new suspension rules leading to increased speeds and downforce, tires were facing more stress than ever on a 2-mile oval whose abrasive surface already causes as much wear as any track in NASCAR's premier series. "I think everyone is trying to be aggressive and get as much grip as possible," Goodyear's director of race tire sales Greg Stucker said after the final session Saturday afternoon for the Auto Club 400. "A couple of guys had more problems than others."
Team Penske was most affected with five tire problems between the Fords of #22-Joey Logano and #2-Brad Keselowski. Logano will start from the rear of Sunday's race in a backup car after hitting the wall, as will Furniture Row's Martin Truex Jr., who suffered a left-rear flat in his # 78 Chevrolet when entering turn 1.
Stucker said teams' problems predominantly stemmed from left-rear tires that were run under the minimum recommended air pressure of 20 pounds. Teams push the limits on air pressure for better handling and speed, and Stucker said there were other teams that were below the minimum pressure that didn't have problems. Stucker said the same tire was used the past two seasons at Fontana, and Goodyear believed it was structurally sound for use after teams adjusted to this season's changes to the Gen 6 car. "It's not just air pressure, it's what else is under the car, and that's what everyone is trying to get a handle on," Stucker said. "Let's face it: We have a different race car than last year. I'm confident everyone will adjust."(USA Today)(3-23-2014)
Goodyear schedules tire tests: As the weather warms come springtime, it marks the unofficial start of testing season for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company's NASCAR racing program. "It's been a long, tough winter across the country, so we're happy spring has arrived, which gives us the chance to begin our tire testing," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of race tire sales. "The tracks we currently have on the test schedule cover a variety of conditions - a couple ovals that have been repaved relatively recently, a couple that have not been paved in awhile, both asphalt and concrete surfaces, and a road course." Goodyear's upcoming testing schedule includes:
March 25-26 -- Sonoma Raceway - Teams: #9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford, #14 Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet, #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, #55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota.
April 8-9 - Michigan International Speedway - Teams: #15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota, #16 Roush Fenway Ford, #21 Wood Brothers Ford, #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, #31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
April 14 - Kansas Speedway - Teams: One team per organization.
May 6-7 - Dover International Speedway -- Teams: #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, #99 Roush Fenway Ford, Chevrolet team TBD, as well as teams from the Nationwide, Camping World Truck and K&N Series.
May 20-21 - Kentucky Speedway - Teams: Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series lineup TBD.
June 10-11 - Chicagoland Speedway - Teams: TBD.
"We have a multitude of goals at these upcoming tests, including keeping up with changing track surfaces and staying in tune with NASCAR and the teams on car development under the 2014 rules package," said Stucker. "Further expansion of our multi-zone technology will be an element for evaluation at several of these tests. As always, our primary focus will be to come out of these tests with a durable race package while giving teams the appropriate amount of grip."(Goodyear)(3-14-2014)
Goodyear shifts branding for Camping World Truck Series: After 10 years of branding its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series tires with the "Wrangler" name, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has made a switch for the 2014 season. Responding to the changing tide of its passenger truck tire buyers, the Akron, Ohio-based tiremaker will now brand its truck series tires as "Eagle" to match how it identifies its products in NASCAR's Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. "What we've found, as a company, is that more of our customers who buy tires for their street trucks are now buying 'Eagles,'" said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of race tire sales. "While our 'Wrangler' line is still an extremely popular choice for those consumers that need a more rugged tire, the 'Eagle' brand is a performance tire, which goes along with today's changing demands. Since we have branded our Sprint Cup and Nationwide tires as 'Eagle' since 1980, race fans also identify that as our racing brand." The move is effective as of Daytona Speedweeks 2014, marking the first time Camping World Truck Series teams will have run Goodyear Eagles since the season ending race of 2003 (Nov. 14) at Homestead Miami Speedway.(Goodyear Racing PR)(2-20-2014)
Goodyear Expands Use of Multi-Zone Tread Technology in 2014: Last year, Goodyear brought a tire concept to America's most popular motorsport that 2012 Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski has said could "revolutionize" the sport. That innovation was Goodyear's Multi-Zone Tread technology, which features two distinct compounds in one tire - creating one zone for enhanced traction and another for greater endurance. Goodyear first employed Multi-Zone Tread technology in passenger car tires like the Assurance TripleTred All-Season, which features three zones for superior traction in wet, icy and dry conditions.In 2013, Goodyear debuted its Multi-Zone Tread technology at two NASCAR races - Atlanta Motor Speedway and the fall event at Kansas Speedway. Because the two tracks were at opposite ends of the tire wear spectrum, the compound combinations were different for each.
"Atlanta is a unique track that presents several challenges for us as a tiremaker - it is extremely abrasive, but at the same time it's extremely fast," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of race tire sales. "While the Gen-6 car added even more speed to the equation, thus putting more stress on the right side tires, just going to a harder compound wasn't a viable solution. The Multi-Zone Tread technology enabled us to maintain the tractive compound on the outside portion of the tread and toughen up the inside three inches to help protect the part of the right-side tire that sees a lot of heat. Kansas, on the other hand, was a little more than a year on this side of a repave. And while the track seemed to have lost some grip, it had not yet begun to wear tires. For this case, we chose to increase the grip on the left side of the car with a more tractive, single-compound tire. We paired that with a Multi-Zone Tread right-side that combined the same compound we'd run there since the repave on the outside for traction with a tougher, more heat resistant compound on the inboard three inches for endurance."
For 2014, Goodyear enters the season with plans to run its Multi-Zone Tread right-side tire at both Atlanta and Kansas again, as well as at Texas Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. Several more tracks could be added, pending on-track testing during the season.(RPM2Night)(2-14-2014)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Tests Goodyear's New Tire at Kansas: Its debut set records. Its encore offered a taste of what's to come. "It" is the innovative "multi-zone tread" Goodyear tire that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers tested Thursday at Kansas Speedway, and will use during Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400, the fourth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Goodyear developed two zones on the right side tires: the outer zone dubbed the "traction zone" - which was made of a sticky and more grip-oriented compound - and the "inner zone" - also known as the "endurance zone" - which was built with a firmer compound to help prolong the tire life.
Thirty-eight drivers tested the new tire during a three-plus hour session at Kansas Speedway that was delayed by rain. #48-Jimmie Johnson turned the fastest lap at 182.648 mph, followed by #99-Carl Edwards, #78-Kurt Busch, #31-Jeff Burton and #27-Paul Menard. Points leader #20-Matt Kenseth was 13th on the speed charts.
Goodyear's multi-zone tread tire debuted at Atlanta Motor Speedway last month, resulting in shattered passing records. Throughout the 500-mile event, there were 3,748 green flag passes - 190 more than the old record, and 1,200 more than last year's figure.
At Atlanta, the new tire's durability counterbalanced the rough racing surface. At Kansas Speedway, which repaved its racing surface last year, the "multi-zone tread" tire's design will add grip to combat the new, slick surface. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby offered a "no news is good news" critique of today's tire test. "We didn't see anything, which is good news," Darby said. "One of the exciting parts of having it here at Kansas is because this is a recently repaved track that's very smooth. We ran the zone tread at Atlanta without any technical issues or failures and had a good race. But that's on a very aggressive, coarse track surface. We had that example. This is the other end of the spectrum for the tire. It's fresh pavement that's smooth."(NASCAR)
See speeds, laps run, best 10 consecutive lap average on the Kansas Test Speeds page (pdf).(10-4-2013)
Testing at Kansas - Speeds: Kansas Speedway will have an extra day of racing on Thursday that will be open to the public. Goodyear will conduct a test for Sprint Cup teams to acclimate to the new tires it has developed for Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400. Gates will open at 11:30am with testing from noon to 4:00 pm. Admission is $10 with proceeds being donated to the March of Dimes. This weekend will mark the third Sprint Cup race on the re-paved and re-banked Kansas Speedway surface, starting with the fall race in 2012. It's rare to make a change in tires in the same season at tracks that hold two races, but NASCAR and Goodyear decided to change the compounds in the tire, including a new "multi-zone" tire on the right sides, to better match the new surface.
Goodyear conducted a tire test at Kansas Speedway July 16-17 with four teams participating: #16-Greg Biffle, #78-Kurt Busch, #18-Kyle Busch and #39-Ryan Newman. In order to minimize any advantage those teams derived from that testing, NASCAR decided to open the track to all teams on Thursday. Only the Sprint Cup teams will be on the new tire set-up this weekend. The Nationwide cars will run on the tires that were used in the 2012 fall race.(Kansas City Star)(10-3-2013)
SPEEDS: NASCAR.com is running a live leaderboard feed of the speeds during testing at Kansas Speedway. #48-Johnson was the fastest at 182.648 mph followed by #99-Edwards, #78-Busch, #31-Burton and #27-Menard. 38 drivers/cars have tested on Thursday.
See speeds, laps run, best 10 consecutive lap average on the Kansas Test Speeds page (pdf).(10-3-2013)
Goodyear Set to Roll Out Multi-Zone Tread 2.0 at Kansas: With the successful debut of its new multi-zone tread tire at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this month, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company will come back with the second application of the concept at Kansas Speedway next week. Goodyear has employed multi-zone tread technology on passenger car tires for nearly a decade. In its NASCAR application, the multi-zone tire features two distinct tread compounds on the same tire - one for traction and one for endurance.
"We were extremely happy with the maiden voyage of the multi-zone tread tire we brought to Atlanta -- the tire performance was excellent," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of race tires. "We are excited to utilize the same multi-zone tread technology on a different application. Atlanta is a highly abrasive surface that wears tires quickly, but Kansas is recently paved and doesn't wear tires at all. For Atlanta, we knew the Gen-6 car would be faster, thus putting more stress on the right-side tires. But, because the track surface is well worn and lacks grip, just going to a harder compound wouldn't be a good solution. As a result, the multi-zone technology enabled us to maintain the tractive compound on the outside portion of the tread and toughen up the inside three inches to protect the part of the right-side tire that takes the most abuse and sees the most heat. At Kansas, this will be the third race after the repave and we've recognized that the track seems to have lost some grip, but has not yet begun to wear tires. To address that, we increased the grip on the left side of the car with a more tractive compound. With additional grip on the left, the cars will be much faster, again putting more stress on the right-side tire. So, we've utilized multi-zone tread technology to have the same compound that we've run there since the repave on the outside of the right-side tire to keep that level of traction, and paired it with a tougher, more heat resistant compound on the inboard three inches for endurance."
Comparing the two tracks, they are on opposite ends of the wear spectrum. For Goodyear, each presents its own unique challenges. To design a tire for Kansas, like all repaved tracks, it is a delicate balance. If you design a tire with a compound that is soft enough to wear, it will provide too much grip, which will lead to higher speeds, higher heat and diminished endurance. If you simply use a compound that is hard enough to withstand heat, it might not provide an adequate level of grip.
One key part of the tire design process is a track imaging system that Goodyear uses to get the precise characteristics of track surfaces. Goodyear employs an optical device that collects surface data in three dimensions using Dynamic Light Processing technology and a powerful still image camera to capture surface characteristics on a micro scale (one-thirtieth the width of a human hair). Software gathers the raw data, analyzes it and produces a scaled image of the track surface using color graphics. (The track surface images of both the Atlanta and Kansas track surfaces can be found on the attached graphic page.)
This combination of the new Kansas left-side tire (D-4604) and the new multi-zone tread right-side tire (D-4606) came out of a test at Kansas Speedway on July 16-17. Goodyear engineers also decided to run that test at night, to avoid the midday heat and better match the track temperatures we would expect to have in October.
Drivers and teams participating in that session were #16-Greg Biffle, #78-Kurt Busch, #18-Kyle Busch and #39-Ryan Newman. Next weekend at Kansas, only the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will be on the new tire set-up. NASCAR Nationwide Series teams will be on the same set-up they ran at the track in April.(Goodyear), see graphic below for an explanation:(9-29-2013)
Tire testing at Phoenix open to public: Phoenix International Raceway announced that the grandstands will be open to the public for the Goodyear tire test on Tuesday, September 10. Five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams are expected to participate in the test: #10-Danica Patrick, #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr., #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, #55-Brian Vickers, #31-Jeff Burton. The tire test is expected to run from 9am to 2pm and admission is free. Fans can enter the facility through Gate 7 and sit in the Bryan Grandstands. Limited concessions locations will be open and PIR staff will be on-site to answer any questions. The Gate 7 ticket office will be open during testing hours for fans who have not yet purchased their tickets for the November race weekend. Tickets for the November 10 AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, as well as all other events throughout the November race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, start at $25 and are available at www.phoenixraceway.com or by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223).(PIR)(9-5-2013)
Testing updates: Several NASCAR Sprint Cup teams - from those on the Chase bubble to title contenders - tested Monday and will do so Tuesday at Cup tracks. NASCAR allows teams four tests at tracks that host Cup races. Many teams saved at least some, if not all of their tests, for this time of the season. Stewart-Haas Racing's Ryan Newman, Mark Martin and Danica Patrick are testing Monday and Tuesday at Richmond International Raceway. They'll be joined by Travis Kvapil and David Reutimann of BK Racing and Swan Racing's David Stremme. The Richmond race will determine the Chase field. Newman holds the final Wild Card spot heading into Sunday night's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Chicagoland Speedway, which hosts the opening, had several teams testing today (Monday). They all will be back Tuesday. Testing are the teams of Joe Gibbs Racing, including Bristol winner Matt Kenseth, Michael Waltrip Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports and Penske Racing.
Here's an updated list of tests scheduled for Cup tracks through the end of the season:
Richmond International Raceway
Aug. 26-27: Stewart Haas Racing, BK Racing, Swan Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports
Oct. 22-23: Goodyear tire test for 2014 (teams to be determined)
Chicagoland Speedway
Aug. 27-28: Michael Waltrip Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, Penske Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing
Sept. 24-25: Goodyear tire test for 2014 (teams to be determined)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sept. 3: Richard Childress Racing
Dover International Speedway
Sept. 9-10: Joe Gibbs Racing
Kansas Speedway
Oct. 3: All Cup teams given a test day since Goodyear is bringing a new tire.
Martinsville Speedway
Oct. 7-9: Roush Fenway Racing
Oct. 8-9: Furniture Row Racing, Brad Keselowski Racing
Texas Motor Speedway
Oct. 14-15: Hendrick Motorsports
Oct. 16: Roush Fenway Racing.
Oct. 22-23: Richard Childress Racing
Phoenix International Raceway
Sept. 10-11: Goodyear tire test with teams of #10-Danica Patrick, #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr., #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, #55-Brian Vickers, #31-Jeff Burton
Bristol Motor Speedway
Sept. 17: Goodyear tire test for Nationwide teams of Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith and Kyle Busch for 2014.
(Motor Racing Network), see testings news on the 2013 Testing page and the 2013 Tire Testings / Sponsor page.(8-27-2013)
Testing continues by many teams: Many NASCAR Sprint Cup teams saved some or all four of their allotted tests at Cup tracks to prepare for the Chase. Both Hendrick Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing kept their four tests for this point of the season. Penske Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing each have three tests remaining. Those teams all will use some tests before the Chase begins next month at Chicagoland Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports tests Tuesday and Wednesday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which hosts the second race in the Chase. Johnson qualified second there in July before his car failed inspection and he started at the rear. He rallied to finish sixth, but none of his teammates placed better than 10th.
Here's a look at upcoming tests Cup teams have confirmed with tracks:
Richmond International Raceway
Aug. 19-20: Penske Racing, Germain Racing
Aug. 20-21: Hendrick Motorsports, Michael Waltrip Racing
Oct. 15-16: Goodyear Tire test for 2014 (teams to be determined)
Chicagoland Speedway
Aug. 27-28: Michael Waltrip Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, Penske Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing
Sept. 24-25: Goodyear Tire test for 2014 (teams to be determined)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Aug. 13-14: Hendrick Motorsports
Sept. 3-4: Richard Childress Racing
Dover International Speedway
Sept. 9-10: Joe Gibbs Racing
Kansas Speedway
Oct. 3: All Cup teams given a test day since Goodyear is bringing a new tire
Martinsville Speedway
Oct. 7-8: Roush Fenway Racing
Texas Motor Speedway
Oct. 14-15: Hendrick Motorsports
Phoenix International Raceway
Sept. 10-11: Goodyear Tire test with teams of Danica Patrick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya and Mark Martin.(Motor Racing Network)(8-14-2013)
Goodyear chooses tire for Atlanta race: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company often takes what it learns at the NASCAR track and transfers that into its consumer tires. Now comes an example of how street technology that has been used for years, has transferred to the track. Based on several tests over the past year, and most specifically a session this past Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Goodyear's racing division will utilize "zone tread" technology for its race recommendation for the upcoming race at that track.
For its new Atlanta right-side tire, Goodyear has combined one compound (run recently at Michigan) to help control heat on the inner half of the tread with a different tread (run previously at Atlanta) to give the cars more grip. It will be paired with the more traditional left-side tire run at Atlanta last season.
Goodyear first used the zone tread concept with its revolutionary Assurance TripleTred passenger tire back in 2004. That tire, designed for all-weather conditions, combines three distinct tread zones for wet, icy and dry conditions. This is the second notable example of how Goodyear has transferred street technology to its racing tires. For the 2009 racing season, the tire maker introduced a wet weather radial for use in the NASCAR Nationwide Series that has a tread pattern based on the "street" Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season tire.(Goodyear)(8-10-2013)
Tire test held at Atlanta: A total of 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams took part in a Goodyear tire test on Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway in preparation for the AdvoCare 500 NASCAR night race weekend August 30th to September 1st. Among speeds seen today in Atlanta include 189.150 mph by #43-Aric Almirola while #1-Jamie McMurray turned in a speed of 188.443 mph on the 1.54 mile speedway. #99-Carl Edwards, who won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Atlanta in 2005, was among the drivers testing on Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A three-time winner in Atlanta, #78-Kurt Busch was also at Atlanta Motor Speedway testing in preparation for the AdvoCare 500. Other drivers that took part in the testing in Atlanta included #2-Brad Keselowski, #5-Kasey Kahne, #13-Casey Mears, #20-Matt Kenseth, #27-Paul Menard, #56-Martin Truex, Jr., AJ Allmendinger and #83-David Reutimann.(AMS)(8-7-2013)
Tire testing continues: Goodyear's busy testing schedule for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series continues this summer with return trips to Kansas Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway in the coming weeks. Goodyear will return for a test at Kansas July 16-17 with the #16 Roush Fenway Racing, #18 Joe Gibbs Racing and #78 Furniture Row Racing teams. Goodyear recently completed a two-day test at Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 18-19 but will return to the 1.54-mile speedway Aug. 6 for a confirmation test with team selections still to be determined. The AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta will be held Sept. 1 and the Kansas Chase race, the Hollywood Casino 400, will be run Oct. 6. Phoenix will be one of the upcoming Goodyear tests along with pre-2014 sessions at Richmond and Las Vegas later this fall.(Motor Racing Network)(7-3-2013)
Atlanta tire testing June 18 & 19 UPDATES: Gooodyear Tire testing is scheduled on Tuesday, June 18th and Wednesday, June 19th at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sprint Cup drivers scheduled to attend one or both days: #9-Marcos Ambrose, #11-Denny Hamlin, #5-Kasey Kahne and #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.(AMS), the test will be closed to the public.(6-14-2013)
UPDATE: The first of two days of a Goodyear tire test is underway at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with #5-Kasey Kahne, #9-Marcos Ambrose, #11-Denny Hamlin and #17-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. taking part in Tuesday's portion of the test session. The tire test comes less than 80 days prior to the AdvoCare 500 NASCAR night race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where drivers expect tire wear to be more of a factor than other similar tracks. Goodyear will utilize data gained during the tire test to develop the tire supplied to race teams during Labor Day Weekend.(AMS)(6-19-2013)
UPDATE 2: #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #9-Marcos Ambrose and #21-Trevor Bayne were the drivers taking part in the second and final day of a Goodyear Tire Test on Wednesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway as Goodyear works to develop the tire compound that will be provided to race teams during the AdvoCare 500 NASCAR night race weekend Aug. 30- Sept 1, 2013. The test session saw cars lay down laps at a high rate of speed on the 1.-54-mile quad-oval. The AdvoCare 500 will be the first race at Atlanta Motor Speedway with NASCAR's new Gen-6 cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and this week's tire test was the first time that the Gen-6 was on the track at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "I think based on what we've seen is that the new car is definitely faster. I don't know if it is track-record fast, because that was set a long time ago," said Rick Campbell, NASCAR Project Manager for Goodyear. "It's certainly way faster than last year's car and I expect the speeds to be significantly faster than last year." Earnhardt Jr. posted the fastest lap of the day at a speed of 188.69 mph. Earnhardt Jr. and Bayne were substituting for respective teammates, Kasey Kahne and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who took part in the test on Tuesday and flew back to Charlotte to attend the funeral of Jason Leffler. Earnhardt Jr. and Bayne were driving test cars driven by Kahne and Stenhouse on Tuesday.(AMS)(6-20-2013)
Goodyear decides on Indy tire: Goodyear's Stu Grant says he's decided on the Brickyard 400 tire package for the July race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Teams will run the same right-side tires used last summer; Nationwide teams will run the same left-sides used last summer but Cup teams will run a new left-side.(MikeMulhern.net)(5-12-2013)
Spring Testing season underway for Goodyear: With springtime comes warmer weather across the country which, in turn, marks the beginning of testing season at some of NASCAR's more northern tracks for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. After running a two-day test down south at Daytona International Speedway on April 16-17, the exclusive tire supplier for NASCAR's top three divisions moved up north this past Tuesday and Wednesday to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to be followed by sessions at Chicagoland Speedway next week (May 7-8) and New Hampshire Motor Speedway the following week (May 14-15).
"Now that the weather is scheduled to break, it opens up our palette of race tracks for testing to continue our tire development with the Gen-6 car," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of race tire sales. "We've had a great start to the season, and NASCAR deserves a lot of credit for all the work they've put in to the new car. We used the early part of the season to collect a lot of data on race weekends to see how our tires work with the Gen-6. We feel very good about our results so far and we just want to stay on top of things and see where improvements can be made. As teams have more time with the new car, their set-ups will evolve, so we need to stay in tune with those changes. Track testing in advance of summer races at some of these tracks is the best way to do that."
Goodyear started the spring testing season with the two-day session at Daytona. Day one featured single car runs as teams sorted through several tire options. Day two was run mostly in multi-car packs, with the nine teams getting in two 20-lap runs. It was a fruitful session that yielded a new tire recommendation for NASCAR weekend scheduled for this coming July.
"We tested at Daytona mainly to keep up with the race track, since it's now been a couple years since the re-pave" said Stucker. "After running the 500 down there in February, and what we learned at the test, we will go back there in July with a new recommendation. We've decided to change the compounds on both sides of the car and update the left-side construction to incorporate changes that we've successfully made at several other race tracks."
Goodyear followed that up with a test this past week at Indianapolis, which has a grooved surface that is known for aggressively wearing tires. Driver's and teams participating in that six-car test were #21-Trevor Bayne, #78-Kurt Busch, #24-Jeff Gordon, #2-Brad Keselowski, #55-Mark Martin and #14-Tony Stewart.
"Indianapolis is obviously a unique configuration and not like any other surface we race on. We've been very happy with our set-up over the last several years, and we want to be able to match that on these cars that have more left-side weight, more downforce and cambered rear ends," said Stucker. "We completed two full days of testing this week and we had excellent weather that provided conditions very typical of what we might expect in July -- sunny and mid-80-degree temperatures. All six teams participated in evaluations, and contributed a lot of data for us to review in determining the recommendation for this year's race, which we will finalize over the coming weeks."
Goodyear continues on with tests at Chicagoland and New Hampshire, two tracks that will host three races on the remaining NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule.
"At Chicagoland, our goal will be evaluating any changes to the track surface and learning more about this car on the intermediate tracks, which is the most popular style track on the circuit," said Stucker. "Driver feedback from Loudon last year identified that track as an opportunity to increase grip. The focus of that test will be to come up with the right balance of grip, wear and fall off for the new car on that surface."
Drivers and teams scheduled for do the Chicagoland test are #16-Greg Biffle, #18-Kurt Busch, #29-Kevin Harvick, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #1-Jamie McMurray and #39-Ryan Newman.
Set to handle the New Hampshire test are #7-Dave Blaney, #15-Clint Bowyer, #31-Jeff Burton, #24-Jeff Gordon, #20-Matt Kenseth and #22-Joey Logano.
Later in the year, Goodyear has already scheduled additional tests for Atlanta Motor Speedway (June 18-19), Homestead-Miami Speedway on August 27-28, Phoenix International Raceway on September 10-11, Richmond International Raceway on October 15-16 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 22-23.(Goodyear Racing PR)(5-4-2013)
Goodyear Tire Testing at Chicago: Goodyear is scheduled to be hosting a tire test at Chicagoland Speedway on Tuesday, May 7 & Wednesday, May 8. Drivers tentatively scheduled to participate in the tire test include: #1-Jamie McMurray, #16-Greg Biffle, #18-Kyle Busch, #29-Kevin Harvick, #39-Ryan Newman and #48-Jimmie Johnson. The test is closed to the public.(Chicagoland Speedway)(5-2-2013)
Tire testing at Indy UPDATE: been told that there will be NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goodyear tire testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, April 30 and Wednesday, May 1. The following drivers are scheduled to test. #2-Brad Keselowski, #14-Tony Stewart, #21-Trevor Bayne, #24-Jeff Gordon, #55-Mark Martin and #78-Kurt Busch.
AND Part of NASCAR rolls into town today for stock car testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are among the Sprint Cup Series drivers participating in the Goodyear tire test today and Wednesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski, former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch also will be on the track. The session will be from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm both days with an hour break for lunch sometime around noon. Spectators can watch the test from the Hall of Fame Museum parking lot, the grandstand located inside the track near the museum and a small portion of the Turn 2 spectator mound. The rest of the latter is closed due to renovation and ADA upgrades that will be completed for next week's opening of Indianapolis 500 practice. There is no admission to the museum parking lot (Indianapolis Star).(4-30-2013)
UPDATE NASCAR had the perfect combination for the start of Tuesday's tire test in Indianapolis. Cool track, new tires, long straightaways and cars with grip. It doesn't get any better than that , and they aren't likely go much faster than this, either. After #55-Mark Martin wrote on Twitter that he had hit 212 mph in the backstretch during the morning session, a disbelieving #24-Jeff Gordon walked over to his team to see what it had recorded. "They said 214 and I said, 'My gosh, it really is fast,'" Gordon said. To put the speeds in perspective, Denny Hamlin won last year's Brickyard 400 pole with a fast lap of 182.293 mph. Gordon said all the cars Tuesday were faster. The incredibly quick speeds didn't last long when the temperatures warmed up and tires started wearing faster. And while nobody expects the cars to go anywhere close to these speeds in late July, everybody was encouraged by the early performance of the new Gen-6 cars on one of America's most historic, and tricky tracks. On Tuesday, Gordon and a handful of other drivers were asked to start the testing on a new more environmentally friendly tire. It worked spectacularly well under ideal conditions. The tires, Gordon said, did not respond nearly as well in the afternoon, and Trevor Bayne, who also tested, noted his speeds were down by about one full second per lap in the heat. The same drivers will return to the track Wednesday for another closed practice.(Associated Press)(5-1-2013)
"Goodyear Gives Back" program to return at Charlotte: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced that its fourth-annual "Goodyear Gives Back" military charity campaign will kick off during Charlotte Motor Speedway's May Speedweeks and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600. To raise awareness for this year's program, Goodyear will once again transform the appearance of its iconic NASCAR tires, replacing the traditional Goodyear "Eagle" and "Wrangler" sidewalls with a symbolic desert camouflage design reading "Support Our Troops." The tires will be run during all NASCAR events at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, including the Sprint All-Star Race, the Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series races, and the Coca-Cola 600. In the first three years of the program - with the running of Support Our Troops tires at Daytona International Speedway in both 2010 and 2012, and Chicagoland Speedway in 2011 - Goodyear and NASCAR fans have generated more than $700,000 in cash and product donations to help military members and their families through the "Support Our Troops" organization. In addition to launching its own charity program, Goodyear will also support the Charlotte Motor Speedway's "Welcome Home Our Troops" program to help bring troops and their families to the Coca-Cola 600.(Goodyear)(4-24-2013)
Tire test at Daytona UPDATE 2: Goodyear will conduct a tire test at Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 16 & 17. Drivers scheduled to participate include: #1-Jamie McMurray, #5-Kasey Kahne/Regan Smith (Hendrick Motorsports), #10-Danica Patrick, #16-Greg Biffle, #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a driver from Joe Gibbs Racing, #21-Trevor Bayne, #33-Austin Dillon, and #99-Carl Edwards.(DIS)(4-10-2013)
UPDATE Testing continues at Daytona: Goodyear will continue a two-day NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tire test at Daytona International Speedway at 9:00am/et Wednesday as a prep for the July 6 Coke Zero 400. The test is open to the public. Goodyear began testing Tuesday, which was closed to the public and media and scheduled to end at 10:00pm/et. Spectators will be allowed into the Oldfield Grandstand on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Race fans may access the viewing area through the lobby of the Daytona International Speedway Ticket and Tours Building. There is no charge to watch testing.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-17-2013)
UPDATE2 Nine Teams Take Part in Two-Day Goodyear Tire Test: Nine teams shook down tires for Goodyear on Tuesday and Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway ahead of the 55th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, July 6. Drivers that participated in both single-car runs and drafting sessions in the tire test were: #1-McMurray, #5-Kahne/Smith, #10-Patrick, #16-Biffle, #17-Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell (JGR), #21-Bayne, #33-Dillon and #99-Edwards. Drivers turned laps under the lights on Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. while Wednesday's session was during the daytime. Tickets for all the events that are part of the Coke Zero 400 Weekend Powered By Coca-Cola Weekend At Daytona are available online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.(DIS)(4-18-2013)
Speeds up at Darlington tire test: #99-Carl Edwards and several other Sprint Cup stars gave the new, faster Gen-6 race car a thumbs-up after a Goodyear tire test Tuesday at Darlington Raceway. Edwards said the digital speedometer on his Ford Fusion hit 193 mph right before entering turn three, a typically unheard of speed at the ultra-tricky track. "Each time down, you want to watch and see what you're doing," he said. "But the fastest point is the point where the track needs your attention and your eyes are not supposed to be on that monitor. I saw 193 or something, but I can't look at it any longer before I have to look into the corner." #11-Denny Hamlin, #56-Martin Truex Jr., #27-Paul Menard and #42-Juan Pablo Montoya were also at Darlington for the daylong session. NASCAR teams have previously tested the car at Daytona International Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Edwards found the new machine to be faster and racers should expect better handling and tighter racing when the circuit returns to NASCAR's oldest superspeedway for the Southern 500 on May 11. A few laps around the track "Too Tough To Tame" in the new car and Truex was confident someone would shatter Darlington's record qualifying speed of 181.254 mph set by Kasey Kahne at the 2011 race.(Associated Press)(2-6-2013)
Darlington Goodyear Tire test open to public: On Tuesday, Feb. 5, Darlington RAceway will host a Goodyear Tire Test, which will feature the Gen-6 racecar. Participating in the test will be NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers #99-Carl Edwards, #11-Denny Hamlin, #56-Martin Truex Jr., #27-Paul Menard and #42-Juan Pablo Montoya. The test, which will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., is FREE and open to the public. Darlington Raceway will open two sections of the Colvin Grandstand on the backstretch of the track for fans to watch the test throughout the day and witness the first laps of the Gen-6 car on the high banks of the track Too Tough To Tame. If fans enjoy the new Gen-6 car testing at Darlington, they will have the opportunity to visit the Darlington ticket office that day and receive a special gift and pricing on tickets for the Bojangles' Southern 500. Fans can also get their picture taken with Darlington's new Chevy Camaro pace car, which will be located next to the ticket office. The Darlington gift shop and stock car museum will be open from 10 a.m - 5 p.m. that day. An adult admission price for the museum will be just $3 for that day only. Fans need to use the Gate 6 entrance to the track off of Highway 151. The parking lot is located next to the track's administration building and certain sections of the Colvin Grandstand on the backstretch will be open for public viewing. Times of the test are subject to change by Goodyear. A rain date of Wednesday, Feb. 6 has been scheduled if there is a postponement due to inclement weather. Tickets to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 on May 11 and Nationwide Series 200 on Friday, May 10 are on sale now! Remember, kids 12 and under are half off for the Bojangles' Southern 500 and FREE for the Nationwide Series 200 in general admission sections. Visit www.DarlingtonRaceway.com or call 866-459-7223 for tickets.(Darlington Raceway)(1-24-2013)
Keselowski pleased with 2013 cars: Having heard about some of the aerodynamic difficulties drivers encountered in early tests of the new 2013 Sprint Cup race cars on intermediate speedways, #2-Brad Keselowski was intrigued by the prospect of testing the car himself. The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup leader was so intrigued, in fact, that he was willing to take a break from intense preparation for the final four Cup races to drive the 2013 Ford Fusion instead of his customary #2 Dodge. He had his chance on Tuesday and Wednesday in a combination new car/Goodyear tire test at Phoenix, the first test of NASCAR's 2013 models on a one-mile flat track. Keselowski, who will drive Fords next year when Penske Racing makes a manufacturer switch, liked what he saw and felt in the new car. "I thought it was a great test," Keselowski told the NASCAR Wire Service. "I had heard rumors that things weren't going so well with that car, so it felt good to kind of just do it on my own and see what was really going on. I thought the test went really well. The cars seemed to have a lot of drivability, and it's easy to work backwards from there, because certainly we have to balance that, if we make the cars too easy to drive then that's not going to be great, but they also have to be drivable. And you'd rather start with drivable and work backwards than the alternative.(NASCAR Wire Service)(10-28-2012)
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