WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE RACETRACK: GOODYEAR’S NASCAR NEXT GEN TIRE MAKES REGULAR SEASON DEBUT AT DAYTONA 500
When the NASCAR Next Gen stock car makes its regular season NASCAR Cup Series debut at the 64th annual DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 20, drivers will compete on the newly designed Goodyear Eagle race tires for the first time in a points-paying race.
An engineering undertaking two years in the making, Goodyear’s NASCAR Next Gen tire closely mirrors its high-performance tire for passenger cars and features an 18-inch wheel diameter, shorter sidewall and wider contact patch. The body designs of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Ford Mustang and Toyota TRD Camry – the three stock cars featured in the NASCAR Cup Series – will also mimic their showroom counterparts more directly.
“Incorporating an 18-inch bead diameter tire was an important factor of the NASCAR Next Gen design, performance capabilities and aesthetics,” said Greg Stucker, director, Race Tire Sales and Marketing for Goodyear. “Creating a low-profile, street-inspired tire for Cup Series racing was a significant accomplishment that required coordination throughout the entire NASCAR racing community.”
Setting it apart from its 15-inch predecessor used exclusively in the Cup Series from 1997 to 2021, the new tire features a softer tire compound and an inch and a half wider footprint to help give drivers enhanced grip on the racetrack. Importantly, Goodyear designed the shorter sidewall of its NASCAR Next Gen tire to help withstand the sustained duty cycle of oval racing.
The NASCAR Next Gen tire’s development consisted of a rigorous testing process, including thousands of testing miles, simulations with the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and in-lab research and development conducted by Goodyear Racing engineers. Alongside the OEMs, Goodyear collaborated closely with NASCAR, race teams and drivers to help ensure optimal tire performance at more than 25 racetracks, from superspeedways to short tracks and road courses.
“Goodyear’s NASCAR Next Gen race tire is integral to the vehicle system and is the only component that physically connects the Next Gen car to the racetrack,” said John Probst, NASCAR senior vice president, Racing Innovation. “Goodyear’s endless engineering and collaboration throughout the testing and development process has been absolutely critical and continues to help drive the sport forward.”
The 64th annual DAYTONA 500 is Sunday, February 20 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX. Aerial coverage will be provided by Goodyear.
About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Goodyear (NASDAQ: GT) is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs about 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 57 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series™, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour™), one local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series™) and three international series (NASCAR Pinty’s Series™, NASCAR Mexico Series™, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series™). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).
SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
