Here is the thing about racing weekends: sometimes the best weapon you can have in the garage is data you already trust. For Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Chase presented by Mobil 1 race at Kansas Speedway, Goodyear is bringing the exact same intermediate oval tire setup that teams ran at Kansas back in the spring.
It is a combination that the paddock knows well by now. This specific tire setup has already seen action several times since that spring race at Kansas, most recently at Darlington Raceway to kick off The Chase in the Southern 500. Meanwhile, the left-side tire alone has logged three other appearances over the course of the season, seeing its latest action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.
Rick Heinrich, Goodyear NASCAR product manager, pointed out the familiarity teams have with the hardware. “We introduced new right-side Goodyear Racing Eagles at this race last fall, which helped give teams different strategy options,” Heinrich said. He added that this weekend marks the third time Cup Series competitors will run this specific setup at Kansas, and the eighth time overall this season, giving everyone plenty of valuable data to dial in their setups.
Over in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, teams are also leaning on known quantities. They will use the same left- and right-side tires they previously ran at Texas Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway. The Truck Series heads to Kansas on Saturday for the second race of its Chase.
When it comes to the tire allotments for the weekend, the Cup Series teams get a total of eleven sets. That breaks down to eight new sets for the race itself, one set for qualifying that rolls over to the race, and two sets designated for practice. The Craftsman Truck Series field gets five total sets, split into three new sets for the race, one for qualifying that transfers over, and one set for practice.
