Goodyear is rolling out brand new tire configurations across all three national series as The Chase presented by Mobil 1 arrives at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.
For the NASCAR Cup Series, teams will hit the track utilizing a brand new left-side tire construction, though the compound itself stays completely identical to previous usage. Meanwhile, the right-side tires remain entirely unchanged from what we have seen at Talladega and Daytona events since the start of last season. Alongside the rubber updates, Sunday's YellaWood 500 introduces an aero wrinkle as NASCAR shrinks the Next Gen spoiler down to 3.5 inches, dropping from the four-inch update seen at the Daytona summer race. To add to that, the stages have been tweaked specifically to match the spring race layout at Talladega at 98-45-45.
It is worth remembering that Cup Series machines previously ran massive seven-inch spoilers, which were most recently put to work at EchoPark in July. Explaining the approach, Justin Fantozzi, Goodyear’s Director of Racing for the Americas, pointed out that their Goodyear Racing Eagle tires are built to withstand the high speeds and loads seen at superspeedways. The updated construction will ultimately let teams keep their focus locked onto in-race strategies.
Down in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series, the tire strategy shifts to the other side of the car. Both of these series will utilize a right-side tire featuring updated construction, while the left-side tire stays identical to past superspeedway rounds. As is customary at tracks measuring one mile or longer in distance, competitors in both the O’Reilly Series and Truck Series will also run inner liners.
Looking at the strict limits for the weekend, the Cup Series field is allocated a total of seven sets, broken down into six new sets for the race and one for qualifying that subsequently transfers over to the race. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series are both working with a total allotment of four sets, giving them three new sets for the race alongside one for qualifying that also transfers over.
Everything kicks off with the Craftsman Truck Series race scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. ET, followed by Saturday's O’Reilly Series race at 3:30 p.m. ET, before the YellaWood 500 for the Cup Series closes out the weekend on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
