Here is the reality of the situation heading into Sunday at Martinsville Speedway: the tires are not going to spring any surprises. Goodyear is bringing its familiar short-track tire setup for the NASCAR Cup Series race, which marks the penultimate round of the 2026 season and The Chase presented by Mobil 1.
This specific setup has been active since it made its debut last October at the Virginia half-miler. The combination features a left-side tire built to deliver more fall-off than previous iterations, paired up with the exact same right-side tire that has been in use since the fall of 2024. Throughout this season, Cup teams have leaned on this exact combination at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway, and North Wilkesboro Speedway. Furthermore, that very same right-side tire was just out on track two weeks ago at Phoenix.
According to Rick Heinrich, Goodyear NASCAR product manager, the familiarity is by design. "Teams across NASCAR's three national series know their Goodyear Racing Eagles well heading into this weekend at Martinsville," Heinrich said, pointing out how the circuit's tight concrete corners and long asphalt straightaways present a unique challenge compared to other short tracks. By keeping the rubber consistent, teams can lock their focus entirely on setup and strategy as Championship Weekend looms.
It is not just the top tier keeping things steady, either. Both the Craftsman Truck Series and the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series will also rely on familiar setups that are entirely unique to Martinsville.
Should the skies open up, all three series will have wet-weather tires ready to go in the garage. Cup Series teams are allocated four sets of wet-weather tires, while the O'Reilly and Trucks Series will each have access to three sets.
As for the strict weekend math on tire allotments, the Cup Series gets 12 total sets to work with, broken down into nine new sets for the race, one for qualifying that transfers directly into the race, and two for practice. Down in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, teams are handed five total sets, consisting of three new sets for the race, one for qualifying that transfers to the race, and one for practice. Finally, the Craftsman Truck Series fields will manage four total sets, split between two new sets for the race, one for qualifying that transfers to the race, and one for practice.
