NASCAR Cup Series -- Race No. 2 – 200 laps / 400 miles
Auto Club Speedway (2.0-mile oval) – Fontana, Calif.
Fast Facts for February 26-27, 2022
Tire: Goodyear Eagle 18-inch Speedway Radials
Set limits: Cup: 1 set for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 12 sets for the race
(11 race sets plus 1 set transferred from qualifying)
Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-5128; Right-side -- D-5122
Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 2,251 mm (88.62 in.); Right-side -- 2,280 mm (89.76 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front -- 20 psi; Left Rear -- 22 psi;
Right Front -- 48 psi; Right Rear -- 44 psi
Storyline – NASCAR returns to Fontana for a “rough” challenge: After not racing at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., last season, NASCAR returns to the two-mile speedway this week. After a successful start to the 2022 season, NASCAR Cup teams will be in for quite a challenge in Southern California. The track surface at Auto Club is very abrasive. That, with the high horsepower and low downforce package the Cup cars will run, will cause tires to wear heavily. Pit crews will be busy this Sunday, with teams taking four tires at every opportunity. The other factor to watch for at Auto Club is air pressure levels in the left-side tires. In an attempt to gain grip, one thing teams will do is lower left-side pressures. Going below Goodyear’s recommendation – 20 psi on the left-front and 22 psi on the left-rear – comes with some risk. By running too low of a pressure level, especially on such a rough track surface, the tire’s sidewall will over-deflect, potentially causing damage to the point of air loss.
“The track surface at Auto Club Speedway has become quite worn and abrasive, so tire management will be a key factor throughout the race. The surface generates a lot of tire wear, and the additional horsepower of the Next Gen package will add to that even further. We expect four tire stops to be the norm throughout the day,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Air pressure is one of the tools teams use to gain as much grip as possible on the worn surface, and deal with the bumps that have developed over the years. As such, we provide pressure sweep data, which shows how the tires work at various inflation pressures, so teams can make good decisions on their set-ups, and understand the risks that may come if they get too aggressive.”
Notes – Teams move to single compound right-side at Fontana: NASCAR Cup teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Xfinity Series at Fontana this week . . . comparing what Cup teams ran in the last race at this track, this right-side tire moves to a single tread compound vs. a multi-zone tread in 2020 . . . the compound on the left-side is the same as 2020 . . . moving to the 18-inch bead diameter tire for this season, there are the obvious construction changes to this tire set-up . . . with this 18-inch tire, and its lower profile sidewall, NASCAR Cup cars will not run inner liners in any of their tires in 2022.
Goodyear Blimp – Airship to cover races at Fontana: The Goodyear Blimp “Wingfoot One” is scheduled to be in the air over Auto Club Speedway this week . . . Wingfoot One, based out of Carson, Calif., will provide aerial coverage for Fox Sports during both the Xfinity Series race on Saturday and the Cup race on Sunday.
Follow us on Twitter: @GoodyearRacing.
Contact: Mike Siberini, Goodyear Racing Public Relations – 704-905-3309 (C).
GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES
NASCAR Xfinity Series -- Race No. 2 – 150 laps / 300 miles
Auto Club Speedway (2.0-mile oval) – Fontana, Calif.
Fast Facts for February 26-27, 2022
Tire: Goodyear Eagle 15-inch Speedway Radials
Set limits: Xfinity: 6 sets for the event
Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-6106; Right-side -- D-6108
Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 2,225 mm (87.60 in.); Right-side -- 2,250 mm (88.58 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front -- 18 psi; Left Rear -- 18 psi;
Right Front -- 45 psi; Right Rear -- 42 psi
Notes – Xfinity teams on multi-zone tread right-side tire at Fontana: Being on a 15-inch bead diameter tire, teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series will run a different tire set-up than those in the Cup Series this week . . . the Xfinity right-side tire is a multi-zone tread tire, featuring two distinct tread compounds on the same tire — one for heat and wear resistance on the inboard two inches of the tread (Endurance Zone) and one for grip on the outboard 10 inches (Traction Zone) . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, Xfinity teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Fontana . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.
Goodyear PR
