Goodyear Fast Facts — North Wilkesboro

By:
On:
In: NASCAR Cup Series News

NASCAR Cup Series – All-Star Race

North Wilkesboro Speedway (0.625-mile oval) – North Wilkesboro, N.C.

Fast Facts for April 19-21, 2023

Tire: Goodyear Eagle 18-inch Speedway Radials

Set limits: Cup – 2 sets for practice for all teams (Open and All-Star);

     Open teams have 2 sets for that race;

          All-Star teams have 2 sets for heat races and 4 sets for the race

               (Open teams that transfer into All-Star race will also have 4 race sets)

Tire Codes: Left-side — D-5124; Right-side — D-5126

Tire Circumference: Left-side — 2,251 mm (88.62 in.); Right-side — 2,276 mm (89.61 in.)

Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 12 psi; Left Rear — 12 psi;

     Right Front — 26 psi; Right Rear — 24 psi

Storyline – NASCAR teams tackle circuit’s oldest track surface this weekend: When NASCAR returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend – including the Cup Series running its All-Star race – they will be on a track that was last paved in 1984.  That makes this the oldest track surface on the circuit, meaning tire wear and tire management will be a factor.

     “This weekend, we go to North Wilkesboro for the first time since 1996 for the Cup cars and the first time ever for the Craftsman Truck Series,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing.  “We were able to hold a test for both series back in March and confirmed that it falls in line with several other tracks of similar size and banking – Phoenix, Richmond, Loudon and Gateway.  With a track surface that is as old as North Wilkesboro, we will see some tire wear, so tire management will come into play.”

Notes – Cup cars to run All-Star weekend on Phoenix/Richmond tire set-up: Being on the 18-inch bead diameter tire, NASCAR Cup teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Craftsman Truck Series at North Wilkesboro this week . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires Cup teams ran at Phoenix and Richmond earlier this season . . . Goodyear held a tire test at North Wilkesboro with Cup cars on March 21-22 . . . teams (drivers) participating in that test were the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (Austin Dillon), No. 17 RFK Racing Ford (Chris Buescher) and No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota (Tyler Reddick) . . . with this 18-inch tire, and its lower profile sidewall, NASCAR Cup cars will not run inner liners in any of their tires in 2023.

Wet Weather Tires – Goodyear to bring wet weather tires to North Wilkesboro: Goodyear will bring its 18-inch wet weather radial tires to North Wilkesboro for the NASCAR Cup cars, should NASCAR determine that conditions warrant . . . Goodyear tested its 18-inch bead diameter wet weather tire at Martinsville in June 2022, in order to determine the feasibility of running in wet conditions on ovals . . . Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric and Tyler Reddick participated in that Martinsville test . . . NASCAR Cup teams last ran a wet weather tire in competition at Watkins Glen last August . . . in addition to the obvious difference of a tread pattern versus Goodyear’s dry weather “slick” tires, the “Goodyear” and “Eagle” lettering on the sidewalls of the wet weather tires is white, not the standard yellow.

Follow us on Twitter: @GoodyearRacing.

 

GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series — Race No. 10 — 250 laps / 156 miles

North Wilkesboro Speedway (0.625-mile oval) – North Wilkesboro, N.C.

Fast Facts for May 19-20, 2023

Tire: Goodyear Eagle 15-inch Speedway Radials

Set limits: Truck: 7 sets for the event

Tire Codes: Left-side — D-6114; Right-side — D-6116

Tire Circumference: Left-side — 2,218 mm (87.32 in.); Right-side — 2,244 mm (88.35 in.)

Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 12 psi; Left Rear — 12 psi;

     Right Front — 28 psi; Right Rear — 26 psi                                                                                             

Notes – First race this season on this tire set-up for Trucks: Being on 15-inch bead diameter tires, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Cup Series at North Wilkesboro this week . . . Truck teams ran this same combination of left- and right-side tires at Gateway, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Phoenix and Richmond last season . . . Goodyear held a tire test at North Wilkesboro with Truck teams on March 20 . . . drivers participating in that test were Cory Heim, Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith . . . as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, Truck teams will not run inner liners in their tires at North Wilkesboro.

Wet Weather Tires – Goodyear to bring wet weather tires to North Wilkesboro: Goodyear will bring its 15-inch wet weather radial tires to North Wilkesboro for the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks, should NASCAR determine that conditions warrant . . . Goodyear tested its 15-inch bead diameter wet weather tires on Cup cars at both Martinsville (April 2021) and Richmond (May 2021) in order to determine the feasibility of running in wet conditions on ovals . . . Truck teams last ran a wet weather tire in competition at Martinsville last month . . . in addition to the obvious difference of a tread pattern versus Goodyear’s dry weather “slick” tires, the “Goodyear” and “Eagle” lettering on the sidewalls of the wet weather tires is white, not the standard yellow.

Follow us on Twitter: @GoodyearRacing.

Goodyear Racing PR

Speedway Digest Staff
Follow Me
Latest posts by Speedway Digest Staff (see all)
Post Views: 82