Chicagoland: Goodyear preview

GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES

NASCAR Winston Cup Series - Race No. 18 - Tropicana 400
NASCAR Busch Series - Race No. 19 - Tropicana Twister 300
IROC -- Race No. 3
Chicagoland Speedway (1.5-mile oval) - Joliet, Ill.

Fast Facts for July 11-13, 2003

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials

Number of Tires Required: Winston Cup: Left - 1,200, Right - 1,200;
Busch Series: Left - 570, Right - 570; IROC: Left - 130, Right - 130

Tire Codes: Left - D-6352; Right - D-6356

Tire Circumference: Left - 87.3 in.; Right - 88.6 in.

Technical Inspection Inflation: Left Front - 30 psi; Right Front - 48 psi;
Left Rear - 30 psi; Right Rear - 45 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front - 24 psi; Right Front - 46 psi;
Left Rear - 24 psi; Right Rear - 42 psi

Estimated Pit Window: Every 60-65 laps, based on fuel mileage.

Notes:

This Goodyear Eagle tire combination is the same one run at Chicagoland since the NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Series began running there in July 2001 . . . Chicagoland is the only track this tire combination will be run on this season, though this particular left-side code (D-6352) will be run with different right-side codes at Texas, California, Charlotte, Michigan and Kansas . . . both the Winston Cup and Busch Series will run the same tire codes this week . . . as on all NASCAR ovals longer than one mile, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Chicagoland . . . air pressure in the inner liners must be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

Goodyear Quote -- Mark Keto, Lead Engineer, Stock Car Tire Development:

"This is the third straight year we have brought this tire set-up to Chicagoland, so teams should have a lot of notes to work from. The biggest change we expect to see is that as the track ages, the asphalt will lose grip and lead to a broader racing groove through the corners. Drivers will experiment with different racing lines, depending on what the car is asking for, and that will lead to more side-by-side racing."