Goodyear opts for tires with more grip for NASCAR All-Star Race

Goodyear officials announced Tuesday that both the Camping World Truck and Sprint Cup series will utilize new tire set-ups for their respective races Friday and Saturday nights.

Two new tire codes will debut for the Cup teams – a left-side tire that features a compound change for more grip, and a right-side tire which is a single-tread compound that offers more grip than either of the two compounds run on the multi-zone tread tire used last year.

Many Cup drivers have said the success of the new aero rules for the all-star race would likely depend on the tires Goodyear decides to utilize for the event.

“It’s going to be determined by whether or not we can race side-by-side and get close and whether or not the tires fall off, lap times fall off,” Carl Edwards said this past weekend at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

“Charlotte is so fast and the surface is so nice and Goodyear has done such a good job with the tire that it’s historically been a tough place to pass. So, I guess for me, I look forward to that race being one where we can really mix it up and race close and I hope that’s the way it is.”

The tire combination came out of a Goodyear test at Charlotte in March that included drivers Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray, Brian Scott and Martin Truex Jr.

The final 13-lap segment of the all-star race, which determines the winner of the $1 million top prize, will feature an inversion that will leave some cars on old tires and many with a choice taking two or four new ones.

“Really the question is will tires be beneficial or not,” Edwards said. “It might be a genius idea because if tires aren’t beneficial then the faster cars go behind the guys that aren’t fast.

“I don’t know. You just hope it doesn’t evolve into something where everybody’s racing really hard for 10th or 11th because they know they don’t want to pit and with this lower downforce package and with the way the tires have been.”