Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series — Race No. 24 – Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
NASCAR Xfinity Series — Race No. 22 – Food City 300
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series — Race No. 16 – UNOH 200
Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533-mile oval) – Bristol, Tenn.
Fast Facts for August 16-18, 2018
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials
Set limits:
Cup: 3 sets for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 8 sets for the race;
Xfinity: 6 sets for the event;
Camping World Truck: 5 sets for the event
Tire Codes:
Left-side — D-4416;
Right-side — D-4778
Tire Circumference:
Left-side — 2,226 mm (87.64 in.);
Right-side – 2,251 mm (88.62 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front — 20 psi; Left Rear — 18 psi;
Right Front — 43 psi; Right Rear — 40 psi
Storyline – Keeping up with an evolving track surface is key at Bristol: The high-banked, concrete track at Bristol Motor Speedway has always posed a significant challenge. In recent races, another wrinkle has been added with the application of the traction compound on the track surface. After the track was redesigned in 2007, and then later the top groove ground smooth, the preferred racing line changed. What happened in this spring’s race with the traction compound being laid down on the bottom lane, the cars used that as the primary groove early in the race, eventually wearing the compound off the track. While it is down, the compound increases tire wear, mostly on the left-side tires as those ride in that section of the track. As the race goes on, we see more right-side wear as cars move up the track looking for “fresher” concrete. The cars that move up first will have the most right-side wear as they take on the responsibility of rubbering-in the surface. Drivers and fans can clearly see this process play out as the white concrete turns black with rubber.
“What we’ve observed since Bristol has been using the traction compound is that it creates a different dynamic, not only that its on the track, but also as its gets worn off,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Before it gets worn off, it increases tire wear, especially on the left-side tires. Then as it goes away, the groove evolves over the course of the event as we see cars moving up the track in search of grip.”
Notes – Cup, Xfinity cars return to Bristol on same tire set-up; first time on this right-side for Trucks: Teams in all three of NASCAR’s national series will be running the same tire set-up at Bristol this week . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires Cup and Xfinity teams ran at this track in April . . . for the Trucks, this is the same left-side tire code they ran at Bristol last year, but it is the first time they have run this right-side code, which incorporates a construction update to line it up with what is run at other speedways . . . unlike on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, on which teams generally do not run inner liners in their tires, teams are required to run liners in their right-side tires only at Bristol . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.
— Goodyear Racing —