Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series — Race No. 31 – 1000Bulbs.com 500
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Race No. 19 – Fr8Auctions 250
Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval) – Talladega, Ala.
Fast Facts for October 12-14, 2018
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Superspeedway Radials
Set limits: Cup: 2 sets for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 6 sets for the race (+ 1 “scuffed” set transferred into race allotment from qualifying/practice);
Truck: 4 sets for the event
Tire Codes:
Left-side — D-4596;
Right-side — D-4752
Tire Circumference:
Left-side — 2,233 mm (87.91 in.);
Right-side — 2,247 mm (88.46 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front — 29 psi; Left Rear – 29 psi;
Right Front — 50 psi; Right Rear — 48 psi
Storyline – Tire strategy always an element of racing at Talladega: While the track surface at Talladega Superspeedway has worn tires progressively more since its repave in 2010, tire and pit strategy still come into play at the 2.66-mile restrictor plate track. Teams can employ two-tire and fuel-only stops, taking the chance to trade fresh rubber for track position. Also, since it’s possible to pit under the green flag with a partner at Talladega and not lose a lap to the leaders, that can lead to even more strategy for teams outside the top-10 or those not racing for stage points.
“The track surface at Talladega has actually started to wear tires a bit more since the track was repaved in 2010, and we addressed that with a more wear-resistant tread compound on the right-side in recent seasons,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “With that, the races at Talladega still maintain an element of pit strategy, with teams having the ability to take fuel only or two tires based on the situation.”
Notes – Cup cars return to Talladega on April tire set-up: Teams in both the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series will run the same tire set-up at Talladega this weekend . . . this left-side tire code has been run at Talladega since October 2014 . . . this right-side tire code debuted on the Cup and Xfinity cars at Talladega in April . . . this is the first time the Trucks have run this right-side . . . compared to what the Trucks ran at Talladega last year, this right-side features a minor construction update . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Talladega . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.
— Goodyear Racing —