Tire: Goodyear Eagle Road Course Radials
Set limits:
3 sets for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 7 sets for the race
(6 race sets plus 1 set transferred from qualifying or practice)
Tire Code:
D-4882 (same on all four tire positions)
Tire Circumference:
88.58 in. (2,250 mm)
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front — 22 psi; Right Front — 20 psi;
Left Rear — 17 psi; Right Rear — 17 psi
Storyline – The new-old Sonoma provides a technical challenge for Goodyear, Cup teams: The big news regarding this year’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race at Sonoma Raceway is that course will include “The Carousel” section again, extending the length of one lap from 1.99 to 2.52 miles and adding some tighter and more technical elements for teams to negotiate. Comparing it to the circuit’s other “full-time” road course at Watkins Glen, Sonoma was already the more technical, which necessitates Goodyear bringing one of the most tractive tread compounds in the 2019 tire lineup. Racing at Sonoma highlights tight turns, extreme braking into the corners and hard acceleration off, all of which put undue stress on the tires.
“Adding ‘The Carousel’ back should be a real popular move for racing at Sonoma,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “What that does is take an already technical road course and make it more so. The Carousel not only adds about a half-mile to the length of a lap, but it also adds more elevation change, another tight section of the course and an additional passing zone. We always seem to have great racing at Sonoma, and this should only add to the excitement.”
Notes – Construction update for Sonoma tire: Teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will the same Goodyear tire code on all four tire positions at Sonoma . . . this is the first time these teams have run this tire code . . . compared to Sonoma 2018, this tire features a minor construction update, similar to what has been incorporated at other tracks . . . this tire code is unique to this track for NASCAR’s three national touring series, which will run different tire codes at other road courses . . . as on all NASCAR road courses, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Sonoma.
Wet Weather Tires – White-lettered wet weather tires on hand: Goodyear will bring its wet weather radials for use at Sonoma, should NASCAR decide that conditions warrant . . . teams are allowed up to three sets of “wets” for practice/qualifying and up to three sets for the race . . . this tire was last run by NASCAR Xfinity Series teams at Watkins Glen in 2018 . . . of note, the “Goodyear” and “Eagle” lettering on the sidewalls of the wet weather tires is white, not the standard yellow.
— Goodyear Racing —