Goodyear Fast Facts — Darlington

NASCAR Cup Series — Race No. 12 – 293 laps / 400 miles
NASCAR Xfinity Series — Race No. 9 — 147 laps / 201 miles
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series — Race No. 8 — 147 laps / 201 miles
Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval) – Darlington, S.C.

Fast Facts for May 7-9, 2021

Tire: Goodyear “Blue Streak” Speedway Radials

Set limits:
Cup – 11 sets for the race;
Xfinity: 5 sets for the race;
Truck: 6 sets for the race

Tire Codes:
Left-side — D-4928;
Right-side — D-4930

Tire Circumference:
Left-side — 2,225 mm (87.60 in.);
Right-side — 2,248 mm (88.50 in.)

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front — 18 psi; Left Rear – 18 psi;
Right Front — 48 psi; Right Rear — 44 psi

Storyline – Track that’s “Too Tough To Tame” to test tires: NASCAR teams visit Darlington Raceway this weekend and the track’s abrasive surface will make tire wear a major factor.  Cup teams will have 11 sets of Goodyear Eagles for their 293-lap/400-mile race, meaning that they have one set for every 26.6 laps.  Teams will take four tires at every opportunity, meaning pit crews will play a major part in the race.  Tire management will come into play on longer runs, with drivers that are easier on their tires early being able to gain spots later.  That generally means more passing on the track and better racing.

“There is a lot to be excited about at Darlington this weekend,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing.  “Not only is the Cup race called the ‘Goodyear 400’, it’s throwback weekend for the sport, we are running our ‘Blue Streak’ sidewall design and, with the abrasive track surface, tires are always a story.  As far as the racing is concerned, tire management will be a factor.  Drivers that are better at managing their tires early will be able to make up track position later in a run.  The high wear element also highlights the team aspect of Cup racing, as the pit crews will be busy with four-tire stops all afternoon.”

Notes – NASCAR teams return to Darlington on known tire set-up: Teams in all three NASCAR series will run the same tire set-up at Darlington this weekend . . . this is the same combination of tires that Cup and Xfinity teams began running at this track in 2019 . . . that continued with all three series in 2020 . . .  teams in all three series have also run this tire set-up at Homestead over the past three seasons . . . despite the two series running the same length race, Truck teams will have six sets of tires compared to five sets for Xfinity teams because the Trucks are the first series on track and will be starting on a “green” race track . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Darlington . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

Throwback weekend – Goodyear to run “Blue Streak” tires at Darlington: In support of the sport’s throwback initiative, the Goodyear tires run at this weekend’s races will feature a different sidewall design than teams normally run . . . Goodyear will throw back to the 1960s and 1970s by bringing its “Blue Streak” sidewall markings (image attached) . . . Blue Streaks were phased out of NASCAR competition in 1981 as Goodyear moved to “Eagle,” when the company decided to align its racing tires with its popular high performance passenger tire line . . . while Blue Streak is a throwback in NASCAR, the name lives on today on several of Goodyear’s vintage racing tires.

Goodyear 400 – Tire maker sponsors this weekend’s NASCAR Cup race: The Goodyear 400 will mark the company’s first race entitlement in North America . . . Goodyear is the longest-running continuous partner in NASCAR history and has been the exclusive tire supplier to the sanctioning body’s top three national divisions since 1997 . . . Goodyear has a rich history at Darlington, conducting its first official NASCAR tire tests at the track in 1954 and earning its first NASCAR victory in the 1959 Southern 500 with driver Jim Reed.

— Goodyear Racing —