NASCAR Cup Series — Race No. 29 – 500 laps / 266.5 miles
Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533-mile oval) – Bristol, Tenn.
Fast Facts for September 16-17, 2022
Tire: Goodyear Eagle 18-inch Speedway Radials
Set limits: Cup: 1 set for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 10 sets for the race (9 race sets plus 1 set transferred from qualifying)
Tire Codes: Left-side — D-5170; Right-side — D-5172
Tire Circumference: Left-side — 2,254 mm (88.74 in.); Right-side — 2,277 mm (89.65 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 16 psi; Left Rear — 18 psi; Right Front — 46 psi; Right Rear — 44 psi
Storyline – Several factors impact tires at Bristol: The NASCAR Cup Series wraps up the first round of its playoffs this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, and both teams and tires will endure a tough challenge. The concrete surface at Bristol is hard on tires and will change continually as the race goes on over 500 laps. Because of the speeds and loads, Goodyear designs the construction of its tires for Bristol to align with other speedways, not the short tracks that the half-mile length would suggest. From a tread compound standpoint, the key for Goodyear is to lay rubber on the concrete surface. That, combined with the fact that the PJ1 grip compound will be applied to the bottom several feet of the racing surface in both corners, will allow drivers to move up the track to find alternate grooves as they search for grip.
“Bristol is undoubtedly a challenge across the board,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We have done a good job with bringing a set-up that rubbers-in the track and allows for multiple racing grooves. Bristol has had a recent history of using PJ1 in the corners, so that ‘preferred’ groove takes rubber fairly quickly. The progressive banking and the search for fresh concrete will have teams moving up the track, which potentially leads to more passing and better racing.”
Notes – Cup teams on Pocono left-side and unique right-side at Bristol: Having moved to an 18-inch bead diameter tire for 2022, NASCAR Cup teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Xfinity and Truck Series at Bristol this week . . . this is the same left-side tire Cup teams ran at Pocono in July . . . this is the first time these teams have run this right-side tire code . . . in addition to the obvious construction changes to what Cup teams ran at last year’s race on the Bristol concrete, these two tire codes feature compound changes, which will give the cars more grip . . . with this 18-inch tire, and its lower profile sidewall, NASCAR Cup cars will not run inner liners in any of their tires in 2022.
NASCAR Xfinity Series – Race No. 26 – 300 laps / 159.9 miles
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Race No. 20 – 200 laps / 106.6 miles
Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533-mile oval) – Bristol, Tenn.
Fast Facts for September 15-16, 2022
Tire: Goodyear Eagle 15-inch Speedway Radials
Set limits: Xfinity: 5 sets for the event; Camping World Truck: 5 sets for the event
Tire Codes: Left-side — D-6106; Right-side — D-6132
Tire Circumference: Left-side — 2,225 mm (87.60 in.); Right-side — 2,250 mm (88.58 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 20 psi; Left Rear — 18 psi; Right Front — 45 psi; Right Rear — 40 psi
Notes – Xfinity, Truck teams on popular left-side tire at Bristol: Being on 15-inch bead diameter tires, NASCAR Xfinity and Camping World Truck teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Cup Series at Bristol this week . . . this is the first time these teams have run this right-side tire code, though they have already run this left-side code at Darlington (both series), Dover (Xfinity only), Fontana (Xfininty only) and Pocono (both series) this season . . . Xfinity and Truck teams will have a minor compound change on both the left- and right-side tires compared to this race last year . . . as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, Xfinity and Truck teams will not run liners in their tires at Bristol.
— Goodyear Racing —