NASCAR Cup Series — Race No. 13 – 293 laps / 400 miles
Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval) – Darlington, S.C.
Fast Facts for May 13-14, 2023
Tire: Goodyear 125th Anniversary 18-inch Speedway Radials
Set limits: Cup: 1 set for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 11 sets for the race (10 race sets plus 1 set transferred from qualifying)
Tire Codes: Left-side — D-5184; Right-side — D-5190
Tire Circumference: Left-side — 2,263 mm (89.09 in.); Right-side — 2,279 mm (89.72 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 20 psi; Left Rear – 22 psi; Right Front — 48 psi; Right Rear — 44 psi
Storyline – Darlington’s abrasive nature leads to great racing: Darlington Raceway has perhaps the most abrasive track surface on the NASCAR Cup circuit, so tire wear will be a big part of the story this weekend. Teams will be busy with four-tire stops all race, and tire management will be at the top of mind for all drivers. Those that are easier on their tires early in a run will be able to gain track position later in a run as fall-off will be more than two seconds per lap. Depending on how cautions fall, Cup teams may choose to short pit and not go a full fuel run, realizing the benefit of having fresh tires. With 11 sets of tires for the 293-lap Cup race, teams will take four tires at almost every opportunity. All this, ultimately, makes a great race for the fans. Tire wear and tire management leads to more “comers” and “goers” over a run, and that means more passing throughout the field.
“The spring race at Darlington is a big one for those of us at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, it being the Goodyear 400. This is our third year as the race sponsor, and we have a special sidewall design this year that throws back to 1898 and celebrates our company’s 125th anniversary. That fits nicely with this being NASCAR’s 75th year, considered the long and successful relationship we have had together,” said Greg Stucker Goodyear’s director of racing. “On the track, Darlington has a very abrasive racing surface and will wear tires heavily. Four-tire pit stops will be important for the teams and tire management will be important for drivers. Tire wear always leads to a lot of passing throughout the field, which means a great race for the fans.”
Notes – Cup tires get construction update for Darlington: Being on 18-inch bead diameter tires, NASCAR Cup teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series at Darlington this week . . . these are two different tire codes than what Cup teams ran at Darlington last season, featuring a construction update on both the left- and right-side tires . . . Cup teams ran this same tire combination at Homestead last October . . . in 2023, they have run this right-side tire code at Kansas last weekend, as well as at Fontana and Las Vegas earlier in the season. . . with this 18-inch tire, and its lower profile sidewall, NASCAR Cup cars will not run inner liners in any of their tires in 2023.
Throwback weekend – Goodyear to run special 125th Anniversary logo at Darlington this year: In support of the sport’s “throwback” initiative, the Goodyear tires run in all three NASCAR national series at Darlington this week will feature a different sidewall design than the yellow Goodyear Eagle lettering teams normally run . . . the vintage logo sidewall design features the historic Goodyear Wingfoot logo, originally created in 1898 (photo attached).
Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway — Goodyear back for third year as Cup race entitlement sponsor: Goodyear returns for the third straight year as entitlement sponsor of the spring throwback race at Darlington Raceway – the Goodyear 400 . . . 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 Blimp – Florida-based airship over Darlington all weekend: “Wingfoot Two” will be in the air over Darlington Raceway for the entire weekend . . . this airship is based out of Pompano Beach, Fla. . . . Wingfoot Two will provide aerial coverage of all three of NASCAR’s national series races at Darlington for Fox Sports.
NASCAR Xfinity Series — Race No. 11 — 147 laps / 201 miles
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series — Race No. 9 — 147 laps / 201 miles
Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval) – Darlington, S.C.
Fast Facts for May 12-13, 2023
Tire: Goodyear 125th Anniversary 15-inch Speedway Radials
Set limits: Xfinity: 6 sets for the race; Truck: 6 sets for the race
Tire Codes: Left-side — D-6106; Right-side — D-6130
Tire Circumference: Left-side — 2,225 mm (87.60 in.); Right-side — 2,250 mm (88.58 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 18 psi; Left Rear – 18 psi; Right Front — 48 psi; Right Rear — 44 psi
Notes –Xfinity, Trucks return to Darlington on 2022 tire set-up: Teams in both the NASCAR Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series will run the same tire set-up at Darlington this weekend . . . being on 15-inch bead diameter tires, these teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Cup Series . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that these teams ran at Darlington last season . . . in 2023, Xfinity teams have run this left-side tire code at both Fontana and Dover . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, Xfinity and Truck 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 special 125th Anniversary logo at Darlington this year: In support of the sport’s “throwback” initiative, the Goodyear tires run in all three NASCAR national series at Darlington this week will feature a different sidewall design than the yellow Goodyear Eagle lettering teams normally run . . . the vintage logo sidewall design features the historic Goodyear Wingfoot logo, originally created in 1898 (photo attached).
Goodyear Blimp – Florida-based airship over Darlington all weekend: “Wingfoot Two” will be in the air over Darlington Raceway for the entire weekend . . . this airship is based out of Pompano Beach, Fla. . . . Wingfoot Two will provide aerial coverage of all three of NASCAR’s national series races at Darlington for Fox Sports.
— Goodyear Racing —