NASCAR Cup Series
Race No. 31 – 188 laps / 500 miles
Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval) – Talladega, Ala.
Fast Facts for September 30-October 1, 2023
Tire: Goodyear Eagle 18-inch Superspeedway Radials
Set limits: Cup: 1 set for qualifying and 7 sets for the race
(6 race sets plus qualifying set)
Tire Codes: Left-side — D-5142; Right-side — D-5116
Tire Circumference: Left-side — 2,274 mm (89.53 in.); Right-side — 2,280 mm (89.76 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front — 28 psi; Left Rear — 28 psi;
Right Front — 52 psi; Right Rear — 50 psi
Storyline – Tire strategy in play at Talladega: While the track surface has aged and there will be some tire wear at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, NASCAR Cup teams will still be able to employ tire strategy during this weekend’s race. Teams will make four-tire, two-tire and fuel-only pit stops, depending on the stage of the race. A key is to minimize one’s time on pit road and stay aligned with teammates and others they are working with on the track in order to maximize the draft.
“This weekend’s superspeedway tire set-up has been consistent since the advent of the Next Gen car, with teams running these tires at both Daytona and Talladega over the last two seasons,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Races at both of those tracks also have another thing in common – the element of tire strategy. Depending on the stint, teams will often mix in two-tire and fuel-only stops at Talladega to keep track position and line up with their teammates they plan to work with in the draft.”
Notes – Eighth superspeedway race on this tire set-up for Cup cars: Being on 18-inch bead diameter tires, NASCAR Cup teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Craftsman Truck Series at Talladega this week . . . the Cup cars will run the same combination of left- and right-side tires that they ran at Talladega in April and twice last season . . . these teams have also run this tire set-up at Daytona since the beginning of 2022 . . . 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.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Race No. 21 – 94 laps / 250 miles
Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval) – Talladega, Ala.
Fast Facts for September 30, 2023
Tire: Goodyear Eagle 15-inch Superspeedway Radials
Set limits: Truck: 4 sets for the event
Tire Codes: Left-side — D-6102; Right-side — D-6104
Tire Circumference: Left-side — 2,229 mm (87.76 in.); Right-side — 2,250 mm (88.58 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front — 26 psi; Left Rear — 26 psi;
Right Front — 50 psi; Right Rear — 48 psi
Notes – Trucks on established Talladega/Daytona tire set-up: Being on 15-inch bead diameter tires, Craftsman Truck Series teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Cup Series at Talladega this weekend . . . this is the same tire set-up that these teams ran at Daytona in the season-opening race in February, as well as at both Talladega and Daytona last season . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, Truck teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Talladega . . . air pressure in those liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.
— Goodyear Racing —