Goodyear Racing will introduce a new left-side tire for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event, bringing a fresh setup for the race-ready rubber at Iowa Speedway.
The right-side tire that Cup Series teams will use in Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol (3:30 p.m. ET, USA Sports, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will be the same tire used in last year’s event at the 0.875-mile track. The left-side tire, however, debuts with an updated construction and compound that’s designed to handle the track’s speeds while promoting tire management.
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A tire test May 12-13 at the Newton, Iowa circuit helped Goodyear officials and the NASCAR industry determine this weekend’s setup. Participating drivers were Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon (Chevrolet), Front Row Motorsports’ Noah Gragson (Ford) and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick (Toyota).
“Iowa is challenging because of its high cornering speeds and heavy loads,” said Goodyear’s Rick Heinrich, the company’s NASCAR product manager. “The Goodyear team has worked closely with the industry to provide a tire package that is ready for that challenge. Following our successful tire test at Iowa in May, we’re bringing a new left-side Goodyear Racing Eagle featuring an updated construction and compound to help promote more wear and fall-off.”
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series teams will use a familiar tire set-up for Saturday’s HyVee Perks 250 (5 p.m. ET, The CW/ESPN Unlimited, MRN, SiriusXM), bringing a combination used last month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and at Pocono Raceway in June. The left-side tire was also provided to teams this season at four other tracks — Darlington, Rockingham, Bristol and Dover.
MORE: Cup Series entry list | O’Reilly Auto Parts Series entry list
Tire allotments for each team this weekend:
- Cup Series: 11 total sets — 9 new sets for the race, 1 for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and 1 for practice. Also, 4 wet-weather sets available as needed.
- O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: 5 total sets — 3 new sets for the race, 1 for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and 1 for practice. A total of 3 wet-weather sets will also be available.