Goodyear officials announced Tuesday that a familiar tire setup will return to Darlington Raceway for its namesake race, but with rules tweaks that should create a more complex challenge for the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend.
The same tire combination from last weekend’s tilt in Las Vegas will be used in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the sixth race of the Cup Series season. The twist, however, is that a rules configuration with less aerodynamic stability will be a part of the package, with a 750-horsepower engine output also making its Darlington debut.
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The so-called short-track package for venues less than 1.5 miles in length will feature a 3-inch rear spoiler and fewer stabilizing strakes on the rear diffuser. That configuration — combined with the horsepower increase and Goodyear tires designed to emphasize wear and management — has officials, drivers and teams focused on Sunday’s 400-miler with curiosity, anticipation and predictions of rapid lap-time falloff during each run.
“I mean, sim is sim and there’s a lot of things that aren’t real. There’s just so many unknowns,” said Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith. “And speaking from a sim standpoint, I mean it’s a massive handful, and I don’t know how the weather looks or whatnot, but man, if it’s gonna be a hot day in Darlington, it’s gonna be a solid day’s work. I mean, pretty much the short-track package on a really hard mile-and-a-half — and more power? I mean, yeah, it’s pretty easy to think that it’s going to be a handful.”
“Darlington’s egg-shaped layout and rough track surface give teams a unique challenge,” said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear NASCAR product manager. “Drivers will have to manage tire wear, and teams will have to be perfect — from race strategy to pit stops — to reach Victory Lane.”
The abrasive asphalt at the 1.366-mile track has aged 18 years since the facility’s last repaving project. To battle those conditions, Cup Series teams will have 12 sets of Goodyear tires in their weekend allotment — 10 new sets for the race, one for practice and another for Saturday’s qualifying that will transfer to race day. The left-side rubber was used at Darlington last season, and the right-side tires made their Cup Series debut in September at Kansas Speedway.
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The tripleheader NASCAR weekend will also include a pair of 200-mile races — a Saturday showcase for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and a Friday night special for the Craftsman Truck Series. Both those series will return on the same tire setup from last season. O’Reilly Auto Parts Series teams will have seven total sets available (four new for the race, two for practice and one transfer set from qualifying) and Truck Series teams will have six sets (four race, one practice, one qualifying that carries over).
Goodyear has several special events planned for the three-day weekend, including a special display in the Darlington fan zone and several NASCAR Hall of Famers and distinguished racing alumni serving as dignitaries at the track. The 1959 Chevrolet that Jim Reed drove to Goodyear’s first NASCAR victory in that year’s Southern 500 at Darlington will be part of the exhibition.
Sunday’s 400 marks the sixth year of Darlington race title sponsorship by Goodyear, which is in its 30th season as sole tire supplier for NASCAR’s three national series.