Goodyear produces familiar short-track tire setup for Richmond

Goodyear is set to bring a familiar short-track tire setup for Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway (7 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Cup Series teams will utilize the same left- and right-side tire compounds previously used in the spring at nearby Martinsville Speedway and last month in the North Carolina foothills at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This short-track tire setup debuted in the 2025 Martinsville fall race, with the right-side tire getting some additional track time in early 2026 at Bowman Gray Stadium and Phoenix Raceway. The goal of this tire compound is to increase grip and lap time fall-off over the course of a green-flag run. RELATED: Richmond weekend schedule "Cup Series teams are familiar with this setup and already have some data to help plan their strategies this weekend," said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear NASCAR product manager. "While this is the first time we've brought this left-side tire to Richmond, it's a proven tire that has performed well on similar short tracks. The track surface at Richmond is known for producing high tire wear and lap-time fall-off, so tire management will be critical." In addition, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams will have the same left- and right-side tire compounds from two short-track races last month at North Wilkesboro and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The Truck Series will race at Richmond on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX One, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Tire allotment for each team competing this weekend: Cup Series: 11 total sets -- 9 new for the race, 1 for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and 1 for practice. Teams will also have 4 wet-weather sets available, if needed. Craftsman Truck Series: 6 total sets -- 4 new for the race, 1 for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and 1 for practice. Teams will also have 3 wet-weather sets available, if needed.