The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway saw the Next Gen cars running with a new tire compound. Goodyear came up with a new compound that had a thinner thread wall, which resulted in better tire temperature. The most common issue with regular tires is that they wear off, but the ones used in Atlanta stayed true to their nature of being hard and reliable.

However, this is not the only big change Goodyear will be rolling out this season. Denny Hamlin, while speaking on his podcast show, shed light on future plans by the tire company. Not only would the proposed change provide better grip and traction for the Next Gen car, but it would also lead to a new style of pack racing. One that fans have not witnessed before.

Goodyear testing new tires for the Cup Series playoff races

Testing new tires has always been a productive activity for both NASCAR and the tire company to find the apt compound for the racetracks. While the Atlanta race saw more hard tires being introduced by the company, Hamlin suggested the company is working on a new gripper tire. One that fits all the requirements made by the drivers and is suitable for the Next Gen car.

“These tires, we could run 400 miles on these tires. But fortunately, Goodyear is going to do a tire test and hopefully give us a gripper tier. That’s going to jam us up into a pack tighter than you’ve ever seen before. They are planning a tire test for the playoff race, they’re going to add grip to the tire. Because they feel like the track’s starting to age, it’s about time.” Denny Hamlin said on his podcast show “Action Detrimental”.

He further added, “I know that it has been on Goodyear’s bulletin board from us for a long time. Please build softer tires, one that least wears. That’s what will also create more of a skill game… I think that they’re onboard, they’re going to start building us some softer tires and that’s going to help racing at all tracks.”

Read More: Wreck Trifecta Victim Denny Hamlin Holds Joey Logano Responsible for a Trail of Destruction At Atlanta 

Goodyear has been a long-time partner for NASCAR in providing tires to the teams over the years. However, interestingly, the teams never buy off the tires but lease them and return them after the races.

Goodyear and NASCAR’s unique agreement

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NASCAR has seen its fair share of tire wars over the years. However, Goodyear seemed to have prevailed every time against a potential competition. There were the likes of Firestone, Hoosier, and McCreay Tire & Rubber Company who all tried to end Goodyear’s dominance as NASCAR’s official tire partner, but they didn’t budge. And since 1997, they have emerged as a sole partner for NASCAR.

Today, the company produces more than 100,000 tires for NASCAR’s top three series every year. However, none of the tires produced by the company are bought or purchased by the teams. Instead, they are leased for use and returned after the race. The reason for this unique agreement is that the cost of the tire can be overwhelming for the teams. Therefore, to mitigate these costs, NASCAR pays the money to Goodyear only for using them. To put it in perspective, a set of tires costs $2,500, and with 36 races a year, a team using six sets of tires could cost them a whopping $540,000.