How will the Tires Affect the NASCAR Cup Series Race in Las Vegas This Weekend?

This weekend, the NASCAR paddock heads to Las Vegas for the next playoff race. Admittedly, the competition is heating up, and in a literal sense too. This is because the drivers are practically in the desert, so the temperatures will be soaring.

Of course, this will place some massive strain on the tires, owing to the heat. For the 2020 season, Goodyear is the official tire supplier for the Cup series. This weekend, all teams will have nine sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials available for the race.

Owing to the extraordinary circumstances, there has been little to no on-track practice time and testing. Naturally, the tire supplier relied heavily on the driver and team feedback in order to develop an effective compound at each track.

How has Goodyear implemented the data from the NASCAR drivers?

Once the manufacturer received the feedback when the first half of the season concluded, they set to work immediately. In other words, they made a number of changes to the right-side compound for many tracks.

Apparently, the Las Vegas Speedway is one of those tracks. This is because there is supposed to be lower tire wear at the Vegas track, thus increasing the chances of finding grip.

ALSO READ- Martin Truex Jr Leads Special Gesture by Drivers Ahead of Las Vegas Race Weekend

“Key to making the optimum tire recommendation is the review of all the data that is generated, whether it be from practices throughout a weekend, testing, or as is the only opportunity right now, from the actual races,” said Goodyear Director of Racing, Greg Stucker.

According to him, Cup cars need more grip, especially at low-wear tracks. That explains why Goodyear worked tirelessly to ensure the best tire compounds for the Las Vegas race. Stucker even mentioned that similar steps are being taken at Kansas and Texas.

He observed that Vegas and Texas possessed relatively similar tire set-ups when NASCAR visited earlier this year. That is why they chose to do the same thing in Kansas as well. In this way, they can enhance the grip level at all three tracks.