“I loved everything about that race.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke highly about Bristol in 2024. Last year’s Food City 500 race was etched in NASCAR history. Goodyear stumbled upon a tire package that created high fall-off with rubber strewn across the track surface. The unpredictability and tough strategy created great racing that veterans of the sport marveled at. That kicked off a loud demand for more such races.
Goodyear worked tirelessly to experiment and present the same tire combination for drivers and fans alike. They had a few misses, notably at the All-Star Race and the second Bristol race in September. However, the tire brand made a fresh start in 2025 – enough to impress Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. reminds the public of Goodyear’s efforts
The Bass Pro Shops Night race accrued a lot of controversy from fans. Kyle Larson led 462 of 500 laps, wildly contrasting the earlier Bristol race that featured a jaw-dropping 50 lead changes. Clearly, Goodyear’s tire combination had not worked out and NASCAR fans fired numerous shots at the tire brand. Larson tried to defend Goodyear, which has been NASCAR’s official tire brand for over half a century. As we turned into 2025, those scathing attacks on the tire brand have fallen silent. That is a sign that the tire company is finally making progress. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. is here to remind us about that.
The veteran driver has picked up most of his trophies on Goodyear tires, including his first Sprint Cup win in 2000 and twin Daytona 500 victories (2004, 2014). In a recent Dale Jr Download episode, Dale Earnhardt Jr. reminded people of Goodyear’s incredible progress.
“We suffer, I think, from short-term memory. I think we need to remember and think back to just a short period of time inside the last 24 months where we were begging Goodyear to soften up the tires…And they’ve done it. They’ve created a tire for the short tracks that’s heading and trending in a very good direction in terms of fall-off and wear,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr.
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 19: The field takes the green flag during the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 on March 19, 2023, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, GA.Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAR 19 NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 Icon230319557
The recently concluded Ambetter Health 400 race showed evidence for this. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, “And they’ve put a tire at a very high-speed racetrack like Atlanta that actually rubbered the surface really well… You had guys that stayed out, guys that came down pit road, got two tires, and would drive through the field…If you were running 15th and the caution came out. And you’re like, ‘S— I’ll come down pit road and take advantage of the new tire that’s 20 or 30 laps better than everybody else’…Chase Elliott and a couple of other guys made that work.”
So Dale Earnhardt Jr delivered his verdict for the tire brand. He also shut down the months of complaints that fans and drivers have bombarded Goodyear with. “I’m very happy with the work that Goodyear’s been doing across the board. I think for the last five years, we’ve complained a lot about tires as a fan. Drivers as well have made a lot of comments about tires… Kudos to Goodyear.”
And Goodyear is cooking up new plans for the upcoming race.
New tire plans for COTA
With the first two superspeedway races done and dusted, it’s time to head into the first road course. The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix race will happen this weekend at the Circuit of The Americas. Therefore, Goodyear plans something special – NASCAR Cup teams will run a different tire set-up. Based on 18-inch bead diameter tires, this is the first time drivers will run this tire code.
This tire features compound changes – indicating more tire wear and lap-time fall-off. Goodyear will also bring its 18-inch wet weather radial tires which will be used should conditions warrant.
Stu Grant, Goodyear’s general manager of global race tires, expounded on this new project. “NASCAR teams will get a look at the re-designed Circuit of The Americas this weekend. COTA is an impressive facility and has been a welcomed addition to the schedule since it came on board four seasons ago. For the Cup cars, we have a new tire for this race so they will have additional practice to tune in their car set-ups.”
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will run a tire setup with 15-inch bead-diameter tires. This differs from the Cup Series, but same as what Xfinity drivers used last season.
Clearly, Goodyear is revamping its tire package on a war footing. With Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s approval, the tire brand can keep working wonders on the racetrack.
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