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NASCAR Cup Series drivers William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe are set to take part in an important Goodyear tire test at Charlotte Motor Speedway this week.
Goodyear has been NASCAR’s only tire supplier since 1997 and this test will help it decide which tires to use for the big Coca-Cola 600 race in May. The driver will represent each of the three car manufacturers at the 1.5-mile Charlotte Oval -- Blaney in Team Penske's No. 12 Ford and Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron in the No. 24 Chevrolet. Chase Briscoe, who joined Joe Gibbs Racing this season, will drive the No. 19 Toyota.
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Xfinity Series drivers Sheldon Creed, Aric Almirola and Austin Hill will also take part in the test today (March 18). Cup drivers will continue the test on Wednesday. Fox Sport's Bob Pockrass posted on X and wrote:
"Goodyear tire testing today and Wednesday on Charlotte oval. Byron, Briscoe and Blaney ... Xfinity drivers will also test today - Creed, Almirola, A Hill."
Goodyear conducted another tire test following the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway last week, which focused on creating a single, reliable tire for the season’s final Championship race in November.
"The goal is to develop a single tire that will give us what we need and what the drivers are asking for as far as tire wear and fall-off," said Mark Keto, Senior technical project manager at Goodyear (via NASCAR.com).
Meanwhile, the Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled for May 25, which will be available to stream live on Amazon Prime Video. That weekend also includes NASCAR Xfinity, Truck and ARCA races on May 23-24.
NASCAR Cup drivers participate in Goodyear tire test at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup drivers Austin Dillon, Josh Berry and Tyler Reddick participated in the three-car tire test at the 1-mile track in Phoenix. 23XI Racing's Reddick was surprised that the softer tires did not wear out as expected but said that the test helped Goodyear gather wear and temperature data.
"I think they're able to take notes on wear and temperatures of the tire and get the feedback from the drivers on what it did to the balance of their cars. I think they have an idea of what they can do, but we didn’t really find a solid answer," Tyler Reddick said. [0:38 onwards]
NASCAR tested a softer "option" tire at Phoenix that wore out faster. The tires lasted 40-50 laps before losing grip and many believe this tire should be used more, especially on short tracks.
Wood Brothers Racing's Berry called for more testing.
"We tried some softer lefts, I think there’s some potential there to keep going down that road. But, it seemed like it needed to be figured out a little more to feel super confident," Josh Berry said (via Bob Pockrass on X).
Berry claimed his first NASCAR Cup win last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The series will move to Homestead-Miani for the sixth race of the season on March 23.
