What tire brand did most NASCAR teams use in 1970s? All you need to know

Unlike the road-focused versions, NASCAR tires are designed to provide maximum grip consistently while withstanding high speed and temperature for a longer duration/distance. However, unlike the wide variety of manufacturers available for regular tires, Goodyear has been the primary choice for all teams in the sport in the 70s.

Tires have been one of the most crucial parts of automotive history as they allow the vehicle to stay connected to the road through a small contact patch. However, there has been a large difference between road and racing tires, since the early days of motorsport.

During the early years of NASCAR, Firestone was the only tire supplier for all teams. The US-based companies provided tires in NASCAR until 1974 when they withdrew. Apart from Firestone, McCreary Tire & Rubber Company and Hosier were also a part of the sport for a couple of years between the late 1970s and early 1990s.

However, unlike other manufacturers, Goodyear has managed to stay as NASCAR's primary tire supplier since its debut in 1954. While most European racing series like Formula 1 had shifted to the newer radial technology by 1979, Goodyear was relying on the older Bias-Ply technology until 1988.

The introduction of radial tires on Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s Richard Childress Racing #3 car helped the team win the First Union 400 race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1989. This allowed Goodyear to promote their new Eagle radial race tire in NASCAR and the rest is history.

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"It was hugely complicated"- Richard Childress Racing's Kirk Shelmerdine on challenges of using radial tires at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1989

Goodyear introduced the Eagle radial race tires for the second time at North Wilkesboro in 1989. Despite the advancement, Richard Childress Racing's crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine was skeptical of the challenges of using radial tires.

Shelmerdine spoke about the same in a press release issued by RCR in 2014:

"It was hugely complicated and we had kind of a pretty good system for managing that. It was all in my head. Will (Lind, #3 teams tire changer) helped me a lot with it, but it was one of the things that gave us an edge on the others being able to figure it out how to use it."

"Radial tires just absolutely threw all that out the window. It was another dumbing down thing for the whole sport, it doesn’t matter what you do. You have the same stuff as the dumb guys,” Shelmerdine added.

Despite the challenges, Earnhardt Sr. won the North Wilkesboro race and took the lead in the Drivers' championship that season. His Chevrolet Lumina from the race has been untouched in RCR's museum since then.