Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Race No. 3 – Pennzoil 400
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Race No. 3 – Boyd Gaming 300
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Race No. 3 – Stratosphere 200
Goodyear designs a different source of tire wear for Las Vegas: Coming off a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway which wears tires at a great rate, NASCAR visits Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, a track where Goodyear has a goal of introducing tire wear by its choice of tread compounds. Despite last being repaved in 2006, the track surface at Las Vegas does not wear tires like one would expect from 12-year-old asphalt. With a goal of having more tire fall-off over the course of a run, Goodyear tested at the track in advance of the 2017 race and designed a new tire set-up to accomplish just that. Despite a minor construction update to the Las Vegas right-side tire for 2018, the tire compounds remain the same. Cup teams also tested on this exact combination of tires at a NASCAR organizational test in January, so they have a good baseline coming into this weekend.
“At tracks like Las Vegas that don’t naturally wear tires, it was a goal of ours and NASCAR’s that we bring compounds that fall off more over the course of a fuel run,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Tire wear is not a bad thing – it’s actually a very good thing. First, when a tire wears, it allows more of the heat that is generated by the 200 mile per hour speeds to dissipate through the tread, and a ‘cooler’ tire performs better on the track. Second, with tire wear and fall-off, tire management comes more into play, meaning that some drivers will be fast early in a run and some that conserve their tires will be faster later. That always creates to a lot of ‘comers’ and ‘goers,’ more passing and better racing.”
Notes: Cup and Xfinity teams on new right-side tire at Las Vegas: Teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series will run a completely different tire set-up than those in the Camping World Truck Series at Las Vegas this week.
Cup and Xfinity teams will run the same left-side tire they ran at Las Vegas last year. The new right-side tire features a minor construction update vs. what was run in 2017and is a multi-zone tread tire, featuring a two-inch inboard compound for heat resistance (Endurance Zone) and a 10-inch outboard compound for enhanced grip (Traction Zone). Cup teams ran this exact combination of left- and right-side tires at the NASCAR organizational test at Las Vegas on January 31-February 1.
Teams in the Camping World Truck Series will run a completely different tire set-up than those in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series at Las Vegas this week. They will use the same tire set-up they ran at Las Vegas last September with the right-side tire code one of Goodyear’s multi-zone tread tires, with a two-inch inboard compound (Endurance Zone) for heat resistance and a 10-inch outboard compound (Traction Zone) for grip.
As on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run liners in all four tire positions at Las Vegas . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.
