In the All-Star Weekend at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2024, Goodyear introduced a brand new option tire. This red-lettered tire compound was softer and wore off more than the regular primary tire in exchange for providing more speed on the short run. While it did become a hit last year, the primary tires were the only ones used for the 2025 All-Star Weekend.
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The Goodyear Eagle 18-inch Speedway Radials were the show’s heroes and received rave reviews from drivers. Alex Bowman, who finished the All-Star Race in fourth place, said, “I think tires mattered a lot more than last year. A lot more than we expected them to. I think that’s a really good thing. I think that’s what we all want. So, it’s a step in the right direction.”
With tires mattering more year on year, the 0.625-mile race track continues to be a contender to hold a points-paying race in the future. Asked for his thoughts on this, Bowman noted, “I think a points race would be like how All-Star did. Just with more cars. I don’t think it’s going to change a lot. I am sure this place will wear out as time goes on.”
Ross Chastain, finishing in third place, was another driver impressed with the tires that Goodyear brought. He stressed that the Goodyear Eagles are a step in the right direction, and they’re what made the racing this time different from last year. “You see good payoff for clean air, but you also see a good car being able to drive through there,” he said.
He left the decision of whether there’s more opportunity to better the compounds to Goodyear by mentioning that the company was the best in the business.
NASCAR’s goal is to use a single tire compound for short-track races
All these experiments with tire compounds are efforts by NASCAR to fix the short-track racing product that fans once loved. While a mixed usage of prime and option tires has worked well in certain races, the promotion is not looking to keep that trend going forever. Goodyear’s senior project manager, Mark Keto, confirmed this intent to Road & Track earlier this year.
The option tires might replace the traditional prime tires as the only choice on short tracks. Goodyear is working to provide strategy creation options for teams through intentional tire wear on a single compound. Keto said, “Our ultimate goal is to get to one tire that achieves the high wear and falloff that the teams are looking for. We’re continuing down the path of testing to get to one tire, so we don’t have an option.”
The success of this weekend from a tire usage perspective showcases that the Goodyear Eagles are a step in the right direction as Bowman and Chastain insightfully pointed out.
