Goodyear 400 at Darlington Pre-Race Thread

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Goodyear Racing Notes: Darlington Raceway​

After two weeks out West, all three NASCAR national series head to Darlington Raceway for Goodyear 400 weekend. Sunday’s race marks the sixth year of Goodyear serving as entitlement partner, celebrating the company’s 73-year NASCAR history at one of the sport’s most historic tracks.

NASCAR Cup Series teams will run a familiar Goodyear Racing Eagle tire setup this weekend: the same tire setup used last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The left-side tire was raced at Darlington last year, while the right-side tire debuted at Kansas Speedway last September.

The tire setup chosen for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this weekend was also used at Darlington last year when the two series raced there in April and August, respectively. Both series will also use inner liners at Darlington, as is customary on tracks 1 mile and longer.

“Darlington’s egg-shaped layout and rough track surface give teams a unique challenge,” said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear NASCAR product manager. “Drivers will have to manage tire wear, and teams will have to be perfect – from race strategy to pit stops – to reach Victory Lane.”

Darlington Raceway is home to several important milestones in Goodyear’s NASCAR history, including the company’s first tire test in 1954 and its first NASCAR victory – Jim Reed in the 1959 Southern 500.

To build on the excitement for the Goodyear 400, several NASCAR legends will serve as race dignitaries. NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductees Kurt Busch and Harry Gant will share the honors as Grand Marshals. Fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, who has 12 career Darlington victories, will be the honorary pace car driver. Dave Marcis, a 35-year veteran and fan favorite known for proudly wearing Goodyear gear, will be the honorary starter and later present the Goodyear 400 trophy to the winner in Victory Lane.

“As the site of our first NASCAR tire test and our first NASCAR win, Darlington is a special place for us at Goodyear, and is the perfect location for our Cup Series entitlement weekend,” said Dan Brackett, Goodyear director of marketing, global racing. “This is Goodyear’s 73rd year in NASCAR and 30th as sole tire supplier for its top three series. We are proud to celebrate one of the longest continuous partnerships in sports with the fans at Darlington Raceway.”

Fans will be able to engage with Goodyear off the track at a special display at the east end of the Fan Zone. The area will include simulators, Goodyear-themed photo opportunities and special kids’ activities, as well as the 1959 Chevrolet which secured Goodyear’s first NASCAR win at Darlington.

Fast Facts

NASCAR Cup Series
Race: Goodyear 400 (293 laps / 400.24 miles)
Track: Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval)
Date/Time: Sunday, March 22, 3 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, HBO Max

Tire: Goodyear Racing Eagle
Tire Code: D-5284 left side, D-5290 right side
Previous Usage in 2026: Las Vegas

Tire Circumference: 2,263 mm (89.1 in.) left side, 2,277 (89.6 in.) right sid

Recommended Minimum Inflation: LF – 18 psi, RF – 40 psi, LR – 18 psi, RR – 36 psi

Total Sets: 12 (10 new race / 1 qualifying transfer to race / 1 practice)

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
Race: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 (147 laps / 200.8 miles)
Track: Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval)
Date/Time: Saturday, March 21, 5:30 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Tire: Goodyear Racing Eagle
Tire Code: D-6106 left side, D-6130 right side
Previous Usage in 2026: First use

Tire Circumference: 2,225 mm (87.6 in.) left side, 2,250 (88.6 in.) right side

Recommended Minimum Inflation: LF – 18 psi, RF – 48 psi, LR – 18 psi, RR – 44 psi

Total Sets: 7 (4 new race / 1 qualifying transfer to start race / 2 practice)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Race: Buckle Up South Carolina 200 (147 laps / 200.8 miles)
Track: Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval)
Date/Time: Friday, March 20, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: FS1, NASCAR Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Tire: Goodyear Racing Eagle
Tire Code: D-6106 left side, D-6130 right side
Previous Usage in 2026: First use

Tire Circumference: 2,225 mm (87.6 in.) left side, 2,250 (88.6 in.) right side

Recommended Minimum Inflation: LF – 18 psi, RF – 48 psi, LR – 18 psi, RR – 44 psi

Total Sets: 6 (4 new race / 1 qualifying transfer to start race / 1 practice)
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I wish this race was still on Mothers' Day weekend.

I wish the forecast was for rain on Sunday so I could run over there on Monday for a morning start.

I wish Cotton was a monkey.
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You may be getting your wish for rain!

And I wonder how many laughed and remembered as I did….”I wish Cotton was a monkey” 🤣😂
 
Darlington Raceway

The glorious rough "cheese grater"track surface that contains a mix of sand and crushed sea shells, that hasn't been paved 18 years, with an 89 ° F Sunday forecast!!!.

The egg shaped oval with slightly different banking on each end
Turns 1 and 2: 25°
Turns 3 and 4: 23°

"The Lady in Black"
"The track to tough to tame"
"The Darlington Stripe"

The 750 HP Low-downforce, "short-track" rules package on a track with straightaway speeds that already exceed 180mph.

But there is also tire wear and the closing speeds between the pit cycles.

There are no guarantees but everything is staged for an incredible race.
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Charlie Spencer said:
Beat me to it. 85 and sunny. I'll watch it on the deck with the tablet positioned so I can see the bird feeders. Second-best of both worlds.
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Sorry, wife said a system was hitting the east coast this weekend. 🤬 Should have verified myself. She sees some post on Fakebook and that’s that….
 
Whatever 23XI has found, they seem to be able to flip it on like a light switch. How the hell does Reddick go from a best practice lap of 30.08 to a qualifying lap of 29.072? A full second faster than his best practice lap?

And Bubba gains almost 1-1/2 seconds over his best practice lap. What…..??

I demand an investigation!
 
Conover said:
Whatever 23XI has found, they seem to be able to flip it on like a light switch. How the hell does Reddick go from a best practice lap of 30.08 to a qualifying lap of 29.072? A full second faster than his best practice lap?

And Bubba gains almost 1-1/2 seconds over his best practice lap. What…..??

I demand an investigation!
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They tape up the car and lower it for qualifying. No way they are in race trim.
 
Conover said:
Whatever 23XI has found, they seem to be able to flip it on like a light switch. How the hell does Reddick go from a best practice lap of 30.08 to a qualifying lap of 29.072? A full second faster than his best practice lap?

And Bubba gains almost 1-1/2 seconds over his best practice lap. What…..??

I demand an investigation!
Click to expand...
Last years pole was almost 2 MPH faster than this year with less HP lol.
 
Conover said:
Whatever 23XI has found, they seem to be able to flip it on like a light switch. How the hell does Reddick go from a best practice lap of 30.08 to a qualifying lap of 29.072? A full second faster than his best practice lap?

And Bubba gains almost 1-1/2 seconds over his best practice lap. What…..??

I demand an investigation!
Click to expand...
He and the team sifted through data and if you listen to his post qualifying interview. He mentions that they overadjusted for the regulation change.

That's good driver feedback to improve that much from one session to another.
 
Kiante said:
He and the team sifted through data and if you listen to his post qualifying interview. He mentions that they overadjusted for the regulation change.

That's good driver feedback to improve that much from one session to another.
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Listening closely to Larson's interview, he said he couldn't tell the difference with the increased HP, but he could tell that he had more down force with their new body. That could mean many things including better tire wear during long runs.
 
kkfan91 said:
This happens every time they talk like it will be crazy during the week and then its a complete non-factor.
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They have been crying wolf, wolf for years about tire wear while they give them hard as rock tires to race with and try to tell us about tire wear. I think it is going to take some hard driving for tire wear/failure to be a factor.
 
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