Martinsville Cook Out 400 Pre Race Thread

[StandOnIt]

Allgaier in the Hendrick 48, Austin Hill in the RCR 33.

 

[HoneyBadger]

MARTINSVILLE

 

[DIDIT]

Hot dog!

 

[aunty dive]

Goodyear Racing Notes: Martinsville Speedway​

Teams in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will run the same Goodyear Racing Eagle tire setups at Martinsville Speedway this weekend as in last fall’s race at the paperclip-shaped short track.

Goodyear introduced a new left-side Cup Series tire at Martinsville in October, designed to deliver more fall-off than its predecessor. That same tire is paired with the right-side tire that has been used at Martinsville since fall 2024.

Teams in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series are very familiar with Goodyear’s 15-inch setup for Martinsville, which has been used at the Virginia track since 2022.

Wet weather tires will be available for both series if required.

“Martinsville is the first true short track on this year’s schedule and combines tight concrete corners with long asphalt straightaways, earning its ‘paperclip’ nickname,” said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear NASCAR product manager. “We introduced this Goodyear Racing Eagle tire setup last fall, so Cup Series teams already have some data to help their strategies this weekend.”

Fast Facts

NASCAR Cup Series
Race: Cook Out 400 (400 laps / 210.4 miles)
Track: Martinsville Speedway (0.526-mile oval)
Date/Time: Sunday, March 29, 3:30 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, HBO Max

Tire: Goodyear Racing Eagle
Tire Code: D-5262 left side, D-5256 right side
Previous Usage in 2026: First use

Tire Circumference: 2,249 mm (88.5 in.) left side, 2,279 (89.7 in.) right side

Recommended Minimum Inflation: LF – 10 psi, RF – 22 psi, LR – 12 psi, RR – 22 psi

Total Dry Weather Sets: 10 (8 new race / 1 qualifying transfer to race / 1 practice)
Total Wet Weather Sets: 4

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
Race: NFPA 250 (250 laps / 131.5 miles)
Track: Martinsville Speedway (0.526-mile oval)
Date/Time: Saturday, March 28, 3:30 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Tire: Goodyear Racing Eagle
Tire Code: D-6118 left side, D-6120 right side
Previous Usage in 2026: First use

Tire Circumference: 2,218 mm (87.3 in.) left side, 2,244 (88.3 in.) right side

Recommended Minimum Inflation: LF – 10 psi, RF – 23 psi, LR – 10 psi, RR – 22 psi

Total Dry Weather Sets: 5 (3 new race / 1 qualifying transfer to start race / 1 practice)
Total Wet Weather Sets: 3

 

[DaleJrFan2003]

The last race here was pretty decent with just the softer tires. Will be interesting to see what the 750HP/lower downforce package will do.

 

[StandOnIt]

 

[Turtle84]

The active masters of The Paperclip

 

[Efisher131]

SVG first oval top 5 loading…