Goodyear Fast Facts — Darlington
AUGUST 30, 2022 AT 8:54 AM
NASCAR Cup Series — Race No. 27 – 367 laps / 501.3 miles
Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval) – Darlington, S.C.
Fast Facts for September 3-4, 2022
Tire: Goodyear Eagle 18-inch Speedway Radials
Set limits: Cup: 1 set for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 13 sets for the race (12 race sets plus 1 set transferred from qualifying)
Tire Codes:
Left-side — D-5168;
Right-side — D-5122
Tire Circumference:
Left-side — 2,254 mm (88.74 in.);
Right-side — 2,280 mm (89.76 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front — 20 psi; Left Rear – 22 psi;
Right Front — 48 psi; Right Rear — 44 psi
Storyline – NASCAR Cup teams will be worn out after playoff opener at Darlington: Due to the length of this weekend’s race and the abrasiveness of the track surface at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR Cup teams will have one of the largest allotments of tires available to them this season.
Cup teams are allowed 13 sets of Goodyear Eagles for the 367-lap, 501-mile race (one set for every 28.23 laps), and they will likely use all of them. Teams will take four tires at most every opportunity, even if that comes after just a handful of laps. In addition to tire management being important for the drivers, the Southern 500 also highlights the team aspect of the sport. With up to 13 four-tire pit stops in store, teams can gain or lose valuable track position based on the length of their pit stops.
“We’ve had a great 26 races in the regular season, and now we kick off the Cup playoffs at Darlington this weekend,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “This race is one of the biggest challenges for both teams and tires on the whole schedule. Running 500 miles on such a narrow track is tough, but then teams have to deal with the abrasive track surface that wears tires like none other. We expect to see more than two seconds of fall-off a lap over the course of a fuel run, so drivers who manage their tires will benefit on long runs. With 13 sets for the race, pit road will be a very busy and important place as teams take four tires every chance they get.”
Notes – Cup cars on same tire set-up as spring Darlington race: Having moved to an 18-inch bead diameter tire for 2022, NASCAR Cup teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Xfinity Series at Darlington this weekend . . . this is the same tire set-up Cup teams ran at Darlington in May . . . these teams have also run this right-side tire code at Fontana, Las Vegas, Kansas, Texas and Nashville earlier this season . . . they are scheduled to run this same combination of left- and right-side tires on the Charlotte oval next month . . . with this 18-inch tire, and its lower profile sidewall, NASCAR Cup cars will not run inner liners in any of their tires in 2022..
