NASCAR Cup Series — Race No. 21 — 260 laps / 400.4 miles
NASCAR Xfinity Series — Race No. 18 — 163 laps / 251 miles
Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval) — Hampton, Ga.
Fast Facts for July 10-11, 2021
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials
Set limits: Cup: 10 sets for the race;
Xfinity — 5 sets for the race
Tire Codes: Left-side — D-4956; Right-side — D-4958
Tire Circumference: Left-side — 2,224 mm (87.56 in.); Right-side — 2,250 mm (88.58 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 18 psi; Left Rear — 18 psi;
Right Front — 48 psi; Right Rear — 44 psi
Storyline — Return trip to Atlanta promises more of the same: NASCAR Cup returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway, marking the first time since the series has held two races at the facility since 2010. Atlanta is perhaps the most worn and abrasive surface on the NASCAR circuit, and it wears tires to the tune of three seconds per lap over the course of a run. That brings in the possibility of teams short-pitting for fresh tires, even before the end of a full fuel run. It also brings a driver‘s ability to manage his tires into play — those that are easier on their tires may give up some spots to hard charging drivers early in a run, but gain back more later. With 10 sets of Goodyear Eagles for this 260-lap race, Cup teams will stop and take four tires at every opportunity. That brings the team aspect of the sport into play as the pit crews play a large role in track position and, ultimately, the finish of the race.
“It is well known that Atlanta‘s abrasive surface really wears tires very aggressively,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear‘s director of racing. “It‘s also a track where the pit crews play almost as big a part in the race as the drivers. For the drivers, ‘tire management‘ will be the phrase of the day. Those that are smoother on and off the throttle and don‘t slide their tires will be able to save more of their tires‘ performance for the end of a run. As a result, some guys will be able to run several tenths of a second quicker over the second half of a run and make up a lot positions over those that were aggressive early. For the pit crews, they will be called into action with four-tire stops all day long. Those that are quickest on pit road will help their teams with track position and not having to make those passes on the track.”
Notes —NASCAR teams return to Atlanta on same tire set-up as March: Teams in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series will run the same tire set-up at Atlanta this weekend . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that these teams ran at this track earlier this season, as well as last season . . . this right-side tire is a multi-zone tread tire, with two different tread compounds on the same tire — a two-inch inboard compound designed for heat resistance (Endurance Zone) and a 10-inch outboard compound to give more grip (Traction Zone) . . . Goodyear debuted its multi-zone technology for use in NASCAR at Atlanta in 2013 . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run liners in all four tire positions at Atlanta . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series — Race No. 14 — 150 laps / 75 miles
Knoxville Raceway (0.5-mile dirt oval) — Knoxville, Iowa
Fast Facts for July 9, 2021
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Dirt Bias Ply
Set limits: 4 sets for the event
Tire Codes: Left-side — D-3044; Right-side — D-3046
Tire Circumference: Left-side — 2,179 mm (85.79 in.); Right-side — 2,248 mm (88.50 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 18 psi; Left Rear — 18 psi;
Right Front — 22 psi; Right Rear — 22 psi
Notes — Trucks on Bristol dirt tire set-up at Knoxville: This is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that Camping World Truck teams ran at Bristol in March . . . there are three notable differences between this tire set-up and the one that these teams “normally” run on concrete or asphalt ovals (1) these are bias ply tires — not radials — and are more compliant and able to envelope the irregularities of the dirt surface; (2) these tires have a block-style tread pattern, not a “slick” or smooth tread, and the leading edge of the blocks bite into the dirt and the grooves in the tread help evacuate the dirt: and (3) while the size of this right-side tire is similar to what teams are accustomed to running, this left-side tire is significantly shorter to build in more stagger between the left- and right-side tires. . . . as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires on the Bristol dirt track.
— Goodyear Racing —
