RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Goodyear is bringing a proven drafting-track tire to “The Sunshine State” for Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the Daytona International Speedway. The tire is the same that was used in this year’s Daytona 500 and the Jack Link’s 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway.
While there is a lot of unknown about the rules package for “The World Center of Racing,” Cup Series drivers can rest assured they will have some familiarity with the tire.
Goodyear’s left-side tire compound for Daytona was first introduced in 2022, the first year of the NextGen era. The right-side tire compound was introduced in this year’s Daytona 500.
NASCAR tire setup, allotment for Daytona
The Cup Series will see a similar tire for Daytona, but the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will see a difference.
Goodyear is rolling out a new right-side tire for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for its Daytona race on Friday night. It consists of “an updated construction but no compound change.” That will be alongside a familiar left-side tire compound, previously ran at Daytona and Talladega in 2026.
Justin Fantozzi, Goodyear’s Director of Racing for the Americas, expressed confidence in the tire setup being brought to Daytona this week.
“Our Goodyear Racing Eagle superspeedway package is well established, so teams have a strong baseline heading into this weekend’s race. The new right-side 15-inch tire is a continuous improvement of the package and follows similar changes we’ve made at other tracks,” Fantozzi said.
Here is a look at the amount of tires both the Cup and O’Reilly Series will get for the race weekend:
Cup Series : 7 sets — 6 new sets for the race, 1 set for qualifying, which transfers to the race.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series : 4 sets — 3 new sets for the race, 1 set for qualifying, which transfers to the race.
Because it is a superspeedway, wet-weather tires will not be an option at Daytona if rain were to be in the forecast. Per the National Weather Service , Friday’s night O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race could be affected by rain as it calls for 60 percent chance of showers.
The Cup Series might have to deal with Mother Nature, too, but the forecast for Saturday night only calls for a 30 percent chance of showers.
NASCAR implementing new rules package for Daytona
There has been much talk about the new Daytona rules package heading into Saturday’s Cup Series regular-season finale.
In an effort to create less drag and provide more passing opportunities, NASCAR is reducing the rear spoiler from seven inches to four inches, the same as intermediate tracks. NASCAR has also reduced the horsepower from 510 to 465 in an attempt to create less downforce.
The rule changes have drivers scratching their heads on what to expect this Saturday. In an interview last week, Team Penske driver Joey Logano said he does not believe any driver has a clue on what the racing will look like, saying, “Who knows?”
In a recent episode of his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin predicts there could be “absolute chaos.”
One way or another, this new rules package has added uncertainty to what is always an unpredictable Daytona.
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