Goodyear
Nuclear Deterrence and Goodyear Tires
How does the country’s nuclear deterrence system help make Goodyear tires? And how do Goodyear tires help improve nuclear deterrence? […]
Goodyear
Asphalt
The Roval is Just a Really Fast Road Course
This weekend marks the very first time NASCAR has run a race on the Charlotte Roval: a combination of the oval track we run in May with select portions of the road course in the infield. It’s a unique situation because, unlike most road courses, this one is contained. Fans will be able to see the entire course. Everyone is looking forward to seeing something new on this one-of-a-kind hybrid track. […]
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Did the All-Star Race Kill the Idea of Two Types of Tires in NASCAR for Good?
Not even the most talented publicity person could convince NASCAR fans that the idea of giving teams a choice of a ‘soft’ tire and a ‘regular’ tire was a good idea based on the sole […]
Bristol Motor Speedway
Will Tire Limits Improve Racing?
Will 2017 Tire Limit Rules Require Harder Tires? Back in the day, the only thing that limited how many sets of tires you could use in Cup-level racing was your budget. It was different in […]
Aerodynamics
The Goodyear Blimp… Technically Isn’t
I’ve started work on a new book about how rapidly we’re learning to integrate robotics with human beings. It won’t be too long before we have real-life cyborgs. One of the most surprising things I’ve learned in researching […]
Asphalt
How Tracks Take and Lose Rubber
The two words we heard most frequently last week in Pocono (after “still raining”) were “green racetrack”. Rain doesn’t just delay racing. When the race is finally run after a rain delay, it’s run on […]
Brakes
Tire Management
NASCAR is very clear about what teams can and can not do to the tires. Teams may not use any chemical or physical means of altering the tires, which means no siping (cutting grooves into the tires), no chemical softening, not even heat blankets to pre-warm the tires are allowed. Basically, you can’t do anything to the tires. This means that when a tire blows out, it’s the tire’s fault. Right? […]
Energy
Do Tires Affect Gas Mileage?
When winning means a few hundredths of a second, nothing is too small to be ignored. I’ve talked a lot about energy and the importance of using it as efficiently as possible in racing. Gasoline provides a […]
Goodyear
Required vs. Recommended Tire Pressures
Running on underinflated tires can be dangerous. Underinflated tires they create more friction and more heat, which leads to not only bad handling, but also can produce structural problems. […]
Eldora
The Dirt on Radials vs. Bias-Ply Tires
ne of my favorite memories from Nebraska was coming home from the I-80 Speedway covered in a dusting of red clay. (Planting in that clay was another question entirely.) But there’s something about dirt tracks that you just don’t get at the asphalt ones. […]