Goodyear will debut a new left-side tire for the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. The tire uses a softer compound that creates more lap-time fall-off and forces teams to manage tires during short runs at the non-points NASCAR Cup race this weekend.
For NASCAR’s only quarter-mile short track event on the Cup calendar, Goodyear will supply the redesigned left-side tire that pairs with the familiar right-side rubber teams used at the Cook Out Clash last year. The right-side compound raced in seven Cup Series events last season and will remain unchanged, but the new softer left-side compound has been said to produce more fall-off over a run. Goodyear said that translates to more grip early in a stint and a sharper drop in lap times as the stint wears on.
Teams will get five sets of tires for the Cook Out Clash weekend: three new race sets, one qualifying set that can transfer to the race, and one for practice. Goodyear will also provide four wet-weather sets per team.
Goodyear’s Director of Racing for the Americas, Justin Fantozzi, called the new left-side tire part of an effort to refine short-track tires.
“Teams will be focused on racing and battling for track position, but we’ll use Bowman Gray as an opportunity to gather data and apply that knowledge to our short-track tire package for the rest of the season,” Fantozzi said.
Goodyear first rolled out its “softest” left side tire compound for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2024. It later introduced several softer tire compounds to increase wear last year, including softer right-side tire options for the Bristol Night Race to add tread wear to the Cup Series playoffs.
Schedule for the Cook Out Clash faces uncertainty amid snowstorm scare
NASCAR Cup Series will open this weekend with the Cook Out Clash. The race weekend is set to start on Saturday, January 31, with Cup Series practice and qualifying late afternoon into the evening. Practice sessions and heat races will help determine the starting lineup for the 200-lap feature.
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The exhibition race takes place on Feb. 1 at 8 pm ET at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Fox will air the event. And teams will run with the updated 750-horsepower package that NASCAR set for all ovals under 1.5 miles and road courses.
Fans will also see short-track races earlier on Saturday, including the Cook Out Madhouse Classic for Modified and Sportsman divisions. However, with a forecast of snow and bitterly cold temperatures for the weekend, some parts of the schedule could be adjusted.
NASCAR’S O’Reilly Auto Parts and Truck Series test sessions at Rockingham Speedway have also been rescheduled for next week.
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