Goodyear and NASCAR are set to hold tire tests at three tracks ahead of the Cup Series summer stretch leading up to the playoffs. Two of these tracks land in the playoffs.
Goodyear told media members at Charlotte Motor Speedway last weekend that the tire tests will take place at Iowa Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Each test will feature a driver representing each OEM.
The first of these tire tests will be at Iowa Speedway on June 3-4. The drivers for this test include Austin Cindric (Ford), Kyle Busch (Chevy), and Denny Hamlin (Toyota). However, drivers are subject to change in the days leading up to the test.
The second test will be at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 24-25. Kyle Larson (Chevy), Brad Keselowski (Ford), and John Hunter Nemechek (Toyota) will be the three drivers taking part.
The third of these tire tests will be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 22-23. Ross Chastain (Chevy), Christopher Bell (Toyota), and Joey Logano (Ford) will represent the three OEMs completing laps at the New England track.
Iowa Speedway joined the NASCAR Cup Series schedule last season after a partial repave. This .875-mile track featured Cup competitors battling over 350 laps. Ryan Blaney dominated by leading 201 of them and scoring his first win of the season.
WWT Raceway has long hosted other national series, but it joined the Cup Series schedule with the introduction of the Gen 7 car in 2022. The 1.25-mile paved track hosted its first three races during June. It will now move into the Round of 16 to take the spot previously held by Kansas Speedway, which moves to the Round of 12.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway first joined the Cup Series schedule in 1993. This 1.058-mile track had long held two events each season, but it scaled back to only one in 2018. New Hampshire has been a July staple for racing fans, but it will move this season. It will open the Round of 12 while returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.