![\"NASCAR](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2268975342-e1776207083323.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
A NASCAR pit crew member handles a tire on pit road during a Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.<\/p>\n
A familiar tire setup is returning to Kansas Speedway this weekend \u2014 and it could play a major role in how Sunday\u2019s race unfolds.<\/p>\n
NASCAR<\/a> will use a previously run Goodyear right-side tire combination for both the Cup Series and Xfinity Series races, a setup that has already influenced strategy and long-run performance earlier this season.<\/p>\n The same configuration was used at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway<\/a>, where tire wear and falloff became key factors in how races developed. Now, that variable returns at Kansas<\/a>, a track already known for high speeds and multiple racing grooves.<\/p>\n Goodyear Setup Returns With Strategy in Focus<\/p>\n Goodyear introduced this right-side tire combination last fall with the goal of giving teams more options as races unfold, particularly over long green-flag runs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe introduced new right-side Goodyear Racing Eagle tires last fall, which help give teams different strategy options as the race unfolds,\u201d Goodyear NASCAR product manager Rick Heinrich said. \u201cThis will already be the third time Cup Series teams have run this setup in 2026, so they come to Kansas with valuable data under their belts.\u201d<\/p>\n Cup Series teams will have 10 sets of tires for the weekend \u2014 eight for Sunday\u2019s race, plus one set each for practice and qualifying. Xfinity Series teams will have nine sets for their race, along with an additional set for practice and qualifying that carries over.<\/p>\n Why Kansas Could Magnify the Impact<\/p>\n Kansas Speedway already allows drivers to move across multiple grooves in search of grip, from the bottom lane to the outside wall as track conditions evolve.<\/p>\n With this tire setup, those conditions can change even more over the course of a run.<\/p>\n As lap times begin to fall off, teams may be forced to pit earlier or split strategy<\/a>, creating opportunities for drivers on fresher tires to gain track position. Over a full race distance, those decisions can significantly impact how the race plays out.<\/p>\n Cooler temperatures expected this weekend could also increase overall speeds, putting additional stress on the tires and accelerating wear.<\/p>\n Drivers Expect Aggressive Approach<\/p>\n Drivers are already anticipating how much the tire could factor into the race.<\/p>\n Todd Gilliland<\/a>, coming off a strong finish at Bristol, said teams will continue pushing the limits to maximize speed.<\/p>\n \u201cI think all the work Goodyear\u2019s been doing has been super-helpful,\u201d Gilliland said. \u201cOver even the last four years now, it\u2019s just been a continual progression of all that stuff. I mean, we put them in a really, really tough spot at these mile-and-a-halfs, going as low as possible on air, and probably even a half-pound lower at times, just because you have to get every ounce of speed you can out of the car and the tires.<\/p>\n \u201cThat puts them in a tough box. It\u2019s going to be cooler this weekend, speeds are going to be up. I don\u2019t think we had a ton of tire issues on the right sides (last year), so I\u2019m sure the teams will keep pushing it. The more the tires have been wearing out, the more it seems like at these places, it just becomes easier to pass. A place like Kansas is very wide, so it makes the racing more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n What to Watch on Sunday<\/p>\n If the tire behaves similarly to earlier races this season, several factors could shape the outcome:<\/p>\n How quickly lap times fall off during long runs At a track where clean air and momentum already matter, added tire wear introduces another layer of strategy.<\/p>\n And in a race<\/a> often decided by small margins, that could make all the difference.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMaggie MacKenzie<\/a> Maggie MacKenzie covers NASCAR for Heavy.com. She previously worked for NASCAR.com, where she reported, wrote, and edited race-weekend coverage and traveled to key events throughout the season. She has more than ten years of experience in sports media and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. More about Maggie MacKenzie<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty A NASCAR pit crew member handles a tire on pit road during a Cup Series race at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":604859,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-604858","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nascar","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604858\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/604859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWhether teams vary pit strategy<\/a> across the field
\nHow much fresh tires matter compared to track position late in the race<\/p>\n