The decision to debut the new tires comes on the back of a two-day test in early June at Iowa Speedway, where Kyle Bush (Chevrolet), Austin Cindric (Ford) and Chase Briscoe (Toyota) all ran to provide data from the series’ three OE manufacturers.
Last year's race weekend in Iowa had seen multiple drivers experience problems, with five having flats in practice. Christopher Bell had to go to a backup car for the actual race after suffering a cut tire 19 laps into his Friday run.
Goodyear NASCAR product manager Rick Heinrich referenced the specific test Iowa presents for tyre manufacturers, admitting: “Iowa presents a unique challenge with the speeds and sustained loads, as well as the two different ages of asphalt on the surface.
“The new race recommendation of Goodyear Racing Eagle tires for the Cup Series is ready for that challenge, as shown during the June test.”
While Cup Series teams will run new left and right tires this weekend, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will just debut a right side compound. That was trialed by Christian Eckes (Chevrolet) and Dean Thompson (Toyota) at that test in early June.
NASCAR tires for Iowa - facts and figures
The tires in use this weekend are as follows:
NASCAR Cup Series
Tire: Goodyear Racing Eagle
Tire Code: D-5244 left side, D-5266 right side
Previous Usage in 2025: first use (both sides)
Tire Circumference: 2,263 mm (89.1 in.) left side, 2,277 (89.6 in.) right side