Goodyear brings new tire to Michigan; Brad Keselowski wants off the mailing list

Brad Keselowski and other teams recommended every tire from the Michigan tire test except the new compounds they selected for the weekend

This weekend, NASCAR is bringing a new tire to Michigan International Speedway. This tire came from a Goodyear Tire test that was hosted at MIS back in April. The NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series will both run the same compound.

High speeds at Michigan International Raceway create unique challenges for the tire people of Goodyear. The cars will enter turn 1 in excess of 220 MPH.

These new tires are designed to run cooler by dissipating heat. In addition, they are set to increase tire wear which is designed to make tire management more important. It will be the first time either division runs the new tire codes.

Driver in that Michigan tire test: Aric Almirola, Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr.

2018 Michigan Tire Codes:
Left-side — D-4770
Right-side — D-4796

Goodyear: “Michigan was paved not too many years ago and the track still has a lot of grip, so we have be cognizant of that and the speeds the Cup cars are running when we make our tire recommendation,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing.

“We tested at Michigan this spring with the expressed intent of looking at right-side tire temperatures, and came away with a great compound that will wear more and run cooler. We also were able to update our left-side construction and go with a compound on that side of the car that will wear more as well.”

On Tuesday, Brad Keselowski spoke on the new tire compounds via twitter.

Brad Keselowski: “Where do I ask to be taken off a press release? Our team (and several others) tested multiple tire compounds and recommended every one of them but this one. In no way do I wanna be associated with this decision.”

The weekend at Michigan International Speedway is set to begin today.

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Michigan International Speedway | Goodyear Racing | NASCAR

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