The change is a result of a tire test held at the track in January with drivers Aric Almirola, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr.

The track surface at Texas is still relatively young, having been repaved right before the 2017 season. Repaves create a racing environment that poses several challenges – (1) fresh asphalt has a lot of grip, which generates a lot of speed and heat in the tire; (2) because the new surface is very smooth, it doesn’t allow the opportunity to cause the tires to shed rubber, which could also cause heat problems; and (3) because little rubber gets worked into the track, it is harder to create multiple racing grooves.

For the test, Goodyear developed a new left-side tire that not only incorporates a construction update used at many speedways this year, but also features a compound change to introduce more wear and, therefore, dissipate more heat.

“We had a good test at Texas and we were able to address some of the challenges that all repaves present,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “This being just the third NASCAR Cup race since the repave, the track surface has not really had the chance to weather in, so to speak.

“This new left-side tire matches up well with this still smooth surface and will accomplish our goal of increased wear and laying rubber on the track. That should lead to an increased level of fall-off over the course of a fuel run and a widened racing groove.”