Last Sunday’s Cup race at Bristol, won by Ty Gibbs, proved to be a standout event for both fans and drivers. Goodyear introduced a new tire combination for the 0.533-mile high-banked short track after last year's tire degradation debacle.

Specifically designed to lay down rubber and be less dependent on varying weather conditions, the tire's performance was praised by drivers. According to NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran, the race was a major success that played out exactly as the sanctioning body had intended.

Speaking on SiriusXM Radio, Moran noted, "I think all the teams were excited going in there, and from what we saw there on Saturday during practice and qualifying, we were all pretty bummed up about what we thought we were going to have on Sunday, and it actually, it actually did happen the way we planned."

The combination of the new tire and the car setup made for a grueling afternoon.

"So the rubber laid down, the drivers had to move around. You saw the leaders of the race, the 5 (Kyle Larson), on a couple of occasions, the 12 (Ryan Blaney) almost wrecked on their own. I mean, these cars, they were a handful: the extra horsepower, the lower downforce."

Ty Gibbs won the overtime thriller by a mere 0.055 seconds over Ryan Blaney. Moran reflected on the outcome, saying, "It was great to see the finish the way it did. I think it was the closest finish since 1991. So yeah, it ended the way we wanted. I think overall, just a good event, and the drivers and teams enjoyed what they saw."

Moran also promised that the series is "not done" with its development for the Next Gen car. It will continue to absorb learnings from experiments like those at Bristol and work on such development to improve the racing product for fans and participants.

NASCAR Brings Back Familiar Goodyear Tires for Its Return To Kansas

After Goodyear's tire gamble at Bristol, NASCAR returns with a familiar tire combination for this weekend's race at Kansas Speedway. The setup will include the same right-side rubber, which debuted last September on the 1.5-mile Kansas City oval.

The same configuration was used at Las Vegas and Darlington this season and will return for the 2026 AdventHealth 400. This will help teams bank on their learnings and improve race strategy.

Goodyear NASCAR product manager Rick Heinrich spoke about the decision, saying:

"We introduced new right-side Goodyear Racing Eagle tires last fall, which help give teams different strategy options as the race unfolds. This 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."

Kyle Larson won at Kansas Speedway last year, leading 221 of 267 laps and dominating the race.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Sanskriti Pastor

Edited by

Yask Kotak