NASCAR Tire Testing at Las Vegas Tues & Wed
The two-day Las Vegas tire test is the first of seven on the 2017 schedule.
Other Goodyear tire tests for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams are on tap for Michigan (April 4-5), Indianapolis (April 25-26), Kentucky (May 9-10), Chicago (June 6-7) and Atlanta (Aug. 8-9). All are for 2017 races with the exception of AMS, which will be focused on 2018 as AMS will be repaved following the race in March 2017.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams will participate in a Goodyear tire test at Eldora Speedway May 16-17. Eldora is the only dirt track hosting a race among NASCAR's three national series. Also, with news of a repaving and reconfiguration at Texas Motor Speedway, Goodyear could add a test there as well.
OPEN TESTS: NASCAR's first organizational test, open to all but limited to one team per organization, will take place at Phoenix Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Additional organizational tests for the series are scheduled for May 30-31 at New Hampshire, Aug. 15-16 at Chicago, Oct. 10-11 at Martinsville and Oct. 24-25 at Homestead. An organizational test for NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series teams is set for Charlotte May 2.
One change of note in the 2017 testing schedule is the addition of separate tests for the manufacturers' wheel force transducer (WFT) cars. The vehicles, provided by teams and fitted with various data-gathering devices, were previously allowed for each organizational and Goodyear tire test.
NASCAR will also hold a two-day test April 11-12 at Daytona, using the first day to sort through potential safety/competition initiatives while Goodyear is expected to conduct a tire test with any potential changes on the second day.
The 2017 season will be the third in which team testing is limited to participation in Goodyear tire tests, organizational tests or any developmental-type tests set by NASCAR. Private team testing has been prohibited since the start of the 2015 season. NASCAR