Goodyear to use RFID tags

When NASCAR cars and trucks hit the racetrack for the 2008 season, they’ll be outfitted with Goodyear tires imbedded with passive UHF RFID tags. The unique ID numbers in the RFID tags will help Goodyear keep track of the thousands of tires it leases to NASCAR racing teams, and they’ll also help NASCAR track down any racers who’ve illegally tampered with their tires.

Goodyear’s investment is one example of the growing market for RFID tags used to manage high-value assets.

Dan Finch, president and CEO of Advanced ID, the company providing RFID tags to Goodyear and NASCAR, says tracking high-value tires is an excellent application for RFID technology. He believes, for example, that RFID tags will eventually be added to all large truck tires to fight theft and counterfeiting.