On Tuesday Bristol Motor Speedway held a closed-session tire test to aid Goodyear in finding the optimal compounds for the August events at the short track in eastern Tennessee. Casey Mears represented the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Jason Keller and Steve Wallace tested on behalf of the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Todd Bodine and Ron Hornaday embodied the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. 

"Bristol is so unique. The surface is different and all the operating conditions are so different,” Rick Campbell, Project Manager for Goodyear's NASCAR Development Program explained. “I look for very competitive racing with specifically tuned tires for the three series. They keep getting further and further apart and the tire requirements are different and that is why we are here to see what those requirements need to be.”

Working rubber into the asphalt for the AM hours, the drivers got a sneak-peek of what they should expect when the sport ventures to Bristol in August.

"It is always a good event," Mears said. "It is packed. It is a huge race. It is one of the best races out there.

"We are looking to be good when we come back. We have been pretty good in the past. Hopefully, we can come back here and be competitive and do well."

Looking to give the Hardcore Race Fans their moneys worth when watching the event, Keller feels that the tire that will be used at Bristol will make the racing more competitive.

"They (Goodyear) want a tire to rubber the track up a little more like we used to see," noted Keller. "It will make the racing racier all over the track.

Keller continued, "We all want the racing to be side-by-side with those side-by-side battles. From a fan standpoint, from a racer standpoint, we want to see the same thing. We want to get side-by-side and put on a good show for the fans."

Hoping to make the tire last longer due to the new pit stop rules in the Truck Series, Bodine was impressed with what Goodyear brought to the table.

"The main thing with the trucks, with our new pit stop rules," said the 2006 Truck Series champion. "Sometimes you have to leave the tires on. We want to make sure the tires will last more than one fuel run and not wear out and blister. They decided to come here with a different tire and try it. So far, so good.”

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