QuestionMy son is currently writing a piece on Jeff Gordon, and we need some additional info about his car--we have the sponsor, etc. and thought it might be interesting to note how often tires need changing---how many sets of tires he may go through in a race weekend or season...?
AnswerI don't usually do "homework" questions, but.....
It's impossible to say exactly how many sets of tires a team will use. That depends on the track, the tire wear, and how many caution flags there are during any given race but the average stes of tires for most teams run between 9-14 sets. Less cautions or tire wear, less sets, more of both means more sets.
From the Goodyear site:
Goodyear - Official Tire
Although Goodyear's racing involvement began in 1901 with Henry Ford, the relationship between NASCAR and Goodyear did not begin until 1954 when Goodyear conducted tire tests for the NASCAR Convertible Series at Darlington Raceway. Goodyear's first major NASCAR win came in 1959 with Jim Reed's victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington, S.C. Though much has changed over the years, the goal of improving racing performance has remained the same.
Every champion in NASCAR's premier division since 1968 has used Goodyear tires. Goodyear has been the exclusive tire manufacturer of NASCAR'S premier series since 1997. No other brand has won an event in NASCAR'S top series since 1994.
The specifications for Goodyear Eagle tires vary slightly depending on the tire position (left sides or right sides) and the type of track at which it is used. Each tire weighs approximately 24 pounds.
On tracks longer than one mile a tubeless inner tire, acting as a safety spare, is required. This technology was developed in 1966 with the introduction of Goodyear's "Lifeguard Inner Liner Safety Spare" and at that time NASCAR mandated its use in all racing tires. Today's consumer benefits with the Goodyear EMT Runflat passenger tire. View a closer look at the "Lifeguard Inner Liner Safety Spare"
A typical race weekend will see a Goodyear crew of 20-25 mounting and balancing between 2,000 and 3,500 race tires NASCAR allows each NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team three sets of tires for practice and qualifying. A team will average eight to twelve sets.
Nearly 1,300 races have been won with Goodyear tires in NASCAR'S premier division. Jeff Gordon logged Goodyear's 1,000th victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in April of 1995.
Race Tire vs. Street Tire
On a typical race weekend, a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team will use between nine and 14 sets of tires depending upon the length of the race and type of track - short track, speedway, superspeedway or road course.
By comparison, an average set of street tires gets replaced approximately every three years. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series racing tire specifications also differ from race to race depending upon the degree of track banking and type of racing surface (asphalt, concrete, or mixture of both). Goodyear uses about 18 different tire codes to cover the needs of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series during the course of a racing season.
