NASCAR looks at downforce and tyres
NASCAR is working with Goodyear Racing in Akron, OH, to evaluate the adoption of 'softer' tyres for its headline Nextel Cup series in 2004. The concensus in US stock car racing circles is that softer tyres, in providing less consistent grip, would increase overtaking opportunities, reduce the importance of fuel mileage and make more demands on race strategies. Goodyear would require a substantial aerodynamic downforce reduction before replacing its current 'hard' compound

Race driver Jimmy Johnson commented: "If NASCAR can take away the downforce, that's going to mean slower speeds, and then we could start looking at a softer tyre. There's a debate out there on ways to cut speeds. Goodyear's position is that we need a hard tyre because these cars are now building so much downforce and going so fast. They've gone through spells where they've had right-fronts blowing. They want to build a safe tyre."
Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart added: "Goodyear has made some changes with the tyre and probably made it safer for all of us. The teams that were struggling with the tyres now have a tyre that's harder to abuse. That helps to protect Goodyear. We've got a harder tyre that makes you slide around a lot more on the racetrack, and that makes the balance of the car very critical."
Rusty Wallace commented: "Once Goodyear and NASCAR finally see fit to soften up this tyre, you're going to see a lot of really good races. These tyres are real, real hard."

Cabarrus: 'The Center of American Motorsports'
Mugello Ferraris: Cullen surges to finals win

Latest news
Magazine: Hamilton's F1 2009 woes retrospective, BMW Motorsport at 50
Lewis Hamilton’s struggles with mediocre Formula 1 machinery in 2009 and 2022 are compared in this week’s Autosport magazine, out today (11 August).
Rodin reveals more details about 'F1-beating' hypercar
More details have been revealed about Rodin’s new closed-cockpit FZERO hypercar, which it intends will offer greater performance than Formula 1 machinery.
Magazine: F1 Hungarian GP review, FE London and BTCC Knockhill
Last weekend's Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, featuring another Ferrari clanger and Max Verstappen victory, is our focus on the cover of this week’s Autosport magazine, out today (4 August).
MotorsportDays LIVE reveals date of 2022 show at Silverstone
Motorsport Network is excited to announce that MotorsportDays LIVE will be held at Silverstone on 4-5 November 2022.
Why romanticism isn't the key factor in Lola’s racing return
The iconic Lola name is being relaunched after it was taken over by new ownership. Part of that reboot is a planned return to racing, though the exact details of this are still to be finalised - though its new owner does have a desire to bring the brand back to the Le Mans 24 Hours. But romanticism doesn't appear to be the driving force behind this renewed project...
Rating the best drivers of the century so far
Autosport's Top 50 feature has been a staple of the magazine for the past two decades since its first appearance in 2002. Here are the drivers that have featured most prevalently during that time
The best motorsport moments of 2021
Motorsport produced one of its greatest years of all-time in 2021 despite a backdrop of ongoing COVID-19 challenges and an ever-changing racing landscape. Through the non-stop action Autosport has collected the finest moments from the past 12 months to highlight the incredible drama and joy motorsport generates
The racing comeback artists who resurrected long-dormant careers
Making it in motorsport can be tough, and sometimes drivers move elsewhere before their best chance arrives. Here are some of those who made it back
The hidden racing gem attracting ex-F1 heroes
It’s rarely mentioned when it comes to assessing the best national contests, but the Brazilian Stock Car series that reaches its climax this weekend has an ever-growing appeal. Its expanding roster of ex-Formula 1 names has helped to draw in new fans, but it's the closeness of competition that keeps them watching
The one-time Schumacher rival rebooting his career Down Under
Joey Mawson made waves in the middle of the last decade, beating future Haas Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher - among other highly-rated talents - to the 2016 German F4 title. A run in F1's feeder GP3 category only caused his career to stall, but now back in Australia Mawson's S5000 title success has set that to rights
The lesson football’s would-be wreckers could learn from racing
OPINION: The greed-driven push for a European Super League that threatened to tear football apart is collapsing at the seams. Motor racing's equivalent, the football-themed Superleague Formula series of 2008-11, was everything that the proposed ESL never could be
The F1 and Indy 'nearly man' that found contentment in Japan
Having had the door to F1 slammed in his face and come within three laps of winning the Indianapolis 500, the collapse of a Peugeot LMP1 shot meant Japan was Bertrand Baguette's last chance of a career. But it's one which he has grasped with both hands