Denny Hamlin hails Goodyear's Martinsville tire as a return to classic NASCAR racing

Denny Hamlin praised Goodyear’s new left-side tire ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran said that the compound brings back the attrition and strategy that once defined Martinsville races in the early 2000s.

Goodyear will pair a new left-side Racing Eagle, designed to create more fall-off over a run, with the familiar right-side tire that has been used several times this year, including the spring Martinsville race and at New Hampshire in September.

Speaking in the pre-race press conference, Hamlin welcomed the change and said:

“I thought the tire was good. Definitely the tire Goodyear brought here was definitely a good choice and whatever they developed there I thought was kind of rewound the clock back to what it was. I feel like - 15 years ago. Just definitely have to manage the car. All the drivers are going to have to do their job tomorrow to make it last. So we'll see how it goes.” (0:50 onwards)

With more fall-off on the left side, longer runs will sap pace and tire life, forcing teams to balance track position against tire conservation and strategic pit calls. The Xfinity 500 should reward drivers and crews that can nurse a car, read tire wear correctly, and time their moves.

Denny Hamlin (11) before the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas. Source: Imagn

Goodyear product manager Rick Heinrich explained the thinking behind the new left-side compound, via Jayski:

“We have brought a new left-side Goodyear Racing Eagle tire for the final short track race of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Fitting in with our ongoing efforts to deliver tires that offer increased grip and more lap time fall-off over the course of a run, we look forward to seeing this new tread compound tackle the concrete corners and the asphalt straightaways that make up Martinsville.”

Denny Hamlin goes into the weekend carrying strong short-track form. He won the summer race at Martinsville, has led the most laps of any driver in the Next Gen era at this track (735 laps led), and holds five top finishes at the half-mile oval in seven races.

A recurring starter issue for Denny Hamlin at Martinsville qualifying

Denny Hamlin (11) during the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 practice at Martinsville. Source: Getty

Martinsville is the final Round of the 8 race before Phoenix, with Denny Hamlin's Championship 4 spot locked after his Las Vegas win. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was competitive in Saturday practice, turning one of the top times in the split 25-minute sessions. However, qualifying brought both track drama and mechanical headaches for the No. 11 team.

Chase Elliott led the final practice at 95.796 mph, narrowly ahead of Hamlin (95.791) and Ty Gibbs (95.782). But Hamlin’s weekend wasn’t flawless. The No. 11 car suffered a starter problem that prevented an immediate qualifying effort - the fourth such starter-related issue for the team this month.

When asked to explain the cause, Hamlin made it clear that the team suspects a systemic issue rather than a single, isolated failure.

“Car didn’t start... any one of the three issues that we've had week in, week out — it's one of those,” he said in the pre race press conference.

Denny Hamlin referred to the run of battery, starter, and clutch glitches that have cropped up sporadically in recent weeks. The 11 team is still diagnosing which component or system is at fault.

Qualifying itself was a tightly bunched affair. William Byron claimed pole with a blistering 19.286-second lap (98.185 mph), edging JGR's Ty Gibbs by just 0.002 seconds. Hamlin timed a 19.347 (97.876 mph) to line up fifth. Practice pace had been close as well. The entire field finished in the 19-second range, underlining how little separates contenders at Martinsville.