NASCAR‘s trio of international feeder series — the Whelen Euro Series, Pinty’s Series, and PEAK Mexico Series — and the K&N Pro Series East and West will all field new tyres for 2019. On Tuesday, NASCAR announced General Tire will serve as the exclusive tyre supplier for four of the series on a multi-year contract; the Whelen Euro Series had signed its own six-year deal with the company in October.
“The demand for NASCAR racing globally has never been stronger,” NASCAR Touring Series Managing Director Brandon M. Thompson stated in a release. “General Tire’s investment across the NASCAR regional and international series will authentically drive brand awareness of not only the respective series but that of the drivers, teams and tracks. Our unique racing style will be highlighted and that’s exciting.”
While NASCAR’s three national series (Monster Energy Cup, Xfinity, and Gander Outdoors Truck) continue to use Goodyear, the lower series’ switch to General Tire also bridges the gap between NASCAR and the ARCA Racing Series, which has featured General Tire as its lone tyre constructor since 2015. In April, NASCAR announced it would be purchasing the ARCA series in 2020, sparking discussions of an interchangeable car between ARCA and the NASCAR feeder series once the two bodies merge. On Monday, NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell confirmed such plans are in the works.
The tyres will be developed in Lakeland, Indiana, where ARCA tires are also built.
“General Tire is committed to promoting the NASCAR regional and international series across two continents and more than 11 countries with substantial investments across the NASCAR industry,” General Tire Director of Marketing Travis Roffler said. “Our team works hard to provide competitive, action-packed racing each week for the fans and we’re thrilled to be expanding that across several more series. We look forward to working with the NASCAR industry to grow not only recognition of the General Tire name, but the various series as well.”
