A lot can be said about NASCAR’s official tire partner, Goodyear. While the manufacturer has been criticized a lot for tire failures and blowouts and denied drivers a number of wins, one should accept that’s in the past. Chase Elliott and Tony Stewart have been on the bad side when things go wrong, and they’ve been vocal about the manufacturer’s flaws, calling them out publicly and giving them an earful.

The scenario this time was almost similar to the Cup Series’ Phoenix package. Where teams needed more tires as the new updated ones were quickly turning into rubber shreds, it demanded more from teams and the manufacturer. But it looks like that is well covered now as 2-time Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes relayed it after last day’s North Wilkesboro testing phase.

Positive feedback after the North Wilkesboro tire tests

It was fast and “crazy,” as Ben Rhodes revealed. The tire tests at North Wilkesboro, as it turns out, seem to have a positive response from drivers, unlike the Phoenix package, which earned notoriety for being too soft and unreliable. The repaved NWB track hosted the Goodyear Tire Tests on March 12 for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Three drivers each from the three manufacturers were called in to offer their valuable feedback and improve Goodyear’s product. Ben Rhodes from ThorSport Racing represented Ford; Corey Heim showed up for TRICON Garage Toyota; and Christian Eckes from McAnally-Hilgemann Racing was in for Chevrolet. Speaking about the testing phase, Rhodes was vocal about the updated track, which has been repaved for the first time since 1984, and the new Goodyear package.

Offering his feedback on the Goodyear compound, Ben Rhodes said, “I just gave them the feedback of what I felt. I really left at it in their hands. That’s the best thing you can do as a driver, I think, I told them what I thought, what would give racing, what would be worse racing, what’s good for restarts, what’s not good for restarts. Just trying to lay out everything, all the options and then let them make the decision, but I think ultimately everybody’s still on the same page.” 

He further said, “I think the control group, the tire that we showed up with, I think is the best. It seems like everybody kind of had that general consensus. So. I think that’s what they’re going to move forward with.” 

Ben Rhodes on the repaved NWB, “It’s not even the same track”

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After coming back to life, or rather, waking it back to life last year, the iconic North Wilkesboro track has now gotten a new surface. Even when the track was brought back to the schedule after rebuilding and modernizing the arena, the track surface remained the old pavement, and it certainly showed its age when the All-Star race was run last year.

Now that the authorities are aware of it, the track has been repaved. “It’s crazy,” said Ben Rhodes, who tested the new Goodyear compound on the last day on the new tarmac. He further said, “So it’s a pretty quick track, fast pavement. I don’t know if it’s going to get any faster, but…I didn’t think it would get faster than 18.70, or 18.20s at the end of the day. So, pretty quick.” 

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The 27-year-old then gave a detailed summary of the new surface. “It’s not even the same racetrack. And really when we started the day, never having a truck or car or anything run on this place to all the rubber we put on it. It’s not the same racetrack from, you know, eight hours ago, right? So it’s changed a lot, I think it’s rubbered in well,” said the driver. 

Adding to his take Ben Rhodes said, “But the challenge is considerable. I mean, we came here with a totally separate truck, a totally separate package. way different thinking. And even when we unloaded, we were absolutely garbage. It took us quite some time to get dialed in. Those are the guys who were fast right off the bat. We got dialed in and I think we’re…were comparable on speeds now, so I feel really good about that. But yeah, way different thinking, way different train of thought, it’s… Not even the same.”