National: Goodyear Racing Joliet event summary

GOODYEAR'S 11 WINS AT ROUTE 66 NATIONALS LEAD TIRE INDUSTRY

JOLIET, Ill. (June 7, 2010) -- No racecar can win without tires and, at the NHRA United Association Route 66 Nationals, very few cars won without Goodyear tires.

The simple math: Goodyear beat all participating tiremakers with six regular event category wins and was the winningest tiremaker in the Jegs All Stars special event for sportsman racers with five wins in 10 categories. Goodyear's 11 total wins bested the totals of all other tiremakers combined, 10.

The Goodyear-equipped winners in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series for sportsman racers included Monroe Guest, who won his first national event victory in Top Alcohol Dragster; Don Higgins, who also won his first national title in Super Comp, and Peter Biondo, whose victory in Stock Eliminator was his 38th win in national event competition.

Goodyear's Jegs All Stars champions included Jim Whiteley (Top Alcohol Dragster), Bruno Massel (Competition Eliminator), Keith Raftery (Top Sportsman), Ray Miller (Top Dragster) and Steve Domingues (Super Street). No other tiremaker had more than three All Stars wins.

Guest beat Jared Dreher, who also raced on Goodyear tires, in the TAD final. Racing on Goodyear's D2540 drive tire, Guest won the final with a 5.482-second, 260.26 mph pass down the quarter mile. The TAD cars are purpose-built racing dragsters.

The four-day event was hampered by constant rain, leaving the grounds soggy and changing the track conditions all weekend long.

"My tires were never an issue," Guest said. "They worked every time. It was a question of what the track would take."

Higgins drove another purpose-built racing dragster and won with a quarter-mile pass clocked at 8.920 seconds and 160.75 mph. His car was equipped with a pair of Goodyear D2532 drive tires on the back.

Higgins said, "The 60-foot times were beautiful. This is the first year I've tried the Goodyears. They're great."

Biondo, the wily veteran, drove a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro with a set of Goodyear D6303 tires on the back. His time in the final round was 10.482 seconds and he went through the speed traps at 120.35 mph.

-source: goodyear racing