KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Goodyear will hold its first on-track test of a larger tire on Tuesday and Wednesday at Richmond International Raceway, exciting some drivers about the possibilities it represents.

“

I'm excited that Goodyear is trying to look for new opportunities for the teams and the drivers. Hopefully they'll have success in developing the new tire.

”

-- DALE EARNHARDT JR.

"First and foremost, this is a normal tire test for us," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of race tire sales. "We're going to Richmond to work on our short track set-up, looking for some things we might want to evaluate further before next season.

"The second part of the Richmond test is very preliminary and is our first opportunity to get the larger size tire on the track. We've been very happy with the lab work on the larger tire and the modeling results that we've seen, so the next logical step is to get this tire on the ground."

Roush Fenway Racing drivers Matt Kenseth and Travis Kvapil will handle the driving duties for the test, with the organization bringing a specific car to accommodate the larger tire. The new tire is 1.5 inches wider than the current NASCAR tire, and will be run on 17-inch wheels compared to the current 15-inch configuration.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who drives the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, said he is thrilled about what it might mean -- although Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president for competition, cautioned that no switch to a larger tire is imminent and that the upcoming test mostly is to make sure the current tire set-up and program is in order for the upcoming 2010 season. (Continued)