"Didn't notice a single difference": Kyle Larson delivers lukewarm review for Goodyear's Dover-exclusive tires

When asked about the newly introduced Goodyear Racing Eagle tires, Kyle Larson, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver, bluntly assessed that he felt no change. This response came after a race that was expected to test the limits of a new tire compound designed specifically for the Dover Motor Speedway - the high-banked, one-mile concrete track.

The comment came via a post-race video shared by Frontstretch on X. Larson addressed the media after finishing fourth in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. The caption of the post read:

“"I didn't notice a single difference today." @KyleLarsonRacin on the new tire compound used today at Dover Motor Speedway.”

In the video, Kyle Larson was asked whether the late-race rubber reset, caused by rain and a red flag, changed the car's handling. Larson responded that the car’s balance was more or less what he expected. But he hoped the tires would allow for more separation in the field, which ultimately didn’t happen.

“I didn’t notice a single difference today,” he said. “So I thought the style of how you kind manage to run and lap times and all that were very similar. So I didn't feel any different,” Larson added.

Goodyear introduced a brand-new tire compound exclusively for this race at Dover Motor Speedway, hoping it would better handle the higher July temperatures compared to the usual spring race date.

The new tire codes—D-5240 for the left sides and D-5260 for the right—had never been used before in a NASCAR Cup Series race and will not appear again this season. The compound was intended to help lay rubber on the smooth concrete surface while maintaining performance under Dover’s conditions.

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“Just been tough to get out of the rut”: Kyle Larson reflected on recent performance struggles pre-Dover

Kyle Larson also took time over the weekend to reflect on his recent dip in performance. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s (July 20) race, he acknowledged that things hadn’t been the same since his Coca-Cola 600 and Indy 500 doubleheader in May. While the early season saw the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion claim three wins in 12 starts, the past eight races have been inconsistent and filled with setbacks.

Larson acknowledged that while it was more about a lack of speed early on, the situation was made worse by unfortunate events during races, which compounded week after week. In comments to Racer, he said:

“At the beginning of the struggles, I felt like when we didn’t have the speed, we were executing well… Then we had some races where we got caught up in some unfortunate things, too, and it all snowballed.”

Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway on July 20, 2025, in Dover, Delaware - Source: Getty

His fourth-place result at Dover may be a step in the right direction, but Larson didn’t shy away from the fact that he and his team have been trying to pull themselves out of a rut.

“Just been tough to get out of the rut, but through it all, I do believe we’ll come out the other side even stronger,” he said.

The downturn began after a high-stakes Memorial Day weekend where Larson crashed in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. Since then, he's had a few respectable finishes—like eighth at Nashville and fifth at Michigan—but also some poor showings, including 36th in Mexico City and 35th at Sonoma. At Atlanta, he finished 17th after starting 11th.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar