Darlington Raceway and Goodyear announced a partnership on the entitlement of the spring NASCAR Cup Series race as part of the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR on May 9.

The official name of the race will be the Goodyear 400. In support of the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR, Goodyear will once again replace the yellow “Eagle” logo on the sidewalls of its racing tyres with a vintage “Blue Streak” sidewall design.

In keeping with the race weekend’s throwback theme, the Blue Streak tyres will include white Goodyear lettering and a white logo that reflect the design of NASCAR tyres used in the 1960’s and 1970’s. “Goodyear is one of the most iconic brands in the history of motorsports, so we are proud to name our spring NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway the Goodyear 400,” said Darlington President Kerry Tharp.

“Goodyear has been a part of many monumental moments in Darlington Raceway’s storied history. We look forward to writing a new chapter with Goodyear as part of the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR.” Goodyear has a rich history at Darlington Raceway as the company conducted its first official NASCAR tyres tests at the track in 1954 and earned its first NASCAR victory in the 1959 Southern 500® with driver Jim Reed.

The Goodyear 400 will mark Goodyear's first race entitlement in North America. “Goodyear is honored to be a part of the Official Throwback Weekend, a tradition that drivers and fans look forward to each year,” said Karen Maroli, Goodyear's vice president of marketing. “Goodyear and NASCAR have a shared legacy that spans six decades and multiple generations, and the throwback nature of the Goodyear 400 allows us to celebrate the accomplishments of the past while also showcasing the incredible talents of drivers today.” (TT)

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Nexen Tire has strengthened its position in the European original equipment (OE) market through a new partnership with Stellantis, supplying high-performance tyres for the Citroën C5 and C5 Aircross SUVs. The agreement highlights Nexen’s growing influence among global automakers.

The approved tyre, the N'FERA Sport (size 225/60R18 104V XL), is a summer tyre designed for superior high-speed stability, wet grip and braking performance – qualities that complement the Citroën C5 series’ dynamic driving experience. Produced at Nexen’s Czech Republic facility, the tyres meet stringent OE standards for quality, sustainability and supply chain efficiency.

The N'FERA Sport has earned widespread acclaim, securing top ratings in 2025 tests by leading European automotive organisations. Germany’s ADAC and AutoBild Sportscars awarded it a ‘Good’ rating, while Switzerland’s TCS deemed it ‘Very recommendable’. Austria’s ÖAMTC also recognised its strong performance, reinforcing its reputation as a premium summer tyre.

This collaboration reflects Nexen Tire’s strategic push to expand its OE business with top-tier automakers, further solidifying its global footprint in the competitive tire industry.

Edwin van der Stad, Vice President Europe Original Equipment at Nexen Tire, said, “We are proud to strengthen our partnership with Stellantis by being selected as an OE supplier for the Citroën C5/C5 Aircross. This collaboration highlights our technological capabilities and commitment to delivering high-performance, reliable tyres to global automakers.”

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has started supplying its ADVAN V61 tyres for use as original equipment (OE) on the new Xiangwang S7, a plug-in hybrid SUV that was launched in China by GAC Trumpchi in March 2025. The EV will be equipped with 255/50R20 109V size tyres.

Yokohama Rubber's premium SUV tyre, the ADVAN V61, is part of their global flagship ADVAN brand line. Along with a high degree of fuel and energy economy, handling stability and quietness, the tyre provides ADVAN's renowned premium-grade driving performance, enabling heavyweight SUVs to travel long distances and drive comfortably in cities. The ADVAN V61 is offered as original equipment on a number of high-end SUVs, and a variety of sizes are available for the replacement market in addition to the size used on the Xiangwang S7.

Designed with families in mind, the Xiangwang S7 is a new plug-in SUV that offers a remarkable 1,150 km total driving range, a gradability of more than 40 percent, and an acceleration time of 5.8 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. Furthermore, remote-controlled and automated parking are supported by its in-house intelligent driving system.

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has started supplying its ADVAN Sport EV tyres for use as original equipment (OE) on the new HYPTEC HL SUV, an electric vehicle (EV) launched by Chinese EV manufacturer GAC AION in China in April 2025. The EV will be equipped with 255/50R20 109V size tyres.

The ADVAN Sport EV tyre is developed for high-end EV users based on Yokohama Rubber's ADVAN Sport V107 tyre. Yokohama Rubber has attained a level of low power consumption and quietness suitable for luxury EVs by employing a compound that has been shown to minimise tyre rolling resistance and adding a unique polyurethane foam dubbed SILENTFOAM to the inside of the tyre to reduce noise. Yokohama Rubber's exclusive ‘E+’ symbol is shown on the sidewall of the ADVAN Sport EV to signify that it possesses unique properties appropriate for electric vehicles.

The HYPTEC HL is a high-end SUV with a beautiful and dynamic appearance that draws inspiration from yacht design and comes with a long driving range and quick-charging feature. The SUV boasts a smart digital chassis, an intelligent driving aid system and a large passenger interior with a head-up display (HUD) and high-definition display.

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Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) has selected the BluEarth 711L tyre from The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. as original equipment (OE) for the Super Great heavy-duty truck. The Super Great, which started selling in Japan from December 2023 with a full model change, will be fitted with 245/70R19.5 136/134J and 275/80R22.5 151/148J tyres.

The BluEarth 711L is an all-season truck tyre that prioritizes and achieves exceptional fuel efficiency. For clients who often drive on highways, in particular, this will help lower their transportation expenses. In addition to achieving exceptional wear resistance, the tyres exhibit a high degree of balance between wet performance, snow performance, uneven wear resistance and silence.

By encouraging the use of its tyres as original equipment on new cars that require the newest tyre technologies, Yokohama Rubber is working to improve the technological capabilities of its tyres and increase the value of its brand in order to solidify its position in the commercial tyre industry.

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