Goodyear Announces 'Officially Licensed by NASCAR' Performance Tire

6 August 1999
Goodyear Announces 'Officially Licensed by NASCAR' Performance Tire
    INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 6 -- The National Association for Stock
Car Auto Racing and Goodyear have fortified their exclusive tire supplier
agreement with a new "Officially Licensed by NASCAR" performance tire, it was
announced tonight in downtown Indianapolis.  The tire will make its debut at
retailers in the spring.
    The street-legal Goodyear Eagle #1 performance radial tire features bold
gold-lettering similar to the company's NASCAR race tires and a prominent
NASCAR logo on the sidewall.
    The new tire supports a 1997 agreement that made Goodyear the exclusive
tire supplier for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the NASCAR Busch Series and
the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
    "We have enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with
Goodyear," said NASCAR president Bill France.  "This new NASCAR tire cements
our long-term alliance and builds upon the NASCAR automotive aftermarket goal
of aligning with top branded products."
    Marco Molinari, vice president of sales and marketing for Goodyear North
American Tire, said the new tire targets the booming performance car and sport
truck tire markets and plays on the most popular and fastest growing spectator
sport in North America -- NASCAR.
    "Combining the Goodyear and NASCAR brand names makes sense," Molinari
said, "since each is recognized as a leader in their industries.  The bright
gold Eagle #1 all-season performance tire with NASCAR identification should be
in vogue immediately, considering Goodyear's race record, NASCAR's growing
legions of fans and the penchant for performance styling demonstrated in the
aftermarket."
    "We're proud to have Goodyear join our roster of top brands in the
aftermarket," said Steve Boguski, director of automotive aftermarket for
NASCAR.  "Goodyear's strategy to take the NASCAR name right to the point of
purchase is exciting."
    Officially, Molinari said, the lettering color is called Goodyear
Championship Gold, which highlights a racetrack-to-street connection -- the
transfer of racing technology and image to the company's line of Eagle
performance street tires.  The Eagle #1 name is reflective of the company's #1
in Racing, #1 in Tires theme.
    The gold letters made famous on the company's line of Eagle race tires are
more than just aesthetics.  Racing's performance image gives the Goodyear
Championship Gold added meaning, and these tires on a sporty vehicle make a
statement, Molinari said.
    "For the performance enthusiast who prefers a more understated look, the
reverse sidewall features the same Goodyear Eagle #1 and NASCAR logos in a
stylish black sidewall design," he added.
    NASCAR's Officially Licensed automotive aftermarket program, developed in
1996, now includes 20 licensees incorporating 32 categories of aftermarket
products.  It was developed to create new avenues of promoting NASCAR and its
leading manufacturers through a powerful marketing program entitled -- NASCAR
Garage.  This program incorporates a national weekly television show on TNN, a
daily radio show on MRN, a quarterly magazine by Babcox Publishing and a
dedicated section on NASCAR Online, the official internet site of NASCAR.
    In addition to the Eagle #1 performance tire, Goodyear also licenses
Gatorback automotive belts.  The tire, to be manufactured at Goodyear's tire
facility in Union City, Tenn., will be available in sizes P205/65R15,
P205/55R16, P235/55R16 and P225/60R16.  Four additional sizes will be
announced in mid 2000.