Tire Rack Events & Sponsorships

One (Hard) Lap for Tires: The Preamble

In theory, the Tire Rack One Lap of America may be the quintessential road trip, made a little more interesting by someone keeping score to decide who wins.

In execution, the Tire Rack One Lap of America has to be one of the most diverse and challenging motorsports competitions in North America. Over 3,000 road miles connect nearly 20 competitive events including autocross, drag racing and time attack-style racetrack events. While this would sound like a full racing season for many, One Lap of America packs all of this into just eight days — a non-stop espresso shot for the driving enthusiast.

Teams of two or three drivers load everything they need for the week into their racecar and drive from track to track. There is very little sleep, and no team transporters or luxury motor coaches to ease the journey. Teams must go fast, and race hard; then grind out the transit miles late into the night until the next stop where they will do it again, and again, and again.

All of this is done with just one set of tires. That one set has to endure thousands of road miles and deliver race-winning performance during competitive events, all while performing in whatever weather conditions Mother Nature dishes out during the week.

One Lap of America isn’t meant to be easy. It’s hard. It’s a game of survival, and to thrive teams need to make smart tire choices.

That’s where we come in.

We’ve been been revolutionizing tire buying since 1979, and helping One Lap of America competitors gear up for 16 years. This year’s field hits the starting line on May 6th on the test track at Tire Rack headquarters in South Bend, IN.

Lots of Smart Tire Options

A look at the field of cars and tires shows there is no single formula for success. On top of lots of planning, hard work and practice, there is a wide array of vehicles chosen in the attempt to conquer the challenge. The tire choices vary, too, as teams strategize about what is the smartest option to deliver the performance they need throughout the entire week. Most competitors choose tires from the Max Performance Summer category, which are designed to deliver a blend of excellent wet and dry traction and handling. About one-third of the teams have opted for Extreme Performance Summer tires, which place a much higher emphasis on ultimate dry performance, at the expense of some wet weather traction and reduced road comfort.

What combination of driver, car and tire will prevail? Only time (and a few thousand miles) will tell.