AKRON, OH -- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. announced a new tire lease program for NASCAR’s 2006 racing season that uses radio frequency identification technology (RFID).

The tires are embedded with computer chips containing information, such as tire ID, that helps manage the leased tires, Goodyear stated. RFID scanning equipment “reads” the information on the chip. The RFID technology will also help NASCAR implement new controlled testing procedures.

The tire lease program will be tested this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the Craftsman Truck Series race, according to Greg Stucker, director of race tire marketing at Goodyear.

"With RFID, we will have the ability to ensure that every tire that comes to the racetrack with us leaves the track with us," Stucker said. "While we will no longer sell tires to the teams for private testing, we will continue to supply Goodyear tires for NASCAR-scheduled testing in much the same way we do at race events."

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