...commitment to improving the motorsports experience. Retroactive to May 1, 2011, the contingency program will enable the BFGoodrich® g-Force™ R1™ tire to be used in dry conditions with the BFGoodrich® g-Force™ T/A®KDW allowed for wet surfaces.

The Goodyear contingency program is open to all open tire class competitors at regional racing events. For complete details on the contingency program, please visit www.nasaproracing.com/contingency

...in Japan, some of the NASA classes were forced to allow additional tire brands due to production limitations at the Toyo plant in Sendai, Japan. Toyo Tires remains supportive to the NASA racer and will reward contingency based on the highest finishing driver on the Toyo brand. This means that if a racer finishes 3rd in a race but is the top finisher using a Toyo, that driver will qualify for the 1st place Toyo contingency reward. Motorsports Manager Stan Chen said, "we are very appreciative of our NASA racers and we want to reward them for continuing to support our brand."

Toyo Tires reports that production is back up to about 70% of the level prior to the earthquake. The plan for the future is to step up the rate of operations in stages while responding flexibly to supply and logistical issues, so that by May, operations may resume at full capacity.

Difficulties relating to raw material supply, electricity availability, and transport restrictions have greatly impacted the availability of the Toyo Proxes RA-1 tire which is the specified tire for many NASA classes. As such, NASA will be removing the requirement to use the Toyo Proxes RA-1 from the American Iron, Honda Challenge, and Spec 944 classes beginning on May 1, 2011 and will allow any DOT-approved R compound tire. Spec Tire classes will be handled on a case-by-case basis, so please keep informed by visiting the www.nasaproracing.com for any new information if and when it's posted or by visiting your class section on the www.nasaforums.com. NASA will be sure to post any new information when it's available.