DESPITE NEW COMPETITION, GOODYEAR LOOKS TO STICK WITH NASCAR

          OH-based Goodyear "is no longer leading the tire race,"
     after being "overtaken in two of the world's three major
     circuits" by TN-based Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., according
     to David Adams of the AKRON BEACON JOURNAL.  Adams: "In
     head-to-head competition, Goodyear is getting run over. 
     Pulling out of Formula 1, and getting beaten in the two
     major Indy car circuits, Goodyear can rely -- at least for a
     while -- on its exclusive supplier agreement with the three-
     most popular NASCAR series, including" the Winston Cup.  The
     company's Winston Cup deal expires after the '99 season, and
     a renewal "could prove costly as other tire makers lick
     their chops at the chance to get in on the NASCAR marketing
     juggernaut."  Goodyear, however, "says it will do what it
     has to do to maintain its long-standing relationship with
     NASCAR" and the company's engineered products division has
     just signed a licensing agreement to be NASCAR's official
     supplier of belts and hoses (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 12/14).