On the Loose Side
A NASCAR BLOG BY Kenny Bruce
Tire troubles put Goodyear back in the news
Goodyear’s tires are back in the news after last Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
At least three, and probably more, drivers had tire troubles during the race, and the result was hard contact with the wall.
Kurt Busch led 64 laps before the right front tire on his Penske Racing Dodge gave way. Dale Earnhardt Jr. led five times for 76 laps, but he also had a tire issue that sent his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into the wall.
And Tony Stewart was two laps from the checkered flag, holding a healthy lead, when the air went out of his tire and his hopes.
Goodyear tested its tire at Lowe’s. Teams tested their cars at Lowe’s. So what was the problem?
Maybe Stewart’s Joe Gibbs Racing team pushed the limit a bit by going the final 100 or so laps on one set of tires. But crew chief Greg Zipadelli said afterwards that the tires had not shown excessive heat or wear all weekend.
Earnhardt Jr. and Busch were on much fresher tires when their problems surfaced.
Of course, there’s always the chance that the problems were the result of either debris on the track or caused by issues regarding the cars’ setup. Stewart’s tire was too damaged for officials to determine a cause.
Teams typically lay the blame on the tire, and Goodyear officials typically claim otherwise.
In the end, the only thing we know for sure is that there was a problem. And that’s something the sport can do without these days.
Kenny Bruce
Kenny Bruce covered his first auto race in 1981 and, except for a brief four-year departure to work in drag racing, has been at it ever since. He joined NASCAR Scene in 2001.
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Comments
2 responses to "Tire troubles put Goodyear back in the news". Post a Comment.
Robin Drummond said:
May 28, 2008 at 6:56 PMI wonder why nobody interviewed Tony Stewart after the race?????
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDr. Spaceman said:
May 29, 2008 at 9:00 AMTony didn't do any interviews. He got out of his car and walked straight to his hauler. The Hotpass cameras showed him walking and his PR guy keeping the reporters away.
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