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Pocky's Paddock

A NASCAR BLOG BY Bob Pockrass

Indy tire problems could have been prevented

Jul 27
INDIANAPOLIS – Well, that was ridiculous.
 
As a kid who grew up in Indiana, who thinks the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the greatest places in the world, to see it turned into The Junkyard of tires was a kick in the gut.
 
Give me races with limited passing. Give me races where guys might wreck each other to get by. Just as long as you give me a race where all the drivers actually race instead of going at 75 percent because of tires. Don’t give me a lame race of eight-lap and 10-lap segments. That’s for a short track. Not for this hallowed place.
 
NASCAR’s second-biggest event of the season deserves better. And what makes it hard to understand is why the potential tire problems weren’t addressed by NASCAR.
 
Goodyear saw the problem when it tested in April. The drivers saw it. NASCAR had to know about it. Even if there is historical evidence that once 43 cars get on the track things get better, why take the chance?
 
Yeah, Indianapolis Motor Speedway is busy during May, but if NASCAR wanted, it could have found a way to have a full Sprint Cup test at the track – just to make sure that the historical evidence would ring true with the new car.
 
Goodyear is a capable company. It can get tires built quickly when necessary. Its plant in Akron and engineering capabilities are impressive. So NASCAR needs to take advantage of that. If a potential problem exists, it needs to have the flexibility to add a full tire test. It needs to work with Goodyear to get it right, especially with this new car. If Goodyear and NASCAR can’t confront a potential disaster like this one and make a change quickly, then NASCAR has a big problem.
 
Whatever money would be spent on that test will be much less than the money lost at the Allstate 400. How many fans are really going to come back? How many teams spent extra money on tires? How much money did Goodyear spend not only to get the Pocono tires to the track – and how much will it have to spend in publicity to overcome this public relations disaster? How many people are going to watch Pocono next week?
 
This is not like a Mud Bowl in football. You can’t stop the rain. It just happens. But this isn’t like that. It’s like knowing it’s going to rain but because your baseball field has good drainage, you decide not to put the tarp on the field and then it becomes unplayable.
 
Teams work too hard for this to happen. NASCAR’s people work too hard for this to happen. And Goodyear’s people work too hard for this to happen.
 
There won’t be many worse days for Goodyear than this one. At least there better not be.

Average Rating: 4.0

Comments

16 responses to "Indy tire problems could have been prevented"
  1. 1
    del brown said:
    Jul 27, 2008 at 7:42 PM

    From the recap I read it was more of a "Pit Crew Challenge" than a real race. And a real insult to NASCAR fans. Glad I skipped it. This tire debacle is turning into an unsolved mystery. As you stated the resources are there to develop a true solution. Goodyear can and does make good tires. Most of my cars run Eagle F1's because they tested best. But two of my cars run Nitto INVO's because they work better in those cases. If NASCAR opens up team testing then perhaps Goodyear could work a deal with the teams to share testing expenses in exchange for doing some tire testing during the tests. Whatever - a fix is long overdue.

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  2. 2
    Sally Baker said:
    Jul 28, 2008 at 3:26 AM

    Nascar brings the COT to a flat track with a highly abrasive surface without realizing that 'history' won't apply? The COT has a higher CG and a propensity to try to go straight instead of turn, even on banked tracks built for stock cars. Crew chiefs have been saying all year that pervious nots don't apply to the COT. Did it not occur to Nascar the same would apply in this situation?

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  3. 3
    Jayne Deere said:
    Jul 28, 2008 at 4:52 AM

    I agree with Bob about the race at the brickyard being ridiculous. Didn't any of the 3 teams that tested at IMS earlier in the spring say anything about tire wear? Or was it so layered in diplomatic doublespeak and sugarcoated so that Goodyear could swallow it? Too bad none of the drivers spoke out about problems with Goodyear tires earlier in the season. Oh yeah, one did but because it was said in an UN-NASCAR correct way that driver was labeled as a whiner and uninvited to any tire testing.

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  4. 4
    Chazzo Ozzahc said:
    Jul 28, 2008 at 5:45 AM

    ...THE ABSOLUTE WORST RACE EVER....THERE WAS TESTING THERE EARLIER THIS YEAR....what a waste of time,money and other resources....glad i didnt get tix to that race...i would have left half way through and requested a refund....terrible to watch on tv...espn blows for nascar coverage...rusty and dale jarrett in the same booth with andy petrie ?????...come on....lame,lame,lame.....nascar has a lot of fixing to do....

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  5. 5
    anonymous said:
    Jul 28, 2008 at 6:44 AM

    Dale is only in there for the pre race show. The race commentators are Dale, Andy and Jerry Punch. I wish Rusty would not be on any Nascar broadcast. It's all about him and when he was driving. You don't have that analogy from Dale unless he is asked by either andy or jerry. Worse race i've ever seen.

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  6. 6
    4da88 said:
    Jul 28, 2008 at 3:24 PM

    Hey anonymous I agree with you. I would love to see more of DJ and less of Rusty. Yes the race was a fiasco and NASCAR still refuses to point the finger of blame at themselves. I wonder what all the sponsors think about the race?

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  7. 7
    David Castelli said:
    Jul 29, 2008 at 8:50 AM

    Goodyear owes it to the fans at the "race" to refund the ticket price. That was the poorest excuse for a race I have ever seen. When the pace car driver gets the 5 extra points for leading the most laps due to tires it is a sorry day. David Castelli

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  8. 8
    Scott Baker said:
    Jul 29, 2008 at 3:25 PM

    Mr. Castelli that was good. So Bodine is now on the board, let's hope he doesn't make The Chase.

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  9. 9
    Ted Hungler said:
    Jul 29, 2008 at 6:33 PM

    You mentioned all these groups of people who worked hard for the weekend to happen. What about the fans like my family who paid $150 for each ticket times five. How about all the 200 plus thousand that work hard to pay for a ticket for this race. The Brickyard 400 use to be a race that you were proud to go to because it was a good race. This weekend was not a race and Goodyear has lost my family as a customer. I would rather put a Toyo tire on my vehicle than ever put a Goodyear Eagle. Have you forgotten Atlanta this year? The Goodyear tires where garbage there and Tony Stewart made sure everyone knew it. How many chances are they going to get. Does China export tires yet? I bet they can do better than Goodyear, they sure can't do any worse.

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  10. 10
    * * said:
    Jul 30, 2008 at 8:24 AM

    Why has no responsibility for the Indy tire problem been shared by the three drivers (Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch and Vickers) who did the testing earlier in the year. It is my understanding that they tested a range of tires that included harder compounds that would last for a normal fuel run but did not provide the handling the drivers wanted. They are the ones who told NASCAR and Goodyear to use the softer tires. Earnhardt Jr. was talking about how great the tires would be right up until the cars took to the track on Friday. I believe they deserve as much of the responsibility for the problem as does Goodyear and NASCAR. Trouble is, one of the three drivers is "He who must not be cast in a bad light".

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  11. 11
    Paul Williams said:
    Jul 30, 2008 at 12:58 PM

    As I understood, the tire Goodyear brought was different than what the teams tested. They decided it would be better (based on their super-genius opinions, I guess). Did anyone else hear it that way, or did I miss something? By the way, did anyone catch Mikey on Monday night talking about what an exciting race it was? Maybe the rest of us should have driven into the wall.

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  12. 12
    Jim Teats said:
    Jul 30, 2008 at 3:35 PM

    Do think Jr would say anything to upset his fans. I don't believe anything he says. Nascar should open the tires to Firestone and the rest of tire manufactures then we will better tires for all the tracks. I think Rusty go and worry about his own team then boardcast a race.

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  13. 13
    Paul Baumgarten said:
    Jul 31, 2008 at 1:09 PM

    I have yet to hear an explanation as to why NA$CAR didn't require green flag pit stops every 10 laps instead of yellow flag stops. The yellows were interminably long.

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  14. 14
    4da88 said:
    Jul 31, 2008 at 3:27 PM

    The tire tested by the "3" drivers was NOT the tire utilized at this race. But if it makes you feel better to cast a bad light, then feel free. He will always shine through. Good Year chose not to use the tires from the testing in April due to extensive tire wear. I do agree testing should be open to other tire makers and let the best tire win.

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  15. 15
    Micheal Rankin said:
    Aug 2, 2008 at 12:04 PM

    The sickyard 400 was absolutely the worst excuse for a race that I have ever had the displeasure watch. NASCAR needs to pull their heads out of certain orifices and start paying attention to what the teams that are doing the actual racing are saying instead of trying to censor them. The COT, while safer, is apiece of junk when it comes to racing. I have been a stockcar racing fan since the late 60's and that was the worst excuse for a race I have ever seen.

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  16. 16
    Rex Lee said:
    Aug 5, 2008 at 4:27 PM

    The tv ratings where up for Pocono.I liked seeing the pit crews go to work like that. Now having said that, Indy was the worst thing ever as far as a race is concerned. Hard earned money down the drain!! For every fan that bought a ticket and spent money to get there, it was a loss!! It was a dissapointing horrible day for friends that gather around thier tv's with friends to watch a race! Nascar Nation has a man that can lead us to higher ground and he has nothing to do right now. Hummpy Wheeler. He has great knowledge of the c.o.t. cars[that is an outdated way of talking about them now] and he believes there sould be a complete tire revamping anyway. Nascar Nation. Lets put Hummpy to work!!! Every member of our great Nation should stand united under hood and tell Brian France to higher Hummpy Wheeler as our next C.E.O.

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