The tearing on the shoulder of some Goodyear tires after Cup practice in California doesn't look good but did not result in any air loss or handling issues. (Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
In the wake of last week’s disastrous Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. on Saturday announced a host of new procedures to solve the tire issues that plagued the race.
Goodyear will schedule a fall test at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway “with multiple participants to test solutions to full fuel stop capabilities and test again in the spring of 2009 to fine-tune the specific race setup,” the company announced in a statement issued to the media Saturday morning.
Other steps planned by Goodyear include:
• Completing its research into why the Indy tires failed;
• Looking at tires of different width, diameter or both;
• Engaging research scientists from Sandia National Laboratories to look for short-term solutions; and
• Developing future tires that take into account NASCAR’s new-generation race cars, as well as setup and track combinations.
At the Brickyard race, the longest stretch of green-flag racing was 13 laps, because tires would not last longer before failing. The race drew a firestorm of criticism from drivers, teams, fans and the media.
NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton publicly apologized for the fiasco on Tuesday, saying, “I can't say enough how sorry we are and it's our responsibility being NASCAR that we don't go through this situation again. The race didn't come off like we had hoped, the fans didn't get what they exactly wanted and we'll do everything in our power - it won't happen again, I can tell you that much.”
Last week’s race was one of the most disappointing and controversial in recent history and one drivers were still talking about this weekend in Pocono. “I don’t think anybody was happy with it – the drivers, the fans, the teams, NASCAR, I don’t think anybody was happy with the result, obviously,” said Matt Kenseth, who suffered a tire failure in the race. “I didn’t think it was anything we could really control there. We were probably running only 70 percent when we blew that tire, along with everybody else. I don’t think we could have really done anything different about that. There were actually two other guys that blew them at the same time I did, it’s just that mine was more severe and the other guys were just getting flat.”
“In retrospect obviously the tire was obviously not good enough,” said Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet out of the Richard Childress Racing stable. “There’s no other way to say it. I’ve heard some people, different groups blaming different people. My view of it is that ultimately NASCAR has dedicated Goodyear the tire that we’re going to run so that means NASCAR has some responsibility but ultimately the responsibility of the tire rests with Goodyear.”
Goodyear officials said they are aiming to fix that. “No one was more disappointed than we were with the events in Indianapolis,” said Stu Grant, general manager, global race tires for Goodyear. “We are the first to admit that we missed the mark with the combination for this race. There are many reasons, but they are only important today from the perspective that we learn form those issues and move forward successfully.”
Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to
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