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GURSS: Goodyear Should Not Be Part of the Story
Written by: Jade Gurss   
10/07/2008
Mooresville, NC
 
Faster. Louder. The weekly column on SPEEDtv.com by Jade Gurss. (Harold Hinson Photo) ยป More Photos

When I was working for Ilmor Engineering (then the race-engine design and engineering arm of Mercedes-Benz) in the mid-90s, my boss, Paul Ray, often said “an engine has never won a race for a team, but engines sure have lost a lot of races for them.”

That dilemma also applies to tires, as we saw this weekend with a number of blown Goodyear tires in the Cup crashfest. (In fairness, there were also a large number of blowouts in the Friday ARCA event with Hoosier tires.)

So far this season, Goodyear tires have unfortunately been a major story at a number of Sprint Cup races. The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis was a huge, embarrassing debacle, while problems at the scary-fast Atlanta track early in the year caused Tony Stewart and Dale Jr. to blast Goodyear in the media center. Now, we have Talladega with a number of “unexplained” blowouts (according to the tire maker). If built properly, Goodyear tires should be a safe, reliable and invisible part of the equation each week. In other words, Goodyear should not be part of the post-race story.

My main concern with this trend – more than even reduced competition for the fans – is the safety of the drivers. After a huge blowout in the middle of turns one and two, Denny Hamlin is lucky to have been released from the hospital Monday with what team principal
J.D. Gibbs called “a little headache.” (How’s that for understatement?)

Goodyear discourages drivers from speaking out by using a simple tactic. Drivers fear their team could fall from the “A” list (teams which receive the tires at no charge and/or are selected to participate in coveted tire tests) to a lower category, where the tire bills alone could exceed the purse money for some back-markers. Why do you think Dale Jr. mysteriously showed up at Bristol a few years back sporting a “Goodyear Belts and Hoses” hat? It was to make up for some disparaging remarks he had made in the weeks prior and to maintain his then-small Busch Series team’s place on the “A” list.

My experience with Goodyear goes back to open-wheel days in CART. In 1996, Mercedes-Benz had powerhouse teams like Penske and Rahal on our roster, and all but one of our teams (with nine drivers) were on Goodyear rubber. Our sole Firestone entry, a new team featuring a brash rookie Greg Moore, was often the only competitive car in many races and Mercedes-powered cars didn’t win a single race. All things being equal, the Firestones were faster and more reliable. The following year, with four teams now on Firestone rubber, it was no coincidence Mercedes-Benz won the 1997 Manufacturers title.


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