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The Answer Man on SPEEDtv.com - The Online Motorsports Authority
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Note: By popular demand, The Answer Man is back again, this time on SPEEDtv.com. I will be answering questions every week. I look forward to hearing from you as the season goes on. And by the way, thanks for the e-mails of support. – Tom Jensen
“We had no tire failures and no problems with heat or wear. We supplied the same tires for both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, and received zero complaints about our tires after the Nationwide race on Saturday.” - Goodyear’s Justin Fantozzi.
Did they ask Kyle Bush about his tire failure? There is a very simple way to settle this argument, Strap Justin Fantozzi up in one of the Petty ride-along cars with Tony (Stewart) at the wheel. Have Jeff Gordon and Junior go out on the track with them, just so Justin knows what three-wide actually look’s like. If Justin comes back in with his laundry unstained then there is no tire problem. - Kevin Fenaughty
Kevin: Thanks for the e-mail. For the record, Kyle Busch’s problem in Atlanta was NOT a blown right-front tire, it was a broken shock absorber mount that punctured the tire with a piece of metal. It was not Goodyear’s fault at all.
That said, there are plenty of drivers unhappy with tires these days. Jeff Gordon, for example, criticized Goodyear’s tire choice for Bristol on Friday, and Dale Jarrett and others have supported Tony Stewart on this issue.
NASCAR needs to go back to the 1970s when there were several manufacturers and it was run what you brung and hope you brought enough. Seems NASCAR in their efforts to even the field and to cut spending with the COT has done the opposite. They need to do like other sports and impose a spending cap with single-car teams getting a little bigger cap. – Steve, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Steve: You are far from alone in your sentiments. The problem with a spending cap is I don’t know how NASCAR could police it. Personally, I’d like to see the teams cut down to a maximum of three cars, with no bogus satellite teams. Even better, make the teams all have two cars.
Sunny Greetings from Tucson!! I'm a real estate agent who hammers a sign post into the ground and attaches a sign on the post with a bolt and nut. I know what wind can do to my signs. I know to put a locking nut to hold the sign in place. It took me only one lost sign to realize that the wind buffets the sign which causes the bolt to unthread. That's why I know to use a locking bolt/nut on my signs. How can these high paid people with engineering degrees not use a locking bolt/nut on the oil lid? Hum?? I'll side with intentional on this one!! It's too stupid to think they just didn't think of a locking bolt/nut. - Joy Mergen, Tucson
Joy: Great point. Certainly competitors like Elliott Sadler and Dale Earnhardt Jr. who were asked about this incident said it was intentional and deliberate. I think the fact that the NASCAR penalties were not appealed says something, too.
Howdy! Try this on: New name for Buschwhackers: Nationwide Road Agents. Ties to old West, pavement, insurance agents. Work for you? – Rick Rice
Rick: That’s a good start and a good reason to open the mailbag to additional nominations.
What happens if it rains on the go or go home guys? By points! Foooey! At the very least they should be first. This rule is no longer needed to keep teams on the tour. If every race were open you would see 100 teams. Local track racers would stand a chance as it was up to the 90s. Top 20 maybe. - Paul Belcher
Paul: Thanks for the comment. With all due respect, NASCAR has gotten way too technical and way too expense and way to specialized for local-track racers to try and show up and make races anymore. I’m not saying that’s a good thing, but those days are gone forever.
Hello! I am in agreement that the GOGH cars should definitely be grouped together for qualifying, however, like others have mentioned, I wish NASCAR would send them out first, before the Top-35 cars qualify. I know that the tracks are generally slower and less apt to produce pole-sitting runs earlier versus later runs in any qualifying session, but I think this is still fair to all, because:
By qualifying first, the GOGH group could get their qualifying runs in before any possible inclement
Mark: Thanks for the kind words. While I think there is merit to what you are saying, keep one important point in mind: No matter what qualifying system you use, if there are more cars than spots in the field, there will always be guys who are DNQs. And those who are DNQs almost always can figure out a system where they would have made the race and others didn’t.
It amazes me that Goodyear ignores the bad PR from their performance. ... NASCAR should have been all over Goodyear to stop the right-front tire problems two years ago. The COT needs a new tire design and construction. Spend the money, if you have the engineering talent, Goodyear. You need to rise to the level of the sport. If you can't, get out. - Jeff Bishop, Irvington, Va.
Jeff: I’m hopeful that the Atlanta debacle will be a good wake-up call for everyone, and I think it will. Without question, there is strong sentiment among the drivers for more tire testing and I think the message has been sent that there has to be a tire that both A: Is safe enough to avoid blow-outs; and B: Isn’t so rock hard that guys can’t race on it. We’ll see.
What happened to NASCAR's ethanol program? – Gus
Gus: Great question. I spoke with NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp late Friday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway and he said NASCAR is deep into alternative-fuel research at its R&D center in Concord, N.C. But making the change requires an awful lot of input from teams, fuel suppliers, engine builders, etc., and NASCAR tries not to rush into these things. I think within the next couple of years, there will be some alternative fuel in NASCAR, but it’s not ready yet.
You know I'm a Tony Stewart fan, but … come on guys, quit crying. Drive your race cars put on a show for the fans. This is not a Sunday drive at home, this is your job. Great job, Goodyear! - Freddy Martin, St. Augustine, Fla.
Freddy: Thanks for the comment. More than anything, drivers want tires to be safe. And for them to get to the point where they are complaining this loudly, generally there’s a reason.
Do you think it was really necessary for Kyle Busch to move Dale Jarrett up the track on the last lap at Atlanta? I'm thinking with a 3-second plus second lead and two turns to go, you show some patience to the guy who gave your team owner his first Daytona 500 ring in the same car, and is trying to get and stay in the top 35 in points, (not to mention who is going to retire after the next race). - Nick Islam
Nick: Honestly, as good as Busch is, he was fortunate that his move didn’t backfire on me. It could have been an absolute disaster for him. On the other hand, he can do things with a race car that a lot of other guys here can’t.
Hey Tom, as a big F-1 fan, I have taken an interest in the trucks series because of Jacques Villenueve, but after looking at the results from Atlanta I didn't see where he ran. Is he still in the series? - Peter Lush
Peter: Welcome to SPEEDtv.com. Unfortunately for Villeneuve, sponsorship didn’t materialize for him and he is searching for an opportunity to race in NASCAR. In fact, Bill Davis Racing has temporarily parked its No. 27 Sprint Cup car that Villeneuve drove due to a lack of sponsorship.
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 numerous television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association.
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