NASCAR needs to step up to prevent future debacles. (Goodyear dude: "nobody's fault")

FOX Sports on MSN ^ | 28 July | Lee Spencer

[McGruff]

Seems like to me I remember Hoosier starting to kick Goodyear’s butt in NASCAR just before they switched to radial tars instead of the old bias ply ones. Probably just a coincidence.

[mrmargaritaville]

after the screwin’ that NASCAR put to Hoosier when they tried to enter the sport, they’re getting what they deserve.

[IamConservative]

The asphalt at Indy has been ground, so there are visible grooves in the surface. I’ve been to a number of Brickyards, including yesterday. IMO, the compound for the tire was too hard. The grooves in the track just ground the rubber off as dust. There were clouds of black dust following the cars. In previous years, you didn’t see this. Good Year tested very early at Indy and then had tire troubles at races after that. I think they guessed on how to compensate for what they learned after Indy testing and just missed.

[McGruff]

Yeah but they've been running the same car at every track this year and this is the 1st track that's had this big of an issue.

[ChromeDome]

I'm from Indianapolis, so I'm a little biased, but Indy isn't exactly like all the cookie cutter tracks NASCAR likes to run now.

As an aside, I watch a lot of car racing (SCCA, American LeMan, WRC, GrandAM, Midgets, F1, etc). Tony Stewart might be on to something when he points out that NASCAR is really the only BIG series where Goodyear is still used.

[RightWingTeen]

What a boring race! I was watching it but after the first couple of flags I decided to go boating. when I came home (when Thunderstroms started) I watched the end of the race, lousy race - and my dad said NASCAR is starting to fail - empty seats at racetracks!! (Also www.jayski.com said NASCAR is not selling tickets to all places.)

[Right Cal Gal]

The empty seats may have to do with gas prices as well. A lot of times you’re looking at a 100 mile drive to the track.

I would have loved to go to Sears Point this year, but between $4 gallon gasoline, crap traffic, nightmarish parking lots, $9 beers and tickets costing $120 to sit on cement, I’d rather buy a 12-pack, make up a mess of wings and sit home and watch HotPass on my DirecTV.

[RightWingTeen]

I think it is do to a few facts -- one is that Toyotas are now in the race -- which was formerly AMERICAN cars only. (Thou I know Toyotas are made in the USA in Georgetown, KY while Ford and Chevys are made in Mexico and Dodge are made in Canada.). Before the Toyotas wins this year the last foreign made car to win was a Jaguar.

We were at New Hampshire in June.

[McGruff]

A couple of related snippets.

Goodyear used three Cup teams to conduct tire tests with the new car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in April. Dale Earnhardt Jr. for Chevrolet, Kurt Busch for Dodge and Brian Vickers for Toyota did the tests.

A harder tire was tested for part of the two-day session. But the drivers told Goodyear officials it caused handling problems, making it difficult to control the car in the four 90-degree turns at IMS.

So Goodyear opted for the same compound it used on the old car at Indy in 2007. That will go down as one of the worst decisions of the season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/columns/story?columnist=blount_terry&id=3507364

and

Goodyear officials said that the combination of the Indy track surface and NASCAR’s new car caused the tires to wear quickly and that they'll look into the problem.

“Obviously, the tread wear didn't improve as we thought it would for the first of the afternoon,” Goodyear spokesman Greg Stucker said.

http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/Goodyear_officials_plan_.html

[MaineConservative]

boring Race yesterday — Roush Fenway never tested the tires until this week...and Jack is mad at that. GoodYear needs to have competition in the racing tire market.

[NormsRevenge]

Ooops!

The pooch is still yelping.

Not a good display of racing , for sure.

[Dacula]

I went to the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and it was just as bad. The drivers could only go about 3/4 of what they were supposed go.

[McGruff]

Here's the Worst Excuse in the World Award.

“It's nobody's fault,” said Goodyear spokesman Greg Stucker, whose company sent 800 extra tires (earmarked for next week's race at Pocono Raceway) to Indy that weren't needed Sunday. “It's the package, and that's what we need to understand.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/2008-07-27-brickyard-tires_N.htm

The whole article is worth reading.

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks!

It’s the package, alright.

It stunk.

Shrub (or Flash) was supposed to win. :-)

[Right Cal Gal]

Okay, I give up - which one’s Flash?
Shrub not winning is just fine with me. Better half is a Stewart fan and he’s just heartsick over Smoke’s car this year.

[Right Cal Gal]

A lot of fans I know were PO’d about the Toyota entrance into NASCAR - and they ain’t too fond of the non-American drivers, either. I’m a Chevy girl, m’self.

[B4Ranch]

> 25+ degree banking?<

Track Facts
Banking/Turns: 12 degrees
Distance: .686 miles
Shape: Oval
Banking: 7.5° turns / 2° straights

[freebird5850]

Amen to that! Sounds about standard issue round here!