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Fans that go to the racetrack or tune into the race broadcast do so knowing that the afternoon will be full of surprises. Aspects of the sport such as pit strategy, multi-car accidents, and mechanical failures guarantee that the race will be one of interest and intrigue.
Sadly,
though, this year one aspect of the sport which used to be caused by
occasional bad luck has now become a weekly regular on the
circuit...the dreaded "flat tire." No matter what track NASCAR stops
at, Goodyear tires have continued to go flat and plague drivers
throughout any Nextel Cup event. At the Pocono race in June,
there
were a total of 21 left front tires that went flat. Tire troubles were
again present at Chicagoland a few races later, and last weekend at
Indianapolis, eight drivers had their days ruined again by the simple
cause of a tire going down.
While no answer has been given as to why tires were failing at the
Brickyard, Goodyear has claimed that racetrack conditions and car
setups were reasons for tire failures at previous venues. Goodyear has claimed that at Pocono, drivers that experienced flat
tires were running with air pressure too low, or a suspension that
placed pressure onto the tires. But isn’t NASCAR racing all about
getting the maximum performance out of the cars? Teams will tweak
engines and tinker with gears and suspension so that their car will
give superior performance. If a team cannot use a car setup
because the tires will not work with it, then it seems almost pointless
to even work on a car. If every team ran the same suspension
setup and tire pressures that were recommended by the tire provider, it
would change the sport entirely. Goodyear should take into consideration that
teams are going to alter their cars to get the best possible
performance. With the new rules and procedures, teams need to
be able to alter their suspension setups and air pressure, while remaining confident their tires are going to last.
If Goodyear isn't blaming the car setups, they're claiming tires are failing because of track conditions. Goodyear has claimed that heat was responsible for the tire failures at Chicagoland, and that the rumble strips at Pocono were cutting down tires. But it should be common knowledge that during NASCAR races the track temperature is going to rise. And with the SAFER barriers in the turns and the competitive nature of Nextel Cup racing, drivers almost have no choice but to race near the rumble strips when racing through the turns. In the future, track and weather conditions need to be taken into consideration so that tires can last longer and drivers will be safer.
Plain and simple, instead of passing the blame around Goodyear needs to take a course of action to rectify the situation with their tires. Perhaps Goodyear can perform testing sessions with multiple setups and several NASCAR team members so that tire problems will become less frequent. The company simply needs to work towards a goal of making their tires flexible enough again so that teams can run multiple setups and different camber settings and have little difficulty in doing so. Of course, there is never going to be a time when tire troubles will be a thing of the past. Conditions such as flat spots and fender rubs will always be present in the sport in some shape or form. But while these conditions seem inevitable in any NASCAR race, it doesn’t seem too unreasonable to race with a tire that can be used on different setups.
For the time being, however, fans should get used to seeing flat tires and shredded sheet metal at every race. It will take a lot of time and money before a tire can be used on any setup at any track again, but it is a course of action that needs to be taken to make drivers safer on the track.
Did you hear what Regan Smith had to say after a week to think about the yellow line incident? If your answer is, “I don’t know,” it’s because you’re not getting the Frontstretch Newsletter in your inbox. Why are you missing out on all our latest news, information, and commentary brought right to your fingertips? Click here to sign up for your daily subscription … and don’t forget, it’s FREE! That’s right … no gimmicks or strings attached.
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