The Frontstretch: What's the Call? NASCAR Tire War? by Mike Neff and Tommy Thompson -- Wednesday August 9, 2006

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What's the Call? NASCAR Tire War?

Mike Neff and Tommy Thompson · Wednesday August 9, 2006

 

Welcome to this week’s edition of What’s the Call? Each week, two of your favorite Frontstretch writers will duke it out in a debate concerning one of NASCAR’s big controversies. Don’t let us be the only ones to speak our minds, though…be sure to read both sides and let us know what you think about the situation in the comment section below!

This Week’s Question: After another weekend of tire related questions and issues at Indy, is it time for NASCAR to open up the tire manufacturing to more than one company to hopefully rid itself of the uncertainty with tires?

A Tire War Would Be Good For The Sport
Mike Neff

The Brickyard 400 was yet another NASCAR race marred by tire failures. During Friday's practice, teams were reporting tires that were completely worn out after just six laps. On Saturday, Kurt Busch crashed a car in practice that qualified at the front of the pack because of a blown tire, and his bad luck continued on Sunday; he had a flat tire by the third caution. Several others experienced wear problems, too, with the most noticeable tire failure from eventual winner Jimmie Johnson, who had a flat left front on Lap 39. Things got so bad during practices, NASCAR was forced to mandate air pressure in the left front tire by the end of the weekend to avoid further problems. There is no reason that Goodyear could not bring a more durable tire to the track considering they do a tire test every year, and the track surface has not changed in three years. It’s the final straw in a long string of failures, failures that should open the door of opportunity for other tire companies to fill the void and give Goodyear a run for their money in Nextel Cup.

A string of races from Goodyear have been plagued by tire problems in the last couple of years. Everyone remembers the debacles that took place at Charlotte last year. Goodyear was forced to bring a tire this year that many competitors felt was too hard, tough enough to last the entire 600 miles; the racing was ruined as a result. Multiple tires also failed at Pocono last year, which once again had a major impact on the outcome of the race.

Goodyear has been the sole tire supplier to NASCAR since the tire war of 1988-89 and again in 1994, when Hoosier was allowed to provide tires on two separate occasions for the teams that were interested in an alternative. Unfortunately, NASCAR made it nearly impossible for Hoosier to compete because they mandated that the company bring enough tires to the track to outfit all of the teams, even though there weren't nearly that many teams electing to use their product. It simply wasn't economical for the small company to invest that kind of capital into product that would never be used.

Now, the time has come again for NASCAR to open up the tire field and allow teams to have an alternative to the tire that Goodyear brings to the track. Firestone has proven they can compete in the racing world with their open wheel efforts. Michelin has also expressed interest in becoming involved, since they are pulling out of Formula One next year. Of course, there’s still Hoosier, too, which provides tires to a multitude of tracks across the country that run local racing cars on a weekly basis. Any or all of these companies could certainly come in and provide a competitive tire that would give teams a choice on race day.

Multiple manufacturers would offer several things that would all be good for the sport:

1) Competition is good. When there is competition to develop the best of a certain product, invariably innovation to improve that product takes place which makes everyone better.

2) Safety will improve, since a manufacturer cannot afford to have tires failing during a fuel run when the other providers have a product that will last the entire time.

3) Additional testing dates will also be available if more tire companies come into the sport. That would help solve the problem of the amount of teams “double dipping” in the Busch series.

4) Price competition. Supply and demand could result in lower tire prices for the teams as tire companies fight for their business.

5) Another piece of adjustability will be given to teams. In the modern era, there is so little that teams can adjust on a car, a variety of tires would give them some flexibility.

Whatever the ultimate benefits are to the sport, there is no doubt that the monopoly that Goodyear has is not beneficial at this point. Teams do not have an alternative if they do not like the tire that they are given, and all too often lately, the tire they have isn’t up to par. With different suppliers, teams can choose which tire they feel is best, and can potentially have some input on what the tire manufacturer offers at the track.

Tire War Spells D-A-N-G-E-R For NASCAR
Tommy Thompson

There is no room for more than one tire manufacturer in NASCAR Nextel Cup Racing. We've been there, done that…and didn't like it. During the most recent "tire wars" waged between Goodyear and Hoosier Tires during both the 1988-89 and 1994 seasons, even the most competitive of crew chiefs were left begging for intervention from NASCAR to end the insanity. Those were ugly times that resulted in races in which attrition spiked and serious injuries increased drastically due to both sides trying to go "too far" in order to win the war. As has been the case for over a decade, NASCAR needs to continue to work with, regulate, and monitor a single manufacturer's supply of tires to race teams.

Aside from the legality (possible anti-trust violations) of excluding tire manufacturers to promote their product through NASCAR, there is no sane reason to advocate a return to the day of multiple tire selections. It is important to remember that there is not a single generic NASCAR tire from Goodyear, but numerous tires with various compositions depending on the track the series visits each week. Goodyear has been, with the exception of Hoosier's three years of participation, the exclusive tire manufacturer for Cup racing since 1980. This is a long time, and has allowed the company to slowly develop the understanding and the science necessary to provide tires that are both acceptably fast and durable enough to assure at least an adequate level of safety. It would be unrealistic to expect a new company to walk into the sport and immediately understand the needs specific to each track, capable of providing a suitable product, without the years of experience that Goodyear has.

Not only that, but if two or more tire companies are allowed to participate, the result will be competition between the manufacturers for customers. That competition, usually not a bad thing in racing, would be in this case. What the vying factions would be selling to competing Cup teams is that their brand gives them a better chance of winning…period. But that promise contains a big flaw; safety is never mentioned, and who knows if these tires would be safe? NASCAR, through its rules and regulations, mandates that tires and safety equipment is of an acceptable standard. This is a daunting undertaking when dealing with one manufacturer as it is; it's near impossible with two or more. The chore of assuring that each competing manufacturer would bring to a track their safest tire could only be determined after much research and testing. This onerous task is one fraught with room for failed oversight, and creates an unnecessary demand on NASCAR's time and resources.

At the moment, Goodyear informs all teams of the safe parameters that should be maintained to minimize dangerous consequences from tire failure; not just air pressures, but safe setup data including castor and camber settings. Even with that information at hand, some teams still do not adhere to these recommendations, requiring NASCAR to mandate the setups in the name of safety. It's sad to think that given a competitive advantage, a crew chief would opt for a more dangerous tire, but we see it at almost every race. In some cases recently, NASCAR has had to mandate tire pressures due to increased manipulation of tires by the teams, despite warnings from both them and Goodyear of the possible dangers. With the burden of two or more tire companies in the sport, the sanctioning body could be strained to the point where they may not be able to ensure that level of safety support.

There is a win at any cost mentality in NASCAR; there is also tremendous pressure put on teams to be competitive. Being successful is monetarily lucrative, and a necessity for teams to continue to operate. They are looking for any advantage to allow them to succeed and are compelled, even if they do not like a situation, to follow the pack if it means being left behind otherwise. Tire companies, when allowed to compete against one another, feel the very same pressures. What results is a highly dangerous concoction. Lost in the pursuit of money and competitive advantage is the most important thing of all these companies should be worried about; the safety of the clients they serve.

Goodyear is not a problem, nor do they in any way impede our enjoyment of the sport. Being able to develop a safe and reliable high speed tire for the series, unfettered from the demands of competing with other manufacturers for short-term business interests, allows for a much better level of certainty to the driver that a good balance of speed and reliability is on all four corners of their race car.

So, which side is the more convincing argument this week? Let us know by voting in our official Frontstretch poll here. Remember, though, you have to sign up to the board to vote! Registration is FREE and easy, and you get to be part of a great community of dedicated race fans to boot! Check it out!

 

©2000 - 2008 Mike Neff and Tommy Thompson and Frontstetch.com. Thanks for visiting the Frontstretch!

Chris2
08/10/2006 03:00 PM
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This is a tough one to a degree. I can see NASCAR having one approved tire manufacturer as the tire could be listed as “an approved part” under the ultra-rare, never-seen-the-light-of-day rulebook. I can see some logic to that. On the other side of it though I have to realize that this is NASCAR and what drives it is the big-bucks so we don’t really know what is going on behind the scenes when it comes to their decision making. I can see also the logic in having more than one tire manufacturer as the one they have isn’t really doing a great job when it comes to tire wear at a good number of tracks..tracks I might add that NASCAR has been to for years and they haven’t been repaved or reground. Not sure why they can’t get a handle on it though. Drivers have been complaining about the tires for some time now..granted, it should be noted that drivers will indeed complain over just about anything though..comes with the territory but if a good number of them are complaining there just might be a grain of truth in there. Personally I think that they should let another manufacturer in and also have NASCAR remember that the teams are big boys..if they choose to drop the air pressure to 1lb on the right front than they shouldn’t complain when they are loading up what is left of their race car 5 laps into the race.

MTully
08/10/2006 04:47 PM
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Stick with one tire! Doesn’t matter who the manufacturer is. NASCAR will choose the company that gives the Frances the most money anyway. In an era where all the major league racing series are trying to contain costs, they are all settling on a spec tire. Tire wars cost the teams big money. The compounds tend to get softer and grippier, meaning that they wear quicker, causing the teams to need more of them. The rubber (or “marbles”) build up in the off-line, leading to much less track available for passing. The furious pace of tire development leads to continuous new generations of tires, which means crew chiefs can throw away all their set up notes from the last visit to the track. As a result of this, they need to test so much more. Teams finding themselves aligned with the “wrong” tire company (like Bridgestone in F1 for the entire ‘05 season) would have no hope of finding victory lane, leaving their sponsors and fans apoplectic. If tire companies are not allowed to contractually align themselves with the teams, then each manufacturer would indeed be required to bring enough tires to each event to outfit the entire field. If they didn’t, then the “hot” tire of the weekend would get bid up to prices that only the top teams could afford. It would be chaos.

If the Goodyears are not of a uniform and consistent quality, then find another supplier. I suspect the problems are the result of extreme set-ups. Some teams seem to be immune from the tire “quality” problems. I suspect that those are the same teams that heed the recommendations of Goodyear’s engineers.

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