In the Pits

Tire fiasco leaves drivers, fans, officials reeling

Jimmy Johnson won the race, but all the attention was on the tires at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Durability issues with Goodyear’s tires forced NASCAR to bring out the caution flag every 10 or 12 laps, effectively ruining the race for spectators and drivers alike.
     “I can’t say enough how sorry we are, and it’s our responsibility being NASCAR that we don’t go through this situation again,” said Robin Pemberton, vice president of competition. “The race didn’t come off like we had hoped, the fans didn’t get what they wanted and we’ll do everything in our power to make sure it won’t happen again.”
     The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, meanwhile, announced a series of actions it will take toward solving the tire issues. Stu Grant, Goodyear general manager, global race tires, said engineers are working around the clock to understand the tire wear issues, and as part of the forward plan, the company is enlisting the knowledge and experience of the NASCAR racing industry to address the short- and long-term elements of the plan.
     “We have a proud history in racing with 54 continuous years of NASCAR involvement and have enjoyed worldwide success in all forms of racing,” Grant said, “but all should be assured that no one was more disappointed than we were with the events in Indianapolis.
     “We’re the first to admit that we missed the mark with the combination for this race. There are many reasons, but they are only important today from the perspective that we learn from those issues and move forward successfully.”
     Next steps include:
• Completing the extensive post-race analysis in process that includes all internal aspects of tire design and manufacturing and discussions with key external stakeholders, including representatives from NASCAR, team owners, crew chiefs and drivers to gain insight to information that will provide clarity to the final analysis.
•    Engaging research scientists and engineers, including available assets and modeling capabilities from the Sandia National Laboratories, to develop a range of potential short-term solutions.
•    Scheduling a fall track test at Indianapolis with multiple participants to test solutions and test again in the spring of 2009 to fine-tune the specific race setup.
•    Accelerating discussions with appropriate NASCAR representatives, team owners, drivers, crew chiefs and track management on any future tire. Among elements being considered are larger overall diameters, wider section widths and larger bead diameters.
•    Developing future tires as a long-term solution, looking at the vehicle, tire, setup and track combinations for a complete package to assure the highest level of performance.
     “The knowledgeable people in our business understand the solution to this issue involves all elements of the equation,” Grant said. “We are committed to working to bring those elements together in a manner that will produce consistent, great racing.”