With no laps turned in a Sprint Cup points race this year, Goodyear tires have already distinguished themselves by rapidly blistering, unevenly wearing, and outright blowing out. I saw some of the tires after the Bud Shootout; thank heaven the steel belts held.
Today, Ryan Newman had a tire let go, which caused him to lose control, and teammate/owner Tony Stewart to get caught up in the ensuing melee. The end result was that they both are forced to backup cars, and will start at the back of the pack tomorrow afternoon. Goodyear has already pulled 8 right rear tires from several teams for further inspection. Tony Stewart, not known for being a wallflower, had this to say:
“It’s just a Goodyear right-rear tire,” Stewart said. “So it’s the same thing everybody has been talking about all week. It’s the same stuff that we always talk about every year — the failures that Goodyear has. I think that’s part of their marketing campaign. The more we talk about it, the more press they get. I think they forget that it’s supposed to be in a good way, not a bad way.”
OK, then. I recognize that unexpected failures can happen. I also remember last year’s Brickyard 400 travesty, brought to us by Goodyear, wherein teams pitted for tires every 20 laps or so. I also hate to see the races’ excitement diluted by less-than-par tires, and post-race conversations degenerating into bitchfests about tires.
In an organization and a sport where competition and performance is key, why not include the tire manufacturers? Hoosier? Firestone? Bridgestone? We still might be talking tires even then, but teams would have a choice as to which manufacturer’s product works best for them.
-k-
