Tire fiasco gets plenty of debate Not surprisingly, the week’s chief NASCAR discussion centered around what is now being called the Indy Tire Fiasco. In Sunday’s Allstate 400 Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, right-rear tires quickly wore to the cords throughout the race, which was reduced to 8-10 lap bursts of racing between NASCARmandated competition caution periods to prevent blowouts.
1 After nearly 3 / 2 hours, the race mercifully ended with Jimmie Johnson the winner, but no one truly happy.
Opinions were rampant: From ESPN’s booth crew, which repeatedly gushed praise for anyone and everyone for making the best of a bad situation, to driver Brian Vickers, who said, “I’m embarrassed for the sport, for myself, for Goodyear, for NASCAR and the track.” Here is a selection of other comments: “The track won’t change next year, so if they [NASCAR ] want to come back, they better figure it out because I don’t think the fans want to come back and see that.” — Tony George, Indianapolis Motor Speedway chief executive officer. “Tony Stewart warned you [Goodyear ] — very clearly — in March about how far off you were on making tires for the new car.... Now you’ve got Bridgestone salivating at a chance to break into NASCAR’s exclusive tire provider deal.” — Doug Guthrie, Detroit News.
“Not every race is a barnburner.... We’re here to put on the best races we can, and we do a damn good job of it most of the time.” — Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition, after Sunday’s race.
“I can’t say how sorry we are and it’s our responsibility — being NASCAR — that we don’t go through this situation again.” — Pemberton on Tuesday.
“What’s most disappointing is I heard the same thing happened at the [tire ] test. They just hoped the track would take on rubber. But those tires didn’t lay down rubber. They turned to dust.” — Bill Davis, Batesville car owner.
“It wasn’t just the tires. It wasn’t just the track. It wasn’t just the coarse surface of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Together, they somehow formed a perfect storm on a sunny day.” — Monte Dutton, aolsports. com.
“How could a sanctioning body like NASCAR and its many multimillion-dollar racing teams, loaded with genius engineers and incredible technology, not have foreseen the fiasco.” — Tom Higgins, Charlotte Observer.
“Hey, Goodyear. It’s round. It’s rubber. It’s been around for a while. It’s called a wheel thingy.” — Jeff Meyer, frontstretch. com.
Bill’s beef NASCAR stripped approximately 15 horsepower from Toyota teams in the Nationwide Series last week. Boo, says Batesville’s Bill Davis. Davis owns Toyota teams in the Sprint Cup and Craftsman Truck series, but does not field a Nationwide team. However, his company, Triad Racing Development, builds engines for every Toyota Nationwide team, except those fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing. “It’s not supposed to work this way,” Davis said. Two weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway, NASCAR officials confiscated 10 engines — of all manufacturers — and took them to NASCAR’s research and development center in Concord, N. C., where they were put on a dynamometer. The tests, NASCAR concluded, showed that the top Toyota teams had a horsepower advantage.
Added was the fact that Toyotas had won 14 of 21 Nationwide races this year, 15 of 22 after Kyle Busch’s victory Saturday night in Clermont, Ind. Busch has seven of the 15 victories.
“It’s the Kyle Busch rule,” Davis said. “Not all of the Toyota teams are that successful, but they all are paying the penalty.” Davis added that every dominant team or manufacturer has been handicapped by NASCAR.
“[Richard ] Childress’ cars were unbeatable in 2005 and 2006. No one could touch those Chevrolets,” he said. “But we beared down and went to work. We bust our rears and get it turned around, and now they’re going to cut our feet out from under us ? “ It’s not supposed to work this way.” Davis in ’ 09 Sources indicate that the NASCAR stable of Batesville’s Bill Davis could grow for the 2009 season. Davis’ team is expected to include two Sprint Cup teams, up to two Nationwide teams and four Craftsman Truck teams. Davis has one Cup team and three full-time truck teams this season. Dave Blaney is expected to return to drive the No. 22 car. The No. 23 team is expected to be driven by rookie Michael Annett, a Davis development driver now racing in the truck series, or Scott Riggs. One of the teams is expected to be sponsored by the U. S. Army, which now sponsors the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. entry driven by Batesville’s Mark Martin.
Last laps Tonight is the final round of the 16 th annual Show Me Modified Championship at West Plains (Mo. ) Motor Speedway, paying $ 5, 000 to win.... The O’Reilly Southern United Professional Racing late model series visits Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway tonight with the winner of the 50-lap feature collecting $ 2, 500.... Beebe Speedway will host the Scrapp Fox Memorial for modifieds Friday, paying $ 2, 000 to win.
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