|
|
|
|
Home Page  TickCo Premium Seating
Copyright © 2000-2008. All Rights Reserved. Nextel Cup® and NASCAR® are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. This web site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR®. The official NASCAR® website is "NASCAR® Online" and is located at.. www.NASCAR.com |
NASCAR Daily News Headlines * March 9, 2008
Stewart Blasts Goodyear TiresTony Stewart answered a few questions after the race on Sunday and litterally blasted the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. Four questions and answers below.
We’ve never heard so many comments from drivers working the wheel. How worn out are you after that?“That was the most pathetic racing tire that I’ve ever been on in my professional career. They exited out of Formula One. They exited out of IRL. They exited out of CART. They exited out of World Outlaws, and there is a reason for that. Goodyear can’t build a tire that is worth a crap. If I were Goodyear, I would be really embarrassed about this weekend and what they brought here. It didn’t keep us from winning the race and how we got to second I don’t know. I am really proud of our guys on the team and I’m really proud of their pit stops. It was ridiculous to have to race on a tire like this today. Not at this form of racing. If they can’t do anything better than that they should just pull out of this sport and save us all a bunch of headaches. I guarantee you Hoosier or Firestone or somebody can come in and do a lot better job than what they are doing right now.”
Did you struggle with the handling on the race car?“There is a logical reason for that -- because we are all on such a bad tire. That is the worst tire I’ve ever been on in my life in any professional form of racing. It doesn’t take long if you do your homework and look at when they exited Formula One, the IRL, CART, the Outlaws, you name it -- they have exited out because they can’t compete and they can’t keep up. They don’t have the technology and the people that are smart enough to build a tire. This was pathetic today. To race like we raced today. I’m really proud of our team, proud of Home Depot and really proud of the guys on our pit crew with great pit stops today. It is just a shame that the teams work so hard and spend so much money to compete and then it is all dictated by a tire company that is building tires that aren’t worthy of a street car. The first thing I’m doing when I get home is dismounting anything that has got Goodyear’s on it and putting Firestone or something else on it so I feel a lot safer.”
What is a way to avoid this so it doesn’t happen again?“NASCAR needs to take somebody else’s bid and not let Goodyear buy their five-year contracts and put us in this position. I don’t think NASCAR would have predicted that this was going to happen. I don’t think NASCAR would have let this happen if they thought this was going to be the outcome. It is unacceptable at this level of racing to be on a tire that is that bad. If that is the best effort they can put forth -- on giving us a tire to come to Atlanta with -- then I honestly wish they would retire and go and do something else. They can’t build a tire that makes sense here so far. This was the worst tire I’ve been on in my life.”
What was it like in the car?“It was just sliding around. They were loose in and loose off. Tight in the center. Just every aspect of the car that you were asking the car to do, it wouldn’t do because the tires couldn’t take it. They build such a hard tire -- it was terrible. That was by far the worst tire I’ve ever been on. I’ve been racing 28 years and we have been through tire problems at other companies and, especially at this level, I’ve never seen one group of individuals that don’t work on the race cars dictate what happens in this garage area and dictate the racing as bad as Goodyear.”
Atlanta President Ed Clark Offers Speedway For Goodyear TestsFollowing the Kobalt Tools 500, Ed Clark, president and general manger for Atlanta Motor Speedway, spoke with Stu Grant, General Manager Global Racing Tires for Goodyear.“Following my conversation with Stu Grant, I have pledged to make our track available to Goodyear to come to AMS on an as needed basis to get the proper compound they need before the October 26 Pep Boys Auto 500,” said Clark. “We will do everything possible from our end to help make sure that we have the best tire compound available when the Sprint Cup teams return this fall.” Goodyear marketing manager Justin Fantozzi said Goodyear officials were not disappointed with their selection for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500. “We are tremendously proud of the wear rates we saw here,” Fantozzi said. “We have a defined development for this particular tire that started in August with a test here in Atlanta.” When asked if there are changes in store for the tire Goodyear will bring back when the Cup Series returns to AMS in October, Fantozzi said they have a defined process that is followed. “We’ll do the same thing we do after every race. We have post race data now, so we will go back to Akron, Ohio and sit down with engineers and see where that leaves us for the October race. Driver comments are part of the data set we use when selecting tires, so we will gather input there as well.” Georgia Power NASCAR Sprint Cup Pole winner Jeff Gordon didn’t have rave reviews about Goodyear’s tire selection either. “I felt like I was going to crash every single lap,” Jeff Gordon said about his run. “I’m exhausted right now. I feel like I’ve run a thousand miles here. That was the hardest day I have ever had at Atlanta, especially for a top-five finish. This car, this tire, at this track was just terrible.”
Kyle Busch Wins Atlanta Cup Race For Gibbs-ToyotaKyle Busch won the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday to give Toyota it first victory in the Sprint Cup Series. It was the first time since 1954 that a foreign name-plate manufacturer had won in the premiere series. “It means a lot to be able to go out and win any race anytime, but especially here at Atlanta, said Busch This place has been such a struggle for me. I haven't had a top 10 finish here. I remember the years of watching Bobby Labonte race around this place, kicking everybody's butt. Sort of reminded me a little bit about it today to be able to race like that, run like that, bring that 18 car back up front, run here the way it used to and the way it should."Tony Stewart ran second in the race to give Toyota a one-two finish but it was a battle all the way. Stewart blasted the Goodyear tires after the race. “That was the most pathetic racing tire that I’ve ever been on in my professional career," Stewart commented. "They exited out of Formula One. They exited out of IRL. They exited out of CART. They exited out of World Outlaws, and there is a reason for that. Goodyear can’t build a tire that is worth a crap. If I were Goodyear, I would be really embarrassed about this weekend and what they brought here." Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the first 60 laps and then the Busch-Toyota dominance started showing up. But with 85 laps to go, Carl Edwards drove his way into the lead and it looked like no one else had anything for the Roush Fenway Ford. Edwards was going for three straight victories and you wouldn't have found anyone at the track that would have bet otherwise. Then bad luck struck Edwards' car, it started smoking badly with 50 laps to go. His day was done with a broken transmission. The focus shifted back to the No. 18 car of Busch, he took the lead and won handily, pulling away. Busch led a race-high 173 of 325 laps in his No. 18 Snickers Camry. "You know, those cars were pretty tough to drive," said Busch. "But overall we had a pretty good car in practice yesterday where we felt okay about it today. And then the track seemed to warm up just a little bit, and that gave us a little less grip for today. But overall we just kept working on it, kept trying to make it better."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. held on for third spot and Greg Biffle was fourth. Jeff Gordon brought his Dupont Chevrolet home in fifth place followed by Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers and Jeff Burton to round out the top ten. The Sprint Cup Series moves to Bristol Motor Speedway next Sunday March 16th, 2008, for the Food City 500. The race is scheduled to start at 1:30 PM / Eastern Time on Fox.
 Discuss this and other racing matters in the Prodigys@Speed ForumYou can contact us at.. Insider Racing News
illnesses through research and treatment |
