Tiregate - Deal With It, Tony

March 15, 2008

By Brenda Benedict

First there was Watergate. Then there was Monicagate. And now we have Tiregate. The NASCAR world has been reeling this week with the ongoing saga of Goodyear’s tires at Atlanta last weekend. Every racing website, radio show and even personal discussion seem to be centering on the problem with tires that came to a peak at Sunday’s race in Atlanta.

The adage in Hollywood is “There is no such thing as bad publicity.” Right?

Tony Stewart may just have proven that saying wrong. Tony Steward’s tirade on Sunday after the Kobalt Tools 500 left no doubt in any of our minds how Tony felt about the quality of tires the racers had been supplied by Goodyear. Tony expressed his disgust with the tires used so far this year in a talk with the press after Tony came in second to Kyle Busch’s win.

The ensuing comments from many drivers, the media and fans shows that the tire situation is a hot issue in the racing world.

Tony’s post race comments included, "I guess I can't say it's surprising because they (Goodyear) got run out of Formula One, CART, the IRL, they got run out of World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, they got run out of USAC's divisions because they couldn't keep up and couldn't make a quality product."

Goodyear responded Monday by stating that although Tony was correct in saying that Goodyear was no longer supplying tires for the organizations he listed, but the reasons they had pulled out were not because of poor quality and inability to deliver a good product. "Finally, we would like to correct an erroneous comment made by Tony Stewart. Goodyear decided to leave other racing series only because of the escalating costs of competition in those series. At least one other tire maker has done the same. For Goodyear, the enormous investment required to compete in those other forms of racing far outweighed the benefits derived from our participation. We see tremendous benefits in our 54-year relationship with NASCAR as the organization’s longest continuing supplier. We remain fully committed to, and are proud of, our relationship with NASCAR."

There is an old saying “where the rubber meets the road.” It means we can tell how well something really works at its point of practical use. Any theory is only worthwhile if it works ‘where the rubber meets the road’. This is really true with the tire situation in NASCAR. The tires affect more in the performance of the car than any other variable. Every element from speed, handling ability, timing of pit stops and safety of the drivers is affected by the tires.

The concerns with tires are long standing problem in racing. Going back into the history of NASCAR, you find there have been concerns with tires since the beginning. Goodyear has a 54 year relationship with NASCAR. They were awarded a contract in 2007 to be the exclusive tire provider for all three of NASCAR’s largest series. Being an exclusive provider opens up Goodyear to criticism. If there is ever a tire problem, it has to be a Goodyear tire.

It might be easy to write off Tony’s comments to him just being Tony. He is known for being outspoken and critical of all things NASCAR. However, this time, there is a resounding echo of what Tony said by other drivers. Other drivers are being more diplomatic while conveying basically the same frustration with the tires. Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman discussed the tires with the media on Monday.

Jeff Gordon stated “I don’t disagree with him (Tony) as far as the comfort level in the situation we were in. But we have to look at all sides of this and try to give the folks that are doing their jobs the ability and constructive criticism to try to do it better. He kind of made it personal.” That was spoken by a true media sensitive person.

Listening to Tony Stewart on his radio show this week, you see that he is still convinced of the appropriateness of his comments. He stated that he is more let down than every over Goodyear’s reactions to the driver’s concerns and Tony alluded to a corporate cover up of the matter. He seems to believe that it is his job to keep the spotlight on the tire problem and keep Goodyear’s feet to the fire until they deliver a tire that meets the needs of the drivers. What Tony needs to consider however, is that the groups with the power in the development of a tire for a track are not Goodyear and the drivers but rather Goodyear and NASCAR.

Mike Helton, the President of NASCAR explained on Tony’s radio show Tuesday that NASCAR asked Goodyear for a harder tire that would reduce speeds in the corners and that would also be durable and consistent. Helton admitted that the process has not been perfected yet and that the tires will not be perfect every weekend but Goodyear is responding to the issues.

Helton and those in NASCAR also need to realize that races are not the place to perfect and adjust the tires. In any race, the drivers are putting their lives on the line to push the cars to their limits. They need to be provided with equipment that will ensure safety and give good performance. More input from the drivers beyond the current testing process would go a long way to ensuring more driver satisfaction with the tires.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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