Will Goodyear Fix The Tire Problems?

March 11, 2008

By Brian Watkins

Brian Watkins

This week has provided all sorts of tidbits for NASCAR fans to talk about. From the Carl Edwards penalty to the Robby Gordon appeal to Smoke being tired of Goodyear there is no shortage of commentary fodder; so let’s get right to it.

I’ll start with my last column regarding the Robby Gordon appeal. I wrote that I felt it was important that the appeal be denied and that NASCAR stand by it’s original ruling. I felt, and still feel, that consistency when giving out penalties is important, even if they at times seem “unfair”. When I wrote that column however, we had yet to experience the events in the 99 pits at Las Vegas where a cameraman somehow interfered with the control of a tire. Because the penalty was caused by someone outside the Roush organization, the penalty was waived. Let me make a few points here.

First of all, I am a cameraman, or cameraperson if you so desire. I know what it’s like to be in the thick of it, whether it be military operations, backstage at a concert or covering race events. The job of the camera operator is to get the shot and tell the story while at the same time doing your best to not become part of the story. While covering big events is one of the exciting aspects of a job like this, it also comes with a set of responsibilities for both the operator and the person in charge of the area the camera is in. I as an operator have to be aware of where I am in relation to the action, not only to get the shot, but also to make sure I’m not endangering my own safety or the safety of others. It’s also my responsibility to make sure that my presence isn’t hindering those around me from doing their job. Yes, they might need to step around me or be aware of where I am, but I have to make sure I’m not preventing them from doing their job. Whether it’s running a guitar on stage or bringing tires over the wall, if you, as a cameraman, are in the way you’re not doing anyone any favors.

On the other side of the coin, if you’re in the way of someone and they don’t bother to tell you, they have dropped the ball as well. This is what happened in Las Vegas, and this is why the penalty for losing control of a tire in the pit box should never have been waived. The crew chief or other pit members had not only the right, but the responsibility to let that camera person know that they needed to move.

To top it off, the reason it was waived was because, and this is a very loose quote, “We (NASCAR) do not feel it would be right to penalize a team for something that was caused by someone else.” Hmmm. Sounds a lot like a good reason to have not penalized Robby Gordon in the first place. Once I heard that quote I lost respect for NASCAR’s new policy of equitable enforcement and was glad to see the appeals panel overturn the points portion of Gordon’s penalty. This is not to say that I still don’t think Gordon was ultimately responsible for what happened, but it was clear that there were many other contributing factors to the situation- and if NASCAR is going to let one team slide because it was “out of their control” then there was no reason for them to be so hard on Gordon.

Speaking of the 99 team, why is the penalty for failing a post race inspection after winning a cup race no more stringent than for failing a pre-race inspection? Is the penalty for attempted robbery the same as if you actually commit the robbery? I know comparing rules infractions and larceny isn’t quite the best analogy, but really, why did Gordon get penalized (pre-appeal) just as hard as the 99 team when Gordon’s car never hit the track with an unapproved part? To take it one further, if the Roush team wasn’t cheating and it was truly harmonic vibrations that loosened the bolt, where is the appeal? One would think that having Edwards replaced as the series leader by a Toyota driver because of something as innocent as a bolt that vibrated loose would have had Jack Roush waiting outside the NASCAR hauler, appeals paperwork in hand before the ink had dried on the NASCAR penalty. After a blown engine put the 99 Ford further back in points this week, you’d think it would be even more important for them to prove their innocence. Thus far though, there has been no word on an appeal from the Roush camp.

Moving on to tires….

Smoke has never been one to edit himself, and his unabashed way of expressing his feelings in post race interviews is refreshing. While Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. all made comments expressing their frustration with the tires, it was Stewart’s comments that brought the issue to the forefront resulting in both Goodyear and NASCAR issuing statements defending the tires and the processes.

Both NASCAR and Goodyear defended the process for testing and fielding the tires as well as not really offering much in the way they’re going to change it. NASCAR also mentioned the fact that since no-one cut a tire or was injured because of a tire that the tires were just peachy. If not cutting a tire or having a driver injured by a cut tire is the criteria we use to judge the quality of racing tires, then why don’t we just slap on some solid rubber wagon wheels? They definitely won’t blow out or blister.

I can’t say I agree with everything Stewart said. I’m not for the open competition between tire companies we saw 15 or 20 years ago that resulted in a mess of cut tires, scraped up walls and flattened right sides. I do think that at the end of Goodyear’s exclusive contract that other proven manufacturers of race tires be allowed to come in and possibly split the season, having one manufacturer provide tires for certain tracks and other manufacturers provide tires for other races. I’m sure there are a million and one reasons that this idea won’t work, but that’s why I write columns and other people write racing tire contracts.

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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