Tire Troubles, Record Laps Run Under Caution, Mar Allstate 400
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Allstate 400 Marred By Constant Cautions
Brought On By Excessive Tire Wear |
The tire wear problems that occurred during yesterday's NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) "marred one of the biggest races of the Sprint Cup Series season and turned what should have been a great race into a long afternoon of pit stops, competition cautions and frustration," according to Pete Pistone of CBSSPORTS.com. Tires were "wearing to their core after a mere handful of laps," and NASCAR's "only option was to monitor the tires throughout the race and bring the field in periodically to check the wear." Pistone wrote although it was a "good response in the name of safety, it turned what is considered the second most prestigious event of the season behind the Daytona 500 into basically a tire test instead of an actual race." The "fiasco begs the question of why didn't NASCAR and Goodyear schedule a more comprehensive test at [IMS] rather than the regular session held earlier in the year?" (CBSSPORTS.com, 7/27). In L.A., Jim Peltz writes the event was "one of the most bizarre Cup races in recent memory." IMS President & COO Joie Chitwood: "It's not the race you want to present to the largest crowd to watch a stock-car race this year." Peltz notes the race "called to mind another controversial day at [IMS] in 2005, when a tire problem prompted 14 of 20 drivers in a [F1] race to protest by pulling off the track just before the start" (L.A. TIMES, 7/28). NASCAR President Mike Helton said during the race broadcast, "There are a lot of unanswered questions, but the effort today is to keep the race safe, and to get it accomplished in the best manner possible. Certainly this isn’t the way we wanted to do it, but we’ll stay on top of it to be sure we do it the best we can do” ("Allstate 400," ESPN, 7/27).
WASTE OF A GREAT RACE: In Indianapolis, Bob Kravitz writes, "This was the Tire de Farce. A fiasco. A joke. An embarrassment for NASCAR and for Goodyear. Unfair to the fans, who paid good money to attend the Competition Yellow 400. ... Want to know what kind of race this was? The sponsor, Allstate, felt compelled to issue a statement supporting the safety precautions NASCAR was forced to take because of the tires" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/28). FOXSPORTS.com's Lee Spencer writes spectators at IMS "got ripped off. And you deserve a refund. The only racing that took place at the Brickyard was off of pit road and in the last seven laps of the race." NASCAR fans "deserve better than the show that was put on at the Brickyard Sunday. A lot better" (FOXSPORTS.com, 7/28). ESPN.com's Terry Blount wrote it was a "ridiculous sideshow of survival, certainly not deserving of the second biggest event in NASCAR." Blount: "Here's a guarantee. NASCAR will have an open test at Indy next year and every year hereafter. That didn't happen this year" (ESPN.com, 7/27). In Hartford, Shawn Courchesne wrote the Allstate 400 was a "crown jewel event that turned out to be nothing more than a cubic zirconium." Yesterday's race "wasn't a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. It was a contrived series of heat races put on to somehow let NASCAR get through the day" (COURANT.com, 7/27). SI.com's Lars Anderson wrote, "In the seven years I've been covering the sport, this was by far the most boring, least competitive, most sleep-inducing race I've attended" (SI.com, 7/27).
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| Drivers Apologize For Tire Conditions |
DRIVER, ANALYST REAX: USA TODAY's Nate Ryan notes a record 52 of the 160 laps were run under caution, and the race "lack[ed] any rhythm." Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, "I am ashamed, but there wasn't much we could do. I feel bad for NASCAR. They certainly don't deserve (the heat). That was the best show we could put on." Driver Ryan Newman: "That wasn't a race. It's ridiculous. That's a lack of preparation from NASCAR to Goodyear to [IMS] to put on a show like they did. It's disrespectful to the fans" (USA TODAY, 7/28). Driver Matt Kenseth: "It was actually embarrassing, it really was. I apologize to the fans" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/28). Steve Letarte, the crew chief for driver Jeff Gordon, said, "It was the most boring race I've ever called" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/28). ESPN’s Brad Daugherty: “It was aggravating to watch. They had to stop every ten laps. It was like watching a heat race.” ESPN’s Matt Winer: “The story of this race was just how disjointed it was because of those special cautions.” ESPN's Allen Bestwick: “Drivers persevered through some very difficult conditions today. NASCAR did what it could, but it wasn’t pretty. ... The race sure wasn’t an artistic thing of beauty” ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 7/27). Driver Carl Edwards called the race "a debacle." Driver Jimmie Johnson, who won the race, said, "I've never been part of anything like this. Every lap I was concerned about it, every corner, in fact. Everyone was just taking care of their stuff" (L.A. TIMES, 7/28). But Johnson later added, "I have to commend NASCAR, because NASCAR called a great race and they kept us from tearing up race cars" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/28). ESPN’s Rusty Wallace added. "I didn’t see any of the owners or the drivers complaining and jumping up and down. They sat down and said, ‘Look, we’ve got a problem’” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 7/27).
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Drivers, Owners Split On Blame
Tire Supplier Goodyear Deserves |
NOT A GOOD YEAR: Driver Jeff Burton, when asked about the problems, said, "Goodyear is the tire provider. It's hard to put it on NASCAR's shoulders." Roush Fenway Racing co-Owner Jack Roush: "It's up to Goodyear. In their wisdom, they figure out what tire we need and we have to buy as many as they will sell us" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/28). Edwards, when asked who was at fault for the issues, said, "Obviously, it's the people who make the tires." Driver Jamie McMurray added, "Certainly, that wasn't the right tire" (K.C. STAR, 7/28). ESPN’s Rusty Wallace said, “If I’m an owner, I’m asking Goodyear, ‘Do I have to pay for these tires?'” But Richard Childress Racing Owner Richard Childress said, “This isn’t Goodyear’s fault. It’s all the circumstance built around it.” Hendrick Motorsports Owner Rick Hendrick said, "Goodyear is doing the best they can" ("Allstate 400," ESPN, 7/27).
HISTORY REPEATING? FOXSPORTS.com's Jorge Andres Mondaca noted as a result of the '05 F1 U.S. Grand Prix, tire provider Michelin "offered refunds to fans in attendance as well as 20,000 free tickets for those who renewed." Goodyear and NASCAR have "no such plan" in the works after yesterday's race. NASCAR Managing Dir of Corporate Communications Ramsey Poston: "It's apples and oranges to compare the two events. We had a full field, completed all the laps, and as Jimmie Johnson said, we had a very competitive race" (FOXSPORTS.com, 7/27). YAHOO SPORTS' Bob Margolis wrote, "There's no question that the fans didn't get the race they deserved. But, did they deserve a repeat of the 2005 [F1] race? I think not." But "instead of calling for the tire manufacturer's head on a plate, it should be the time to examine what went wrong here and take steps to prevent it from happening in the future" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/27).
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