Everybody wants to know if I have ever seen anything like this before.
The answer is yes. Back in the 1980s, we had the tire war between Goodyear and Hoosier. People were getting hurt because tires were blowing out. You had one-upsmanship between the brands on who could make the fastest tire.
So a tire war would certainly create that type of atmosphere and we definitely don’t need that. In 1994, I think it was when they concreted the race track at Dover, we were having tire issues and Goodyear trucked in a different tire. We mounted the new tires up on Saturday night and Sunday morning. We also actually had a Sunday morning warm-up session so we could get the car setup on the tire changeover.
So yes, I have seen things like this happen before, but I have to admit I haven’t ever seen tires that could only run 20-25 miles. I just can’t say I have ever seen tires that just go away that quickly. I guess my biggest question is: What in the world did they learn at the tire test that Goodyear did at Indy?
I mean, they did the tire test with credible teams. They did the tire test with drivers who know what a tire should feel like. They have enough sense to know it has to last a fuel stop. The track hasn’t been changed. Sure it’s been diamond-ground but, folks, it’s been that way. This isn’t the first time they showed up that way.
There are just a lot of things going on here but the thing that bothers me the most is that nobody was being proactive. Now, Goodyear did make an attempt to bring in Pocono tires. But that wasn’t the answer. It would have been another band aid or crutch. Whatever the reason was for bringing those tires in wasn’t going to solve the problem. That wasn’t a solution.
Somebody has got to get a grip on being proactive. I guess when I say somebody, I mean my buddies at NASCAR. Don’t get me wrong. They do the best job they know how. It seems like they are dealt a different hand of cards each week. But I think back to the race in California and the weepers. We sat there all night long trying to get the race started back with the water running out of the race track. It took two days for someone to come up with a solution.
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