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Tag: Goodyear

  • Hot 20 – The impending demise of Furniture Row Racing overshadows Sunday’s Brickyard 400

    Hot 20 – The impending demise of Furniture Row Racing overshadows Sunday’s Brickyard 400

    I had such high hopes for NASCAR, at least since July. That is when NBC came on board and presented the long sought after broadcast crew that could keep fans glued to the track simply by the strength of their commentary. We have waited years for that to happen, and it is crucial for a sport that has yet to solve some on-track competitive issues and more than a few off it. If the racing is not spellbinding, then the commentary damn well better be if you hope to have anyone watching.

    The broadcast team could not solve the biggest off-track issue. Economics. Long gone are the days when Bob bought or borrowed a car and went racing. It costs big money to build the big cars with the big engines supported by big technology and hauled around by big trucks. Long, long gone. If you are in Denver, Colorado, it might cost a few more ducats to do so. To be competitive, to be the reigning Cup champion, you better believe the dollars are big. Without sponsorship, even a successful company with a successful sibling enterprise to help shore things up, cannot long last. This week, we discovered exactly how long.

    Furniture Row Racing, established in 2005, Cup champions in 2017, will not be around come next season’s Daytona 500. With 5-hour Energy heading to the exits, and with no sugar daddies waiting to take their place, the cash had simply run out. A defending champion who cannot get proper sponsorship. If that is not a wake-up call for the sport, you might as well let them sleep in.

    If nothing else, it should make for a very active silly season. Martin Truex Jr. and pit boss Cole Pearn, according to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and other published reports are bound in tandem for the mothership. Like Erik Jones before him, a move from Furniture Row to Joe Gibbs Racing is being claimed. If those reports are accurate, Daniel Suarez will take his dance to another ballroom, and it probably will result in a step down in his equipment. The really bad news is that one premier ride is disappearing and what, if anything, replaces it will feature a team destined to sit outside the top twenty-five next season. That will not bode well for the sport.

    However, NBC does. Indianapolis might, depending on if the Brickyard 400 has solid rubber to avoid the debacle of 2008. At least the cars are different from the time of that disaster, and I am sure Goodyear has better rubber. I am not sure even this broadcast team could save a race where drivers are pitting every 10 laps to keep their tires from exploding.

    This marks the final chance for those outside the Chase to win themselves in. All Jimmie Johnson has to do is come home 19 positions better than Alex Bowman, though Bowman could eat that up in a hurry by winning both stages. All Bowman needs is do, other than that, is to keep those behind him away from Victory Lane. Not likely one will slip by, but it could happen. There are some other possibilities when you see that past winners include such outsiders as defending race champ Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard, and Jamie McMurray. They could yet upset the apple cart. However, I do not have much hope of that happening.

    Did I mention the outstanding broadcast team to take us through all the action on Sunday?

    1. KYLE BUSCH – 6 WINS (1038 Pts)
    With a “regular season” pennant, he should enter the playoffs in the top spot.

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 6 WINS (1 E.W. – 999 Pts)
    He is retiring…from Xfinity racing.

    3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4 WINS (883 Pts)
    Defending champion now in a lame duck situation.

    4. CLINT BOWYER – 2 WINS (777 Pts)
    Hoping some of A.J. Foyt’s No. 14 magic at Indianapolis might rub off on him this week.

    5. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (835 Pts)
    Nothing definite yet as to where he will run in 2019.

    6. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (818 Pts)
    Penske finishes last week’s classic 1-2, and that has to have Roger feeling pretty good.

    7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN (785 Pts)
    As demonstrated at Darlington, this truly is a team sport.

    8. CHASE ELLIOTT – 1 WIN (737 Pts)
    At 22, the young gent is not retiring from anything, including his Saturday ride at Indy.

    9. ERIK JONES – 1 WIN (679 Pts)
    Can Erik now be called the original Furniture Row refugee, or is that Kurt?

    10. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (496 Pts)
    Daytona (twice), Fontana, and Michigan. Outside the Top Ten everywhere else.

    11. KYLE LARSON – 783 POINTS
    0.6 seconds. Everything went right last week, except for 0.6 seconds.

    12. RYAN BLANEY – 755 POINTS
    Still seeking his first Indy Top Ten.

    13. DENNY HAMLIN – 738 POINTS
    In a dozen starts, has finished on the lead lap at the Brickyard in all but one.

    14. ARIC ALMIROLA – 681 POINTS
    Do not expect much, as his best finish in six starts at Indianapolis is 13th.

    15. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 605 POINTS
    If Bowman wins the opening two stages he might start getting nervous.

    16. ALEX BOWMAN – 586 POINTS
    He does not care who wins on Sunday, as long as it is not one of 14 particular drivers of interest.

    17. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 518 POINTS
    Not exactly hot with Top Ten finishes limited to Bristol, Talladega, and Charlotte in May.

    18. RYAN NEWMAN – 503 POINTS
    Coming back home again to Indiana, he needs to race like it is 2013 and Jim Nabors is singing.

    19. PAUL MENARD – 493 POINTS
    Needs to race like it is 2011.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 487 POINTS
    Reports claim he is about to play off-season musical chairs.

  • The Final Word – Texas, where some raced, some participated, some tuned out

    The Final Word – Texas, where some raced, some participated, some tuned out

    If you are going to watch ‘em race in Texas, you better have a PVR in your hand. My God, that was boring. I mean, with more than half the field lapped in the opening segment and more than 12 seconds between first and second, we were sure not talking about racing wheel to wheel.

    Wrecks. If all you watched the race for was for wrecks, I guess it was salvageable. Not so for Alex Bowman, as he got turned on just the third lap and his day was all but done. It was like when your brother puts his finger up to your face and starts chanting “I’m not touching you, I’m not touching you” until you touch him in an unfriendly way and the fight begins. Bowman was not touched, but the car went around anyway. Paul Menard was caught up in the aftermath. Like Bowman, his day was ruined and his winless streak extended to 239.

    Martin Truex Jr. was riding second, with Kevin Harvick somewhere over the horizon, when he lost a front tire but found the fence. He was toast, with five laps remaining in the opening frame. Again, if not for the wrecks, Texas was all about endurance. Yours.

    Yours, and anyone associated with Goodyear. Midway through the second segment, Kyle Larson was sitting in fourth until the right front rubber shredded and the wall did a little shredding of its own. If a big reason they are in the sport is to advertise the durability of their product, Texas did them no favors. None.

    So, what happens to all those lug nuts that come flying off the tires, to bounce unattended on pit road? Well, they can bounce their way into the jacks to gum up the works. That is what happened to Harvick when he pitted after Larson’s misfortune and went from first to ninth. Then, after all that, he did not go 10 laps when he had to come back for a loose wheel. Unbelievable. That dropped him a lap down and out of the Top 20. Such things might cause a man to cuss. Hell, it could cause a nun to cuss. You have to believe somebody is slated to have his backside gnawed off in the very near future.

    So that left us with Kyle Busch taking the middle segment, Kurt Busch was next, with only 13 cars on the lead circuit. As for Harvick, he was the second among those a lap down in 15th. Things just might get interesting before this one was done yet. That is, if you had the endurance to wait it out.

    Maybe a wreck would keep us engaged. A handful of laps into the run to the flag, we got it. Adios Denny Hamlin. Sayonara Brad Keselowski. Goodbye Aric Almirola. Take a bow, Jimmie Johnson. Sometimes good things come to those who wait, even if your good things are someone else’s bad things.

    Harvick came back and was in the mix but still needed some help to close the gap. With under 50 go to, a tire rolled loose in his pits. NASCAR reviewed, and Harvick escaped without a penalty even NASCAR later admitted he should have been tagged with. Ryan Newman had a Top Ten car, then had a tire blow and he hit the wall. Bad news for Newman, more good news for Harvick. Good news for those poor sons of a gun watching this thing.

    However, leading is where it was at. You lead, you win, and Kyle Busch did…and did, by 3/10 of a second over Harvick. Finally, a victory after three runner-up finishes to give Rowdy his 44th career Cup decision. Jamie McMurray finished third, while 40-plus point days were recorded by Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, and Erik Jones, who brought it home in fourth.

    Bad days were realized by Goodyear, whoever supplies those air guns some say were responsible for all the vibration issues, and you, the fan. Ten cars concluded the day on the lead lap, just two more a lap down. You know, I’ve been waiting and waiting for my call to join NASCAR’s promotional department. I might have to wait a bit longer.

    Next Sunday, it is Bristol. We give thanks for what we are about to receive. Amen.

  • Goodyear Has a Good Year; Already Preparing for New Year

    Goodyear Has a Good Year; Already Preparing for New Year

    While Goodyear is celebrating the end of the season in Homestead, pronouncing it a ‘good year’, they are already manufacturing tires for the New Year and preparing for new season testing.

    “I’m pleased that we’re completing another good year from a tire standpoint,” Stu Grant, Goodyear’s General Manager of Global Race Tires, said. “We’ve had a great engineering operation that designs these tires that stays on top of the changing rules that we have to deal with. Our engineers stay on top of all the things that these crew chiefs throw at us and at the car and tires. They do a good job of staying out front of all of that.”

    “Of course, I’ll say that I also have to make a comment about our manufacturing facility. Our tires are handmade in Akron, Ohio. We make about 140,000 tires a year and they do a fantastic job making a top-quality tire.”

    “We’re finishing a year that I’m really proud of,” Grant continued. “It’s been challenging, particularly because of the speeds. All you have to do is look at the record books and look at the track records set almost every single week. And even in the second half, they are faster than the first half.”

    “Even though the NASCAR rules haven’t changed per se, they are getting better and better at it from a team standpoint,” Grant said. “They are just throwing a lot of speed and a lot of load at these tires. Like I said, our engineers continue to stay on top of that and out front of it. These guys are in the garage area to make sure they don’t abuse these tires. That’s why our engineers are at track. We have a half dozen guys at every race to take temperatures and talk to the people in the garage to make sure that if there is something at risk, we try to point it out to them on a tire temperature sheet or a pad.”

    While Goodyear does not have a year-end wrap up per se, they do a major debrief after every race in addition to an annual meeting with their NASCAR partners.

    “We have a lot of communication internally every week,” Grant said. “We try to analyze every race post-race. We actually have a weekly call on Tuesday with the NASCAR competition guys where we talk about what happened the last week and look ahead to the next week. We compare what we saw to what they saw. We also do a similar call with some of the race teams where the drivers are present.”

    “So, you’re away from the Sunday emotion and you can get some good feedback on tires and handling. We’ll do that every week to try to stay with it rather than wait until the end of the year.”

    “We do, however, have an annual meeting where all our guys go to the R&D Center in Charlotte with all the competition and R&D folks,” Grant continued. “We do that at the end of September. We’ll do a race-by-race analysis and share what we plan to change and what we don’t plan to change and ask NASCAR if they are OK with that.”

    “It’s a discussion about what the perception is about tire set-up and if we need to change it or not. We need to make sure we’re together on that because about the end of October, we will start manufacturing tires for the next year. We’re making Daytona tires right now.”

    “So, the timing of that meeting is important. To get all the materials together to the tire machine takes a couple of weeks to do all that. So, we need some lead time to do all that. We have to be all together on how we are going forward in 2015.”

    Goodyear is also looking forward to testing next year, although there will be some changes based on NASCAR’s new testing ban.

    “There has been a lot of discussion with NASCAR on that whole subject,” Grant said. “Where we are, and NASCAR was in total agreement, we don’t want to be distracted by fourteen other cars out there testing.”

    “What’s really important is the data we gather. Think about the whole dynamic of that situation. If we’re testing at Homestead because we feel some reason to change this tire – we’re not going to test if we don’t feel there is a need to change it – we will have enough control tires to run our four test cars. What I don’t want is fourteen other cars running on a tire that I think 99.9% is not going to be the race tire as that has the possibility of giving me bad data. We don’t want that distraction.”

    “NASCAR has taken the position that they totally don’t want that,” Grant continued. “What is important to NASCAR is that Goodyear provide the best tire that we can for our sport. They totally get that.”

    “So, we will do our testing and when we’re done, then the fourteen or fifteen cars will come in and do their thing. That’s where I think it is right now. It’s not all ironed out but that’s where we are right now to totally divide those two efforts. We’ll do our testing and the teams will do their own testing on their own but maybe at the same location.”

    The Goodyear execs have all gathered in Homestead for the final race of the season and to witness a champion crowned. But there really is no rest for the weary when it comes to racing tires.

    “We’re excited to wind down the season. It goes fast,” Grant said. “It’s hard to believe that here we are sitting here at the last race. Then it is the banquet and the Las Vega s banquet. Then testing and back to work.”

    “We’re looking forward to next year, with a little horsepower taken away and a little downforce off. That will give us a little room to maybe add some grip here and there,” Grant continued. “So, that’s kind of our strategy in 2015. We’re planning a lot of testing in 2015 and that will change things. We’ll just keep gathering data and we’ll open up the handling of the grip level of the set-up we provide.”

    “I have a sign in my office that ‘There is no off season’ and there really is none.”

  • Hot 20 – After Dover, it is Over for Four Contenders

    Hot 20 – After Dover, it is Over for Four Contenders

    According to the Chase, a couple of Penske drivers lead the way in the standings with Sunday’s race at Dover to determine the dozen who advance to the next round. According to our season long standings, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano certainly are worthy of consideration. Penske thinks so, as Logano this week signed a contract extension that should keep the team mates together for some time.

    Of course, consideration should also be extended to Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for their season efforts. In fact, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick are not too far out of the conversation just yet, either, and odds are all will also advance to the next stage of the “playoffs.” The cream continues to rise to the top.

    Whatever they do next year, it will be without benefit of private testing sessions. If NASCAR or Goodyear is not testing, then nobody is. In fact, getting caught doing so will result in the harshest penalties NASCAR can hand out. A minimum of a $150,000 fine, 150 points, a six week vacation for the crew chief kind of harshness. The annual three day test at Daytona to clear out the cobwebs is also gone. You get the feeling that they are serious about this.

    The reasoning behind it is to reduce costs to teams, and few seem to disagree. It is expected to be a boost for the lesser funded operations. Reduced horsepower and reduced spoilers are also slated for next season in the hopes it creates less down force and thus, more passing opportunities. Anything that makes the action better is more than welcome.

    Welcome news that Jamie Little is bound for FOX after the ESPN boat finally sinks. There is nothing wrong with the pit reporters on that network, but their analysts and hosts are a disaster. To borrow the line from Dennis Miller, “…of course, that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.” Sorry, I just made myself laugh there.

    It is rather enjoyable to have a column such as this. It is merely a fan’s view, my honest observations. It is true that I do not enjoy seeing Logano, Denny Hamlin, or Brian Vickers win. That does not mean they are not lovely gentlemen. I bet if I shared a beer with any of them my perspective could probably change. I honestly do not enjoy the ESPN broadcasts, I think they do a disservice to the sport, but I also doubt my comments are going to cause anyone to fire Rusty Wallace tomorrow. You can agree or disagree, and we can have some fun in doing so. Sometimes, though, real life does jump out and bite us.

    I am glad to hear the criminal case against Tony Stewart has ended with the grand jury decision not to proceed. I am sad to hear that the family of Kevin Ward Jr. do not accept the verdict. They firmly believe Stewart intentionally accelerated his vehicle in a bid to intimidate the younger driver and in doing so, struck and killed him.

    “This matter is not at rest and we will pursue all remedies in fairness to Kevin.” As a father of sons not much younger than Kevin, I understand the sentiment. If Stewart’s actions did not kill their son, the actions of their son are what got him killed. No father would want to accept that. I sure would not. I do not know if I ever could.

    The top nine of our Hot 20 remain in the Chase, and should be there after this Sunday’s action. From Kasey Kahne on back, that is another story. As for who to expect to be among the contenders on Sunday, I think Kyle Larson will continue to show why he is the best newcomer this season. It think we also should have an idea how Johnson will do in his bid for seven, considering he is a nine time Dover winner.

    As for a bold prediction, based on past history, expect Kurt Busch, Hamlin, Aric Almirola, and A.J. Allmendinger to miss the Chase, and Greg Biffle to race his way to another set of downs.

    Hot 20

    *Winning bonus expanded from 3 to 25 points
    1 – Jeff Gordon – 3 Wins – 1041 Points
    2 – Brad Keselowski – 5 – 1025
    3 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 1017
    4 – Joey Logano – 4 – 1004
    5 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 939
    6 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 916
    7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 872
    8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 854
    9 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 837
    10 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 821
    11 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 809
    12 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 802
    13 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 783
    14 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 782
    15 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 781
    16 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 759
    17 – Paul Menard – 0 – 753
    18 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 727
    19 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 717
    20 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 701

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: 5-Hour Energy 400 at Kansas

    Surprising and Not Surprising: 5-Hour Energy 400 at Kansas

    Even with the surprising but thankfully slight delay of the race start for thunderstorms and lightning in the area, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the first race at Kansas Speedway under the Saturday night lights.

    Surprising: Weird and freaky things continue to happen at NASCAR races and the Kansas race was no exception. The lights went dark on the back stretch, the speedy dry truck lost a gear, and the car that was ‘Freaky Fast’, starting from the pole with a new track record, just could not pull off the victory, coming in second instead.

    “What put us in second is I didn’t get down pit road very good there coming to the pit box,” Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy Johns ‘Freaky Fast’ Chevrolet said. “I kind of ran out of gas, and I was paying attention to the fuel pressure gauge instead of the pit road speed light.”

    “I lost some time there,” Harvick continued. “It was a weird night.”

    In spite of all the freakiness, this was Harvick’s eighth top-10 finish in 17 races at Kansas Speedway and his fifth top-10 finish in 2014.

    Not Surprising: The race winner shed some pounds, had a blast, and felt like a kid again after scoring his first ‘w’ of the season. Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 Axalta Coatings Chevrolet, became the ninth different driver to win for the year and scored his 89th career victory.

    “It just feels so good to get that first win of the season, especially this year with the point’s structure and how close we’ve been so many weekends,” Gordon said. “I think that that’s a huge weight off our shoulders.”

    “I just feel so competitive out there, and that makes me feel young again,” Gordon continued. “I’m going to be 43 this year, but, man, if 43 is like this, I can’t wait for 50. This is all right. I’m having a good time. That’s why I feel young, because I’m just having a great time.”

    Surprising: At least one Busch brother has felt that Kansas Speedway has been somewhat of a curse for him, however, this time it was not Kyle Busch but brother Kurt who felt that way after the race.

    Kyle Busch, in the No. 18 Snickers Toyota, actually finished the race in the 15th position, while Kurt, behind the wheel of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet, spun not just once but twice and finished 29th.

    “We definitely didn’t get the finish we wanted in our Haas Automation Chevrolet,” Busch said. “It was a disappointing day all around. We had the best qualifying session of the season this weekend, and we had high hopes for the race.”

    “It just didn’t work out the way we planned,” Busch continued. “The car was loose, and we couldn’t tighten it up no matter what we tried. It’s just frustrating. We need to do better, and hopefully we will do better moving forward.”

    Not Surprising: Danica Patrick was certainly thrilled with her career best finish of 7th in her No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet at Kansas. But what really got her going was what she managed to do while racing six-time champ Jimmie Johnson.

    “Honestly, the most rewarding part of my night was probably when I drove around the outside of the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) on a restart,” Patrick said. “That was probably my most rewarding thing of the night.”

    “I say that with all the respect in the world,” Patrick continued. “It’s a big deal because he is Jimmie Johnson.”

    “Aside from that I was really just overall proud that we stayed up front all day. That was the biggest thing.”

    Surprising: Sometimes Goodyear gets thrown under the bus for any type of tire troubles, but this time the third place driver Kasey Kahne gave them all the credit in the world.

    In fact, Kahne scored his first top 5 of the season in his No. 5 FarmersInsurance/Thankamillionteachers.com Chevrolet thanks to the tire manufacturer and their recent Kansas tire test.

    “I think the Goodyear test here, for whatever reason, we were able to try some things and just look at stuff a little differently than what we had been, and it helped the 5 team, my guys, myself and Kenny (Francis, crew chief) and our communication together,” Kahne said. “It’s helped us a lot since then.”

    “I feel like that’s been the key, and ever since we tested here, we’ve ran much better and been a lot more competitive.”

    Not Surprising: Given the high speeds at Kansas and the freakiness of the night, it was not surprising to see some really violent crashes, including Jamie McMurray up in flames and David Gilliland in a horrific wreck with Justin Allgaier and AJ Allmendinger.

    “I just lost all the steering and got into the fence and had a little fire,” the driver of the No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet said. “I don’t know if I ran over something but I ended up crashing.”

    “I don’t know what happened,” Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford, said. “It looked like the 47 and 51 got together and the 51 came back up the track and I hit him and from there a lot of stuff happened.”

    “We are alright though,” Gilliland continued. “Just a little sore obviously.”

    “That is one of the hardest hits I have had in a while. Hopefully it will be the hardest one for a while to come too,” Gilliland said. “It was a hard lick. It was the hardest hit I’ve had in a long time.”

    McMurray finished 39th and Gilliland finished 37th.

    Surprising: Interestingly, there was only one Toyota in the top 10 when the checkered flag flew. Matt Kenseth, who had struggled for most of the race, managed to rebound and finish tenth in his No. 20 Dollar General Toyota.

    “We were just pretty slow all weekend — as a group, really,” Kenseth said. “Lost that lap on that first run — I was in the ‘lucky dog’ spot a lot of times, just couldn’t catch a caution at the right times.”

    “We were just off a little bit all week,” Kenseth continued. “Trying to figure out mile-and-a-half tracks — it was our strong suit last year. We’re really struggling this year as a group. We’re trying to figure it out.”

    “We got lucky to finish 10th really.”

    With his top-10 finish, Kenseth remains second in the point standings, now 15 points behind leader Jeff Gordon.

    Not Surprising:  Kyle Larson, to no one’s surprise, just keeps reeling off impressive finishes in spite of his rookie status. The driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet overcame obstacles to finish 12th and score the Sunoco Rookie of the Race honors.

    Surprising: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. surprisingly admitted it himself when he shared his frustration at finishing top five and leading nine laps, the same number as race winner and teammate Jeff Gordon.

    “What stands out in the back of my mind was how fast the car was during the first half of the race,” Junior said. “We were just flying.”

    “But I knew when the temps came down, the bottom was going to be faster and we were going to be in trouble because we were tight all weekend,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet continued. “We got real tight at the end of the race.”

    “Just kind of frustrating there because we never really improved the front grip and struggled with it all weekend,” Junior said. “So, frustrated about that but a good result for us.”

    Not Surprising: While it was not Darlington, a track where Mother’s Day has been traditionally celebrated by the sport, there was still a great outpouring of love and support for all mothers in the NASCAR garage.

    In fact, driver after driver paid tribute to their mothers, as well as their wives, many of whom were mothers to their children.

    So, as Mother’s Day comes to a close, the Cup Series will move next into its home track double header, with the All Star Race and then the Coca Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest endurance race, both at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the next two weekends.

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington

    As the blinding sun faded into darkness, drivers danced with the lady in black at one of the toughest tracks on the circuit. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 65th annual Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

    Surprising:  Perhaps it was the full moon or the sheer intensity of the competition, but there was a surprising amount of testiness, more so than at another of the other tracks to date, between drivers and even between drivers and crew chiefs.

    At one point, Aric Almirola and Danica Patrick were trading paint, as well as Austin Dillon and A.J. Allmendinger, the latter calling the young Dillon rookie a ‘punk’. There was also some testiness between the normally solid duo of six-time champ Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus during some of their radio chatter.

    Probably the biggest incident of the race occurred in the last few laps between Kurt Busch, who was running ninth in the first attempt at the green-white-checkered, and Clint Bowyer, who made contact with him when the green flag flew.

    The contact was so severe that Busch was unable to complete the race, finishing 31st in his No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet. Bowyer, on the other hand, finished 12th in his No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota.

    “That was a terrible way to end what could have been a decent night,” Busch said. “We struggled at times to get the balance of the Haas Automation Chevrolet right, but we kind of found our spot just past the halfway point and made slight adjustments the rest of the way.”

    “I tried to hold them off the best I could, but someone moved me out of their way and it ruined our night,” Busch said of the restart. “I hate it for the team, but we keep learning each week and we will get better.”

    Although Busch has a win, he lost one position in the point standings, falling to 26th, 164 points behind the leader. Bowyer, who is winless, climbed one spot up in the point standings to 16th, 78 points behind the leader.

    Not Surprising:  In spite of the challenges, several personal bests were achieved by race winner Kevin Harvick, who by far had the stoutest car, leading 239 laps of the 374 total. This was Harvick’s first ever Southern 500 win, adding to his other crown jewel race wins, from the Daytona 500 to the Coca Cola 600 and the Brickyard.

    This was Harvick’s 25th victory in the Sprint Cup Series and he also became the first two-time winner of the season, virtually guaranteeing him a spot in the Chase for the championship.

    The driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing also became the first driver to win from pole position since Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett did so in 1997.

    “This is one race I told Rodney (Childers, crew chief) that I wanted to win,” Harvick said. “We were able to put it all together, but this is the Southern 500, this is as big as it gets in NASCAR racing.”

    Surprising:  There were several surprising bounces that occurred at the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame.’ Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a surprising bounce back to score his career best, runner up finish at Darlington after finishing dead last at Texas last weekend with the mistake in the grass.

    “A great run, good job by my team,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet said. “This isn’t one of my best tracks so my team gave me a great car.”

    This was Junior’s ninth top-10 finish at Darlington and his fifth top-10 finish of the season.

    On the flip side, Paul Menard took a surprisingly hard bounce backwards, dropping eight positions in the points, from 10th to 18th, after finishing 41st in his No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet.

    “When the sun went down, I think it freed up,” Menard said after hitting the wall on Lap 201. “I hit the wall like ten laps before and I guess the right-front tire just went down.”

    “I guess I was in denial,” Menard continued. “There was a lot of damage.”

    Not Surprising:  Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Larson continued to impress with his eighth place finish in a backup car to become the highest finishing rookie of the race.

    “Yeah, just really proud of my Target Chip Ganassi team for how hard they had to work after I got into the wall and pulled the backup car out,” Larson said. “I started the race off so loose and just had to hang on for a couple runs and Shine got the car tightened up the car for me and we were able to run I thought top‑10 or ‑12 speeds.”

    “Finally got up there and then I got in the wall a couple times and had to pull the fenders back out and drive back up there,” Larson continued. “Still ended up 8th, but all in all it was a good Saturday for us.”

    Surprising: Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson surprisingly called on the old school racing gods to round out the podium finish for Team Chevy.

    “Yeah, just very happy to finish there in the top three,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Kobalt Tools Chevrolet said. “We struggled the first run or two of the race, but we got the car turning for me and came to life and really did it the old‑fashioned way and kind of drove up through the field before the last pit stop, so proud of the hard work.”

    Although he remains winless to date, this was Johnson’s fifth top 10 finish of the season and his 12th top-10 finish in 16 races at Darlington Raceway.

    Not Surprising:  Even champions make mistake as demonstrated by the difficulties in restarting by four-time champion Jeff Gordon pretty much throughout the race.

    “We had a really strong car and everything was going really well,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet said. “There towards the end, we just kind of started fading and got ate up on those restarts.”

    Gordon finished seventh and is still in the points lead, albeit by one point over Matt Kenseth.

    “I feel like it is a missed opportunity,” Gordon said. “But another great race car and I’m happy about that.”

    Surprising:  Team Penske had a surprisingly tough time under the watchful eye of the ‘Lady in Black’, with Keselowski finishing 17th and Logano finishing 35th.

    “It was a long night,” the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford said. “We didn’t get the finish we wanted, that is for sure.”

    “The track was slick so that is part of the unique challenge of Darlington that we all love.”

    While Keselowski admitted to getting pushed back by those struggling on restarts, teammate Logano instead had a mechanical failure with just ten laps to go.

    “We had an issue with the right front hub which broke,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford said. “It is unfortunate that the right front hub broke and then that messed with the rotor and into the caliper and everything got hot and broke after that.”

    “It sucks because you run the whole race and get nothing to show for it at the end.”

    Not Surprising:   With the third best driver rating of 107.5 coming into Darlington Raceway, it was not surprising the Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 3M/Red Cross Ford, was the highest finishing Ford when the checkered flag waved.

    “We worked really hard all night and probably didn’t have a fifth place car but we worked really hard on it and we had good pit stops and track position was everything tonight,” Biffle said. “Those last restarts we were on the outside, the inside and then the outside and we picked up one or two spots there at the end.”

    “Everybody worked hard and we will keep working on our car. We have to get better here but we will keep working at it.”

    Surprising:  NASCAR actually made a surprising move, granting an extra set of Goodyear tires for the Bojangles’ Southern 500. The sanctioning body apparently made that move after many teams voiced concerns about running out of tires, given the fall-off and wear.

    Not Surprising:  No doubt all of the Cup drivers are looking forward to an off-weekend of rest but Richard Petty Motorsports driver Marcos Ambrose summed it up best.

    “From the first lap, the track was as slick as anything,” the driver of the No. 9 DeWalt Ford said after finishing 14th. “This is the most worn out I have been in my NASCAR career.”

    After the Easter break, the NASCAR elite return to action in two weeks under the lights for some short-track racing at Richmond International Raceway.

  • Gordon – looking for someone to blame?

    Gordon – looking for someone to blame?

                Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon, is not happy with Goodyear, the tire supplier for the NASCAR national touring series. Gordon’s frustration stems from the tire issues that race teams experienced last week at Auto Club Speedway.

                During the Auto Club 400 several top teams suffered blown tires. At one point, Gordon was leading the race when Clint Bowyer lost a tire. After the round of pit stops that followed the yellow, Gordon dropped to 13th position. Gordon then expressed his dis-pleasure with Goodyear, saying Goodyear was not prepared.

    Gordon was asked if he had spoken with Goodyear while he was at a test in Sonoma, he responded, “I did not. No, I’m too mad at them to have a discussion with them about that right now. I went and did everything I could to put the best test together that I could there to learn what we could to go to Sonoma and win.”

    One idea that has been presented by many is that maybe teams were too aggressive with set-ups and that is what led to the tire problems. According to an article posted by USA Today, Gordon addressed that opinion as well mentioning that the new rules packages are forcing team to take more chances because “that’s what’s going to win races.”

    That statement seemed to place the blame on NASCAR as well as Goodyear. NASCAR for implementing the new rules that reward winning, and Goodyear for not being prepared for the more aggressive attitudes that teams would have. Gordon, however, commented, “Don’t get me wrong we all play a role in it. You can easily sit here and say oh well the teams were not conservative enough, there were teams that were not having issues.”

    Yet, he also pointed out that the cause of the tire problem was unknown by saying, “Yeah, tire wear I have no problem with tire wear. I know how to manage tire wear. But when it’s the sidewall and you don’t know is it the bumps on the back straightaway, is it the apron in turn three and four, is it speed, is it air pressure, camber? I mean we heard where people were low on air pressure, came up on pressure and that didn’t seem to fix it. When those things are happening it definitely makes you nervous because you don’t want to be that close to the edge. I think we all were very close to the edge.”

    The irony in that opinion is that Gordon’s team did not have a tire issue. Gordon acknowledged that his team, “… saw issues on Saturday and we detuned our car from a tire abusive standpoint.” If they had no idea what caused it, and Goodyear was at fault by bringing a tire that was not good enough, how did his team “de-tune” the car to eliminate the issue?

    It seems to this writer that Gordon’s anger is due to the fact that he lost the lead when a car lost a tire and he is looking for someone to blame. How about the fact that his team allowed him to drop from the lead to 13th during a pitstop? Whether it be due to a slow stop or strategy, it does not matter. Regardless of the reason, he came down pitroad with the lead and left pitroad 13th.

    As far as having to push the envelope to be the fastest you can be, is that not what racing is supposed to be? These are some of the best racers in the world. This is the premier level of stock car racing. It is supposed to be tough. Drivers are supposed to be on the edge, as Gordon pointed out that they all were. This is the big leagues. It is supposed to be challenging.

    The fact that NASCAR has devised a set of rules that causes teams to push the envelope is a good thing. The racing this season has been better than it has been in several years. Obviously, something is right about it. It is the team’s responsibility to find the balance between too aggressive and the most speed. The fact that this sport employs some of the most intelligent minds in the world, is a fact that should keep things interesting. When one team chooses one strategy and the next team chooses another, the level of competition is raised and racing becomes exciting.

    Teams and drivers complaining that the challenges of the sport are too hard is baffling. It ranks right up there with drivers saying “he raced me too hard”, a phenomena that does not exist in the real world. Every team’s goal is to win. Developing strategies and racing hard to accomplish that goal is every team’s job. If it’s too difficult, then those teams should find another line of work.

    Several teams did have tire problems at Auto Club Speedway. Several teams, however, including Gordon’s team, did not, and he admitted that his team de-tuned to lessen the chance of a tire issue. Hard to find how Goodyear and NASCAR are at fault here.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Fontana Auto Club 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Fontana Auto Club 400

    From the unique race command from Muppet star Gonzo to Denny Hamlin’s pre-race trip to the hospital for a sinus infection and vision problems, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the Auto Club 400 in Fontana, California.

    Surprising:  There are not many drivers who, after winning a thrilling race in green-white-checkered fashion, can combine ‘Days of Thunder’ with faith-filled references right out of ‘Talladega Nights’. But Kyle Busch surprisingly managed to pull it all together in his Victory Lane remarks.

    “Man oh man.  The first thing that comes to mind when the caution came out with just a few laps to go — that was total Rowdy Burns ‘Days of Thunder’ right there,” the driver of the No. 18 No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry said. “There’s a couple laps to go — I’m not pitting.”

    “Everybody has to pit, Cole (Trickle), we’re coming down for four tires because there’s a green-white-checkered coming,” Busch continued. “I knew four tires was going to win the race, so I’m glad Dave (Rogers, crew chief) called that.”

    “I was able to keep Kyle Larson behind me. Man, what a shoe that boy is,” Busch continued. “If he drove it in further than I did, Jesus must have told him to stop.”

    “I just can’t believe it.  I thank the Lord for putting ourselves here and getting us locked in the Chase.”

    This was Busch’s 29th win in 334 Cup races but his first victory of the 2014 season. This was his third victory and 12th top-10 finish at Auto Club Speedway.

    Not Surprising:  What double file restarts and shortening up the length of the race has done for Pocono Raceway, the rough, aged racing surface with multiple grooves and huge bumps has done the same, if not more, for Auto Club Speedway.

    In fact, it seemed like just a few years ago when the track was criticized for boring racing and the grandstands were empty. This Cup race yielded some of the most exciting racing to date, with six and seven cars abreast, in front of a packed house, most of whom barely sat down for the entirety of the show.

    Surprising:  Kyle Larson went from thinking he was pretty much going to have a tough day to finishing as the highest running rookie, in P2 no less. This stellar finish came on the heels of his Nationwide victory over none other than Cup race winner Kyle Busch.

    “I thought we were in trouble or not be able to get to the front,” the driver of the No. 42 said after the race. “I don’t know where everybody went on that last restart.”

    “It went through my mind then that I might sweep the weekend,” Larson continued. “That last run, we got good enough to charge to the front. What a weekend.”

    Not Surprising:  Sam Hornish’s new mantra should be ‘have helmet, will drive.’ Originally, the currently unspoken for driver was on standby to drive for Matt Kenseth in the event that his wife Katie went into labor with their third child.

    In the end, however, Hornish ended up substitute driving for Denny Hamlin, finishing a respectable 17th in the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota. This was his best finish since his 13th place run in 2012 at Martinsville.

    Surprising:  The normally cool, calm and collected Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 43 Farmland Ford Fusion, had some surprisingly harsh words for competitor No 33 car driver Brian Scott after their accident brought out the fourth caution of the race.

    “The 33 was obviously a dart without feathers and coming across the race track,” Almirola said. “Man, he came from all the way at the bottom of the race track and ran into me.”

    “He’s not even racing this series for points,” Almirola continued. “He’s out there having fun because his daddy gets to pay for it and he wrecked us.”

    Not Surprising:  After tires blew out in practice as well as the race, the debate not surprisingly was on as far as what exactly led to so many tire issues, especially in the left rear.

    Brad Keselowski, a driver that suffered particular tire problems in practice and the race, weighed in after the race to share his perspective.

    “There were a lot of reasons why we blew a tire today or two or five over the weekend and the field did,’’ Keselowski said after finishing 26th. “I don’t know what to really say about it. As a driver you are left between the choice of driving your car to the limit and blowing a tire out or being a wuss and saving it.”

    NASCAR’s most popular driver weighed in with a whole different take on the tire situation.

    “I don’t think there is anything wrong with the tire OR the way we choose 2 use them,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted after the race. “My bet is it’s the bumps on the backstretch.”

    “Those are more like jumps and ramps.”

    NASCAR representative Vice President for Competition Robin Pemberton shared the more official perspective, saying that some teams were running tires with air pressures as low as 14 pounds, whereas Goodyear had commended tire pressures at 22 pounds for the race weekend.

    And finally, Goodyear, echoing Pemberton’s assessment, advised that the problems were not tire-related but more team-related due to the very aggressive set ups.

    “Every left-side tire that we’ve seen gone down or had issues with is kind of the same characteristics as (Saturday),’’ Greg Stucker, Director of Race Tire Sales for Goodyear, said.  “The common denominator being aggressive on air pressure.”

    “You’re in race conditions, so everybody is running a little bit harder.”

    Surprising:  For the second straight race, NASCAR official human error came into play. This weekend, a NASCAR official actually got his uniform stuck in the fence and he literally could not move to flip the pit road light switch to green.

    Because of this error, Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer did not pit because there was a red light instead of a green light.

    All three drivers went on to suffer less than ideal finishes, with Jeff Gordon finishing the best of the bunch in 13th, Bowyer in 16th and Keselowski in 26th.

    “We can’t seem to catch a break,” Bowyer said. “We lead for a while, we came back after confusion with the lights on pit road and were in contention to win at the end.”

    “However, we started feeling a vibration with about four to go and it just didn’t make it,” Bowyer continued. “It just stinks for this team.”

    Not Surprising:   Bosses sometimes do influence the workplace even at the track. One of NASCAR’s most notable bosses, team owner Rick Hendrick, played the encourager role with driver Jeff Gordon, who started from the back not once but twice, passing at least 70 plus cars.

    Kurt Busch, who finished third, was also quite emotional about racing with his boss Tony Stewart. “The amount of emotions running well today and we were face and then to race your boss for the win,” Busch said. “Neither one of us got the win but it was a genuine moment for us to race.”

    The Cup Series heads next to Martinsville Speedway for the STP 500.

     

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: The Daytona 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: The Daytona 500

    In spite of the unusual happenings that perpetually occur at Daytona, this year a six hour plus rain delay with tornado warnings, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 56th running of the Great American Race.

    Surprising:  With so much focus pre-race on the return of the No. 3, formerly driven by Dale Earnhardt Sr. and now by rookie Austin Dillon, the son of the Intimidator and NASCAR’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. instead stole the show with his second Daytona 500 victory.

    This was Junior’s 20th victory in the Cup Series and, with the win, he joined Bill Elliott, Michael Waltrip, Sterling Marlin, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson as two-time Daytona 500 winners.

    “I’ll never take this for granted,” Junior said. “We’re two time Daytona champions.”

    In addition to the coveted win at Daytona, Earnhardt Jr. had a big weekend overall. The team bearing his name, JR Motorsports, won the Nationwide Drive4COPD 300 race with driver Regan Smith at the wheel.

    Not Surprising:  In spite of several on-track incidents, the driver of the aforementioned No. 3 for Richard Childress Racing, did quite well for himself, starting from the pole and finishing ninth.

    Austin Dillon was also the highest finishing rookie of the race, taking the early lead in a Sunoco Rookie of the year battle.

    “That’s what this year is about — experience, trying to finish races and getting better each week,” Dillon said, “We have a long year ahead of us, I’d like to use some of this momentum going forward. I know it’s going to be a long, tough year, and hopefully we’ll be there at the end of these races and try to learn something.”

    Surprising:  Goodyear had a little scare early in the race when both Kyle Larson and Greg Biffle had tire problems, causing hard hits into the wall for the rookie and veteran racers.

    Larson, in the No. 42 race car formerly driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, actually hit the wall twice in the opening laps, going a lap down and soldiering on to finish 38th.

    In spite of his blown tire early in the race, Biffle had a much better finish than Larson, taking the checkered flag in the eighth spot in his No. 16 3M Ford.

    “It was a good night,” Biffle said. “We had a really strong car but the 88 was real fast. We just couldn’t hold him off.”

    Not Surprising:  With the combo platter of the rain delay, potential for additional weather coming in, and the pent up energy of the first race of the season, it was not surprising that there were a number of pit road incidents that created some major mayhem for several drivers.

    Early in the race, Matt Kenseth had contact on pit road and ended up spinning to pit backwards in his box. Both Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola removed equipment out of their pit boxes and had to serve costly penalties.

    And then there was one of the more controversial calls, with Kasey Kahne called for speeding, all of which he did in an effort not to get hit by Michael Annett who had lost control of his vehicle coming to his pit.

    Surprising:  After dominating most everything during Speedweeks, from the Sprint Unlimited to the second Duel race, it was a bit surprising that Denny Hamlin did not claim the big prize. He did, however, come home in the runner up position in his No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, which was his best finish ever in the Daytona 500.

    “I thought — the Duels and the Unlimited — I felt like our car didn’t have quite the speed,” Hamlin said. “It was a solid run for us and really it was a fun race.”

    Not Surprising:  Given the manufacturer change to Chevrolet and a new alliance with Richard Childress Racing, it was not surprising that Casey Mears and his GEICO No. 13 team had a great run in the Great American Race.

    In fact, team GEICO finished in the top-10, getting their driver and crew chief Bootie Barker off to a great start for the season.

    Surprising:  The Labonte brothers, Bobby and Terry, not only made the race but had surprisingly good finishes, 15th and 20th respectively.

    Brother Bobby extended his consecutive start street for the Great American Race to 22 while elder brother Terry most likely ran his last Daytona 500 competition.

    Not Surprising:   Because it was after all Daytona, there were several big crashes, collecting many good drivers, to no one’s surprise. One of those hard hits, however, impacted the only female in the field Danica Patrick.

    “I think more than anything I am just upset because the GoDaddy car felt really good and it was the best car that I had all Speedweeks,” Patrick said. “I felt like everything was going pretty well, so it’s just upsetting.”

    “It’s a bummer, but you know that is the excitement of speedway racing that anything can happen, and it was unfortunate that I was on the short end of the accident.”

    Surprising:  With a more than six hour rain delay, some of NASCAR’s finest were up to some surprising activities to pass the time away. In fact, several of the racer dads were busy with their children, from Jeff Gordon making Lego creations to Keelan Harvick suiting up in his dad Kevin’s fire suit.

    Probably most novel, however, was David Ragan, still clad in his own fire suit, who went out to pick up pizza for his team during the break.

    Not Surprising:  While Junior reigned triumphant in Victory Lane, just like in the Olympics, there was some agony of defeat in this year’s running for the Great American Race.

    Most agonizing were those drivers impacted by engine or fuel pick up woes, including Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex, Jr. and Tony Stewart.

    “If it was going to blow up, I wish it would have blown up four hours ago,” Clint Bowyer said. “I could have been home watching.  Just disappointing — the guys work so hard for this race.  Everybody is out there having fun and we broke our toy.”

    “It’s definitely a tough break for our team,” Martin Truex Jr. said. “I went to bed thinking this was my best chance to win the Daytona 500.”

    The Cup Series moves on next to Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona for The Profit on CNBC 500 on March 2nd.

     

  • NASCAR BTS: Goodyear Tires Make NASCAR Go Round

    NASCAR BTS: Goodyear Tires Make NASCAR Go Round

    Ever wonder about all those tires that make the race cars go round? This week’s NASCAR Behind the Scenes takes a look at just that, with an exclusive interview with Justin Fantozzi, Marketing Manager for Global Race Tires for Goodyear.

    “Just as the race cars have a rhythm around the track, Goodyear, the official tire supplier of NASCAR has a rhythm all its own for every race weekend,” Fantozzi said. “And this cadence is cyclical from the start of the season in Daytona to the final race to crown NASCAR’s champion in Homestead.”

    “It really all starts the race before,” Fantozzi continued. “We take what lessons we learned from the race and have meetings with the teams off-site, whether it be by phone calls or face to face, post-race on Monday or Tuesday after they have returned to the shop.”

    “Then we take that set of data and we analyze it, including lap times and what our engineers have seen at the race,” Fantozzi said. “And they we make a determination if we need to bring something new or we need to test for the next event.”

    “We take that data, analyze it and the engineers go to work back at the shop.”

    Goodyear manufactures their NASCAR race tires in Ohio and that is not only where the tires are born but where the logistics of getting them to the track begins.

    “We manufacture in Akron, Ohio and then it’s handed over to our logistics,” Fantozzi said. “We have a warehouse and we use radio frequency where every tire has an ID tag cured into the side wall.”

    “That way we can have a ‘born on’ date if you will and that is the way we know where the tire is at all times.”

    Once the tire is ‘born’, Goodyear has to get them to the race track. And that is where the fun really begins as their journey to each team and race car evolves.

    “The first thing that happens is that the load or inventory of the tires arrives at the race track,” Fantozzi said. “The radio frequency ID team will work with the mounters and the balancers to make sure that the wheels that the teams own have arrived at the race track.”

    “They match them up with the tires, mount and balance them and those are distributed to the teams.”

    Fantozzi said that most fans would be surprised to know that all of the tires are mounted by the order of the points. And it is all about parity as Goodyear ensures that no one has any tire advantage throughout the field.

    “One of the interesting parts about parity in NASCAR is that the mount order happens by points,” Fantozzi said. “So, it depends on the point order that week.”

    “We start with one set, go all the way through the field and then came back for the next set,” Fantozzi continued. “The tires are loaded at random at our warehouse and then they are mounted at random at the race track.”

    “The whole idea is parity so that there isn’t a group of tires that is different.”

    Goodyear’s job is not over, however, once the tires are mounted on the race cars. They are constantly up and down pit road during practice, qualifying and the race to ensure that all is going well with their product.

    “After the tires are mounted and distributed and handed over to the teams, our engineers are on pit lane during practice,” Fantozzi said. “As the vehicle has the opportunity to hop on pit lane, the tire temps are taken by the engineers.”

    “They have a thermometer, which is basically like a needle with an electronic gauge,” Fantozzi continued. “They will physically insert the needle into the tire and take that profile, record it and hand it to the driver.”

    “After practice, we check wear rates, check with the tire specialists and crew chiefs and drivers and get everybody’s feel on balance, wear rate and then we repeat that for each practice,” Fantozzi said. “During qualifying it’s the same sort of deal.”

    “And then during the race, we’re wandering up and down pit lane,” Fantozzi continued. “There’s probably ten of us on pit lane during the race event itself, working with the teams, monitoring and checking wear rates during the race.”

    “And then the whole cadence starts all over again.”

    Fantozzi knows all about that particular aspect of Goodyear’s role as that is how he started his career with the company and the sport.

    “I used to be one of the engineers on pit road poking the tires,” Fantozzi said.  “I started off with an engineering degree and came into the company as an engineer in motorsports.”

    “And I’ve been in almost every venue that we’ve ever competed in, whether it be drag or dirt sprint cars or Cup cars,” Fantozzi continued. “I’ve been all over the globe racing.”

    “The very first race I went to, I slept in a van as it rained for the Indianapolis 500,” Fantozzi said. “It’s always been in my blood.”

    “They say that if you can find a job that is your hobby, you do well,” Fantozzi continued. “There’s definitely a passion here for going fast and turning left.”

    So, what would the fans be most surprised to know about Goodyear? Probably two things according to Fantozzi, first the sheer volume of Goodyear’s involvement in the sport and second, just how seriously they take their partnership with NASCAR and its fans.

    “I don’t think people realize the number of bodies that we need to bring to the race track,” Fantozzi said. “At Atlanta, we went through almost 3,000 tires and had sixty folks on the ground every race.”

    “And it’s not just one race, it’s week after week,” Fantozzi continued. “There’s a tremendous amount of planning and discussion to make sure that the race comes off without a hitch.”

    “We need to make sure that things are done the right way because we know that our role in the sport is not just a sponsor role,” Fantozzi said. “It’s truly on the partnership level.”

    “It’s a long day for a team if an engine were to have a problem or if a team has a mistake on pit road,” Fantozzi continued. “But if we get it wrong, it’s a long day for everyone.”

    While all of the folks at Goodyear take their role in NASCAR very seriously, they also do their jobs with a great deal of passion and commitment.

    “We take a tremendous amount of pride, knowing the responsibility that we have to make sure the event comes off successfully,” Fantozzi said. “The return is knowing that the avid fan that watches the sport knows of our involvement and is more determined and likely to go out and buy a Goodyear consumer tire.”

    “We don’t like to boast,” Fantozzi continued. “We’re a humble bunch.”

    “But that pride in the brand and our product for the race fan is what it’s all about.”