bluejay39

Tire Issue in Atlanta, Tony Has His Say!

bluejay -- I watched the race, and I heard Tony Stewart's comments after all was said and done. I was surprised that he was so blunt about the issue, but not surprised by what he said. I think too often drivers are afraid to speak out because they're worried about getting stepped on by NASCAR officials. NASCAR has an awful lot of picayunish rules and regs and they try way too hard to keep drivers' mouths shut, even when drivers should be able to speak out on an issue. More drivers should stand up and speak out if they feel the need. Good for Tony! (Now, will NASCAR slap him, or will Goodyear try to take some action against him, either through the front door or behind the scenes? Stay tuned to find out!)

Tire Issue in Atlanta, Tony Has His Say!

bluejay  I think one of the biggest problems with NASCAR is their "dictatorship".  Most drivers appear hesitant to speak out about anything, tires included. Many words could describe Tony Stewart, however don't think he's a whiner for sure.

I agree there shouldn't be tires imploding however within certain guidelines one would think the brand of tire would be a "team" decision not a management. 

And doesn't surprise me that for all of the censorship of driver talk that there is a hesitancy to take on Dale Earnhardt, Jr due to fan popularity. An uprising NASCAR doesn't want at this stage of development of the sport.

Tire Issue in Atlanta, Tony Has His Say!

Knowing NASCAR, the betting is that they'll put Smoke on triple secret probabtion until August.  I couldn't agree with you more on NASCAR's un-American stance on tire choice.  I don't have anything against Toyota, but what kind of sport lets Toyotas in and keeps Firestones and Hoosiers out?

Tire Issue in Atlanta, Tony Has His Say!

IGNR & Sue - Thanks for the comments and you both hit home with them. I, for one, would have no problem with more than one option again (Hoosire, Firestone, etc.). Someone pointed out on the message board about the advanced technology now so they would only be safer, IMO. NASCAR will still dictate what they want the companies to bring to the track so it shouldn't be an issue.

I've added you to my favorites as well IGNR...bluejay

Tire Issue in Atlanta, Tony Has His Say!

Knowing NASCAR, the betting is that they'll put Smoke on triple secret probabtion until August.ROTFL - Thanks Warped, you made my day. You bring up an excellent analogy as well...bluejay

Tire Issue in Atlanta, Tony Has His Say!

When Hoosier was in the sport in the early 90's, depending on the track, one tire would be superior to the other, and teams were forced to buy sets of both brands so they could stay competitive, and this drove up the cost for race teams. Also, both tire manufacturers were trying to get the edge and would make a tire that was faster, but not safer, and this was creating problems. NASCAR decided to solve this problem by making it manditory for all teams to use the same tire, and I am guessing since Goodyear is the bigger corporation, they greased the France wheel and got the exclusive contract.

Tire Issue in Atlanta, Tony Has His Say!

I have to agree with Bluejay, the race was not optimal.  These guys were not at Knoxville in a sprint car (thats confusing) or a dirt modified.  They are on the pavement looking like they were on dirt.    No amount of adjusting would make the car stick to the track.  Goodyear was way off and the racing was not safer, they just got lucky some of the spin-outs didn't cause a huge mess. 

Hoosier was in Nascar for awhile maybe they should come back. 

Tire Issue in Atlanta, Tony Has His Say!

Thanks for the add, bluejay!

You can just call me Iggy. It's easier!

I'm a Tony fan, because I live in the region he's from. I have found that as my interest has waned a bit in some other sports, I am paying some more attention to NASCAR this year.

On a side note, I was happy to see IRL and Champ Car each finally saw the writing on the wall and decided to merge. It will not be easy to move forward with that, but open wheel racing, in the US at least, needed this move to survive for much longer.

Iggy

Tire Issue in Atlanta, Tony Has His Say!

jlee - You bring up a very good point about the way it was. The tires weren't always safer and the reason Hoosier got out is because Goodyear/NASCAR basically forced them out . We've come a long way since then so there should be a way to give teams more choices IF NASCAR wanted to.

Tire Issue in Atlanta, Tony Has His Say!

They are on the pavement looking like they were on dirt. No amount of adjusting would make the car stick to the track.  Goodyear was way off and the racing was not safer, they just got lucky some of the spin-outs didn't cause a huge mess. 

USC FAN - I was thinking the same thing while watching drivers slide around out there. I also agree they were lucky they didn't have a big wreck. I'm sure the temperature thing will come into play somewhere down the line but that is a cop-out if you ask me. I understand track temps effect tires but they should not be so hard or soft one way or the other that it should be a huge factor like it was Sunday.

I've added you to my favorites as well and thanks for the comments...bluejay