NASCAR Needs To Change Testing Policy In Order To Avoid Another Embarrassing Debacle

[DebWilliams-GFN]

By Deb Williams

INDIANAPOLIS (July 27, 2008) – If NASCAR ever needed proof that its current testing policy is worthless, Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard provided it.

With severe tire wear exceeding everyone's expectations, the Sprint Cup Series' second biggest race of the season was an embarrassing debacle. At no time during the 160-lap event did the field run more than 13 consecutive green-flag laps. Crew chiefs found themselves trying to balance achieving good track position with two- and four-tire changes in an effort to keep their drivers safe.

The right-side tires, especially the right rear, were the problem. They weren't blistering, but, instead, were wearing to the cord in seven to 12 laps. NASCAR officials found themselves managing a series of sprint races in an effort to conduct a safe event. They even had 800 Pocono tires hauled in on the eve of the race so they would be able to safely complete the event in case the teams ran out of tires manufactured specifically for the Indianapolis race.

Yes, Goodyear conducted a tire test earlier this year at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but it was evident all of the teams should have been allowed to test at the historic track since it was the first time the COT had been used at the speedway. The initial belief was that as more rubber was placed on the track through practice the problem would be eliminated. However, that never occurred as it had in previous years.

After Saturday's final practice, the crews knew major problems faced them on Sunday. Chris Carrier, crew chief for Sam Hornish Jr., attributed the problem to having a “3,500-pound race car with a lot of horsepower that doesn’t handle real well going around a 2.5- mile track that has flat corners with an abrasive surface. Asking anybody to build a tire and come to this place and run two days of practice for a 400-mile race with the weight of these race cars, horsepower and amount of load is like asking somebody to invade Russia with a loaded shotgun.”

NASCAR should have known better, because it certainly wasn't its first encounter with severe tire problems on a race weekend. In fact, such situations began in 1950 with the inaugural Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway when special racing tires for stock cars didn't exist. The traditional tires were wearing so quickly that competitors began removing tires from passenger cars sitting in the parking lots.

In 1969, the only boycott ever staged by the circuit's top drivers occurred over tires at Talladega. The drivers wanted the new speedway's inaugural race postponed until Goodyear and Firestone could make a tire that would withstand the high speeds. Then NASCAR President Bill France Sr. refused to delay the event and it went on as scheduled, but without most of the top drivers, including Richard Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Buddy Baker, and Lee Roy Yarbrough.

Then there was the tire war between Goodyear and Hoosier in 1988. The Coca-Cola 600 that year was strictly a survival contest. Goodyear withdrew virtually all of its tires after the all-star race the previous week revealed the compound developed for the Charlotte track wouldn't stand the strain of the high speeds and the hot day. The only driver who refused to mount Hoosier tires for the event was Goodyear stalwart Dave Marcis.

Unfortunately, NASCAR didn't manage that race as it did Sunday's event; that was left to the drivers. Eventual winner Darrell Waltrip admitted he ran a “radio-controlled race.” Harry Gant left the facility with two broken bones in his leg. Baker discovered about two months after his multi-car accident that he had suffered a blood clot on his brain; an injury that led to his retirement.

For the more than 200,000 fans who paid to watch Sunday's Indianapolis race, there will be those who will blame Goodyear for the bad situation. Others will point a finger at Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials for grinding the track. And then there is NASCAR, which didn't allow the teams to test at Indy this year.

NASCAR handled Sunday's situation correctly, but if it wants to avoid another race such as Sunday's, it needs to return control of testing to the teams and simply designate the number of tests each organization may conduct. The teams will always want to test at Daytona, Charlotte and Indianapolis. Don't count those three against a team's number of alloted tests, but return to the former policy of halting testing at a track one week prior to the facility's race.

The first year NASCAR instituted its current testing policy it appeared the tracks were selected according to where the sanctioning body felt it could accommodate the biggest media markets. That's still a widely held belief. We've always heard the tail can't wag the dog. Well, it's time for the proverbial marketing tail to stop wagging the competitive dog and, I reiterate, let the race teams determine when and where they need to test. Perhaps then events conducted in a manner such as this year's Allstate 400 will be eliminated and the fans can enjoy what they paid to see – a race.

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[DavidVizard-GFN]

I am absolutley certain I could not have said this better.
Great job Debs.
DV