[NASCAR Gnome]

Anyone follow the NBA? Didn't the players complain about the new ball the league forced them to play with? So what ended up happening?

Like it or not, the drivers are the show! Not the cars, not the tires, not the venues, not even the owners! It's the drivers! No drivers = no revenue! Do I buy a PIT CAP because it has Goodyear or Bristol or Ganassi on it?!? Nope... my pit cap is going to bear a driver name with a car number! I will spend my hard-earned ducats on drivers I like (and maybe a manufacturer here and there) and little else!

If enough drivers complain - and when you have champions voicing their displeasure without obvious collusion - someone better listen or else... changes happen!

[BiscuitMan]

Originally Posted by NASCAR Gnome

Anyone follow the NBA? Didn't the players complain about the new ball the league forced them to play with? So what ended up happening?

Like it or not, the drivers are the show! Not the cars, not the tires, not the venues, not even the owners! It's the drivers! No drivers = no revenue! Do I buy a PIT CAP because it has Goodyear or Bristol or Ganassi on it?!? Nope... my pit cap is going to bear a driver name with a car number! I will spend my hard-earned ducats on drivers I like (and maybe a manufacturer here and there) and little else!

If enough drivers complain - and when you have champions voicing their displeasure without obvious collusion - someone better listen or else... changes happen!

NASCAR is like a big elephant. It's hard to move the elephant around and get the elephant started. Goodyear is here to stay in NASCAR racing for a long time. It's marketing at its best for Goodyear. With as many drivers voicing concerns about tires I believe NASCAR will make some changes. Changes in rubber compound and tire structure selected for the respective track. Here's an example. These are the specifications for tires at Bristol this weekend:

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials

Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4158; Right-side -- D-4160

Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.4 in.; Right-side -- 88.6 in.

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 26 psi; Left Rear -- 26 psi ;
Right Front -- 42 psi; Right Rear -- 40 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 20 psi; Left Rear -- 18 psi;
Right Front -- 41 psi; Right Rear -- 38 psi

Estimated Pit Window: Every 130-140 laps, based on fuel mileage.

Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will be running the same tire codes at Bristol this weekend . . . this is the first time that teams have run a race on either of these two tire codes . . . based upon the results of last August's races on the reconfigured Bristol track, the new concrete surface proved to be less severe than originally predicted . . . this spring's recommendation utilizes new tread compounds on both left-side and right-side tires, aimed at increasing overall grip . . . on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams do not run inner liners in any tire position . . . Bristol is unique in that regard, with teams being required to run inner liners in their right-side tires at the high-banked short track . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

So, you can see there is a lot more to tire selection than just the brand name. Tony Stewart was very vocal about Goodyear missing the mark on the tires they supplied for the Atlanta race. I believe NASCAR will look very close at tire selection the rest of this race year.

[Bob Tanner]

Goodyear heard. They'll have a softer tire at Bristol and in the future. I also predict that they'll soon start using a different tire for Cup Lite than they do for Cup.

I think the biggest reason for the Great Goodyear vs. Tony debate is that a good portion of people in this country just can't/won't accept confrontation of any kind. Any time someone speaks their mind, as Tony did, they get as nervous as a dog passing peach seeds. They're the kind of people who think diplomacy and just being nice about things can solve major problems.

Believe me, if the fans alone bitched about last week's race, what do you think would have been accomplished? Nada! If the only descension would have been some of the more diplomatic driver's statements, probably about the same would have gotten done. But, Tony's getting in NA__AR's and Goodyear's face got some real attention.

It nice have made some uncomfortable and it might not have been pretty but darn, it sure got their attention, didn't it?

[LSC9901]

Weren't we all happy and content when Tony called NASCAR out on the phantom debris cautions ??? My guess is that in the very near future we'll all be singing his praises for a job well done over this tire issue ..... and I don't really like him a lot.

[Phils20]

See, it does pay off to have an opinion. Maybe if some others would step up, Tony wouldn't always look like the malcontent. Doesn't anyone think that other drivers were complaining to each other over the weekend?


Tony just stepped up and said it.

[titans#1]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Strange how they announce this just after he takes them to the edge ... but I'm sure what he said a week ago has nothing to do with their decision .... nothing at all !!!

For anyone interested I have some beach front property in AZ.

just like stewart waited till his teammate out ran him for the win to cry about the tires.and its amazing how he thinks he the tires are a big deal when there were only two cars who had on track wrecks.if you ask me i will say the same thing i would have said before they are all axcuses for why his teammates that he is supose to be the leader of are out running him just about every week.im sure someone will say he just speaks his mind but who cares what he thinks no one else wines like him unless asked about the issue.and obviously he thinks he is in controle of nascar because he continous to publicly critisize the sport if he were to do this anywhere else he would have bean fired and it shouldnt matter how good he is of a driver if he runs fans away from the sport he should be banned from the sport not just because of his freedom of speach but because of the future of nascar.

[LSC9901]

Actually there were three other drivers that agreed loudly with Tony. Tony just went over the edge but he did manage to get the attention of everyone that needed to be aware of the issue. Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon also spoke out and I cannot remember the 3rd one. They totally agreed with Tony .... just not as loudly.

[titans#1]

Originally Posted by Phils20

See, it does pay off to have an opinion. Maybe if some others would step up, Tony wouldn't always look like the malcontent. Doesn't anyone think that other drivers were complaining to each other over the weekend?


Tony just stepped up and said it.

its fine to have an opinion but you cant go on national t.v. and critisize his own sport,his job,and an entire company.this guy is setting a terrible example for young drivers and young people every where.thats the point of the sport as well you as a driver/team have to take what you get and do the best you can you cant expect everyone else to make the race go your way for you he is a grown man not a baby who crys when something dont go his way.and as for the drivers who dont say anything,its because they are grown men who take whats ever thrown at them and deal with it like adults.

[titans#1]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Actually there were three other drivers that agreed loudly with Tony. Tony just went over the edge but he did manage to get the attention of everyone that needed to be aware of the issue. Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon also spoke out and I cannot remember the 3rd one. They totally agreed with Tony .... just not as loudly.

like i said though know one complains unless they are asked about the problem.and if it's true that tony didnt take advantage of the tire tests and than complains about it than he should be banned from tire testing and see what bad tires are realy like.

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Actually there were three other drivers that agreed loudly with Tony. Tony just went over the edge but he did manage to get the attention of everyone that needed to be aware of the issue. Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon also spoke out and I cannot remember the 3rd one. They totally agreed with Tony .... just not as loudly.

Dale Jr was the other that came out in public. Shrub also said a little something, but not much.

The only driver that didn't have an issue, or at least said they didn't. was Carl Edwards. But he had his own issues to deal with, and needs to stay low profile!

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by titans#1

its fine to have an opinion but you cant go on national t.v. and critisize his own sport,his job,and an entire company.this guy is setting a terrible example for young drivers and young people every where.thats the point of the sport as well you as a driver/team have to take what you get and do the best you can you cant expect everyone else to make the race go your way for you he is a grown man not a baby who crys when something dont go his way.and as for the drivers who dont say anything,its because they are grown men who take whats ever thrown at them and deal with it like adults.

I can agree to some extent titans... but I think this is what NA$CAR needs currently. They lost so much when Sr. passed away. Sr would call NA$CAR out behind closed doors and on camera. Let's face it... I had been complainin about phantom debris cautions for 3 years when Tony opens his mouth, and those debris cautions are dropped by 3/4. The brass are screwin it up and the drivers are startin to call them on it. I'm glad they are callin them on it. Maybe ( and this is a long shot), it will start to change things for the better.

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by titans#1

like i said though know one complains unless they are asked about the problem.and if it's true that tony didnt take advantage of the tire tests and than complains about it than he should be banned from tire testing and see what bad tires are realy like.

Whether he tests the tires or not, they will still be the same tires.

Last time I checked, they all run the same ones!

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by titans#1

like i said though know one complains unless they are asked about the problem.and if it's true that tony didnt take advantage of the tire tests and than complains about it than he should be banned from tire testing and see what bad tires are realy like.

Here's the deal though.... The tire tests Tony took part in had no bearin on the tire they raced at Atlanta. It was reported that te tire was totally different from what they tested.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by titans#1

its fine to have an opinion but you cant go on national t.v. and critisize his own sport,his job,and an entire company..

Sure you can. Apparently if you have access to a mike, it's easy. Stewart just proved that it is.

Originally Posted by titans#1

this guy is setting a terrible example for young drivers and young people every where..

Maybe he gave them a good example of how a man handles a problem; do something meaningful to alleviate the situation?

Originally Posted by titans#1

thats the point of the sport as well you as a driver/team have to take what you get and do the best you can you cant expect everyone else to make the race go your way for you he is a grown man not a baby who crys when something dont go his way.and as for the drivers who dont say anything,its because they are grown men who take whats ever thrown at them and deal with it like adults.

OK, we get the picture. You wouldn't be caught dead wearing a #20 tee-shirt, right? Nothing wrong with that; neither would I. But then I wouldn't be caught dead wearing any NA__AR wearing apparel so I guess it proves nada.

I guess that it's just a matter of perception. What you see as whining, I see as addressing rather vocally and forcefully, a problem. It'll be interesting to see if Goodyear addresses the problem and changes the tires for both Cup and Cup Lite.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by titans#1

its fine to have an opinion but you cant go on national t.v. and critisize his own sport,his job,and an entire company.this guy is setting a terrible example for young drivers and young people every where.thats the point of the sport as well you as a driver/team have to take what you get and do the best you can you cant expect everyone else to make the race go your way for you he is a grown man not a baby who crys when something dont go his way.and as for the drivers who dont say anything,its because they are grown men who take whats ever thrown at them and deal with it like adults.

But didn't they say on one of the Nascar shows that some of the drivers had a meeting with Nascar officials and complained about tires before and nothing was done? So maybe it took doing it on tv to really get their attention.