TO feel safe dismount all your goodyears say's Tony Stewart

from racerap
I know there are supporters and detractors of Tony Stewart and that is the way it should be, however, ask the man a question and get an answer from the hip. I wonder how long Tony will be in the NASCAR Trailer after trashing "The Official Tire of NASCAR"? Joe Gibbs is presented with a somewhat pleasent problem, he has a very young driver who does not knonw how good he is nor how to back it down with a big lead, In the mold of Junior Johnson. He has another young driver who has been a top driver for the past couple of years and is now having his share of bad luck. He also has a two time champion who can win on any given day and does not know how loud he is or how to back his statements down a notch or two when upset about something, (seems I remember Sr. sounding off several times to the ire of NASCAR) I do not expect all people to agree with Tony or like him, however, enjoy the fact that he is willing to say the things on the air that many of the other drivers are feeling but do not want to rock the boat.
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Is Goodyear the Official tire at Eldora ? I'm going to sit back and watch how long NASCAR will let Tony say what he wants before doing something. Any Bets ?????? I say two more days before having to say sorry.


Motodad

I don't think Smoke will apologize on this one, he stands pretty clear on that.

Bring HOOSIER to cup!

I don't understand the problem.... The tires weren't blowing out, so why did he pick that race to go off on them instead of some of the races where 6 cars slam the wall from blowouts...

If the tires don't pop, then to me it means that all the teams and all the drivers are on the same level playing field.

Was he just whining because it was too hard to drive, or because he finished second?

Mike

He wasn't the only one complaining.... The race was absolutely boring, all the drivers seemed SCARED to drive into the corner hard... not to mention this weekends pole speed was the slowest it's been in 13 years.

"Goodyear doesn't like to hear people bashing them tires and I don't like doing it, but I ain't going to sit here and put up with this." Junior said.

"I felt like I was going to crash every single lap," J. Gordon said. "I'm exhausted right now. I feel like I've run a thousand miles here. That was the hardest day I have ever had at Atlanta, especially for a top-five finish. This car, this tire, at this track was just terrible."

On NASCAR Victory Lane, Dillner did a interview with Smoke who said the wear mark in the middle of the tire (a painted line of some sorts) was painted on the center of the tire, and before they were wearing the tire down so bad they were getting that line to dissapear and it was wearing too quickly, with this tire, the tire after 35-40 laps, the painted mark was still on the tire...meaning the tires were literally like hockey pucks Tony said.

I also think the bump stops had something to do with it, the cars are down so far, they hit the bump stop and there is no more travel in the spring/shock that its just jamming the car right off the track, and tehy could be skating a little bit off that, but like Jimmy said on Victory Lane last night, NASCAR isn't going to get rid of them RIGHT NOW, as teams have invested 2-3 million in them on the shaker machines.

Not to mention, If it wasnt for a RF blow out (two weeks in a row leading) Kyle Busch would have won all three races this weekend.

Mike , you had to love it when he said he was going home and take off any Goodyear tires from his everyday cars & trucks .


How many loyal fans will follow ?? Kinda Funny when someone is making high $$$$$$$$$$$ and wants to kick the people who feed him . QUIT and let another driver in your seat who knows how great you have it. What's wrong Tony & Jeff getting OLD and need some help with grip ? Young Busch seems OK .

Motodad

Kyle Busch isn't very happy with Goodyear either

"I'm going to say that I didn't like it," Busch said. "But I just went out there, and we all had the same tire. They're going to pay somebody to win the race. And so that's what I focused on, was just going out there and try to be the one they were going to pay to win the race. I just drove the thing to the best of my ability.

"You could go the first four or five laps and really haul the mail -- well, the first two anyway -- but from there, you were just skating, sliding all over the place. You just had to be patient with it, slow it down, keep it on the bottom and pretty much just keep that left front right on that line and keep the thing turning in order to make it through the corner."

Nascar needs to bring in Michelin or Bridgestone, it was just two years ago that Formula 1 teams had to practice, qualify (sessions, not just laps), and race all on the SAME set of tires. I know stock cars are heavier, but F1 cars more than twice as many G's and hit speeds over 240mph. I really cannot believe how bad those goodyears are. Its fine that they are hard and dont blow out, but they fall off over TWO seconds a lap after only three or four laps. You shouldnt have to spend $35000 a race on JUST tires.

I was curious... I didn't get to see the race, but I knew there was not a popping issue, so I wondered...

They gotta get the cars off the bump stops. That's just no good at all...

Mike

... Sorry Jeff... but when your making millions every year and this year you actually have to work for it... I don't have any sympathy.

So what all the drivers are saying is that the best DRIVER won on Sunday.. whats wrong with that?

TV ratings were up 19% for the race... so it couldn't have been too boring. I enjoyed the race. I enjoyed watching the drivers man handle the cars.

I remember people telling me how good the races were in the "good ole days" where you were lucky to have the winner and 2nd place on the same lap.

This is a safety issue. I can't believe how many people just think a couple of the drivers are just crying because they complained about the tires. At the speeds and the size of these tracks they shouldn't be racing on hockey pucks. Hell drivers shouldn't be on hockey pucks at K-Zoo, Dixie, Berlin, Toledo or Auto City just to name a few. Nobody said anything when Jeff Gordon complained about the inside wall at Las Vegas. Why, because it was a safety issue just like these tires. Maybe somebody needs to die for some positive change in NASCAR, that is only time it seems to happen.

You are singling out 1 driver among MOST of the top drivers that are saying the same thing! The point is, it's not an issue to be taken lightly. NASCAR is doing all this supposed stuff for the advancement of safety, yet they put a 3,400lb stock car on hockey pucks and let them slide around all day long. How long is it going to be before ANOTHER driver wrecks real bad and God forbid, dies because of a tire exploding or a tire that has no grip at all?


And Motodad......Jeff and Tony getting old? Come on now, that's not even the issue. These guys are doing the work......they are saying what the problem is and fans like us (well not me much anymore) sit and armchair crewchief like we actually know something. If we actually did know something, we surely wouldn't be sitting on this board running our mouths about it. We'd actually have titles like "CREWCHIEF for the #24 Hendrick Chevy!
and that's my $.02

These Guys don't like having to work soooo hard. with The COT car there is so much less downforce and a tire that doesnt blow, the cars slide around, you don't like it? back off the gas pedal it will feel better, we raced LLMs with close to 500 HP on 8 inch treaded tires for years ALL 4 tires slid around the track, if they didnt you wernt going fast enough, I don't care much for Kyle Busch BUT he has no problem standing on the gas, The bump stops aint no different than coil binding, they use them to keep the splitter off the ground, but if they outlawed them, they would just use the coil bind to hold the car up

Right on Bruce!!

I really enjoyed seeing the guys sawing on the wheel thru the turns!! bush did a great job wheeling that car!

IMHO, I like it when race cars are supposed to Slide around!

and if slipping and sliding race cars are unsafe,,then Dirt racing would be un-saFE


PS. I really like tony Stewart,,, he can be an jackass, but he is my kind of a jackass!

ALSO kAZOO PUT THE outlaw super lates on 8 inch wide hockey pucks,,and the racing is better!

I agree,,PS are we allowed to say " MAN HANDLE" ??? is that PC? has nascar outlawed the word Man handle?

I do not get out to Kazoo much,,how is the SLM racing now that they have been on 9 inch wide hockey pucks for 2 years?

Is the racing better?

is there side by side racing?

Does it even out the engines?

Is it cheaper to race?

how are the car counts?

PS. i wish flat rock would put our Outlaw SLM's on the 9 inch wide hooiser 970's hockey pucks.

Arnold Kirsch.

Trick, I work a team that runs K-Zoo and when we aren't racing I go there and watch. The racing isn't better. They are not on a 8" tire. They ran the Hoosier 980 a couple of years ago and the Hoosier 970 last year, both tires are 9" and put on a 10" rim are a little wider then 9". Most of the drivers dislike the tire. I don't know for a fact but I would bet there is a lot of TC being run at K-Zoo. This isn't about local short tracks this is about running crappy tires on the fastest 1.5 mile race track in the world. That is a safety issue.

Car count like most tracks is a little down. They used to get around 30 SLM and 40 LLM (they would usually run A, B and C features for the LLM) now after combining the two classes they get about 25-30. The cost of tires is still the same, right around $100 per tire. I think the 2006 Klash tire was about $110 each and it was a good tire. They ran the Hoosier 980 in 2005, the Hoosier 1080 in 2006 and the Hoosier 970 in 2007 on the SLM. There has been side by side racing all three years, but the winner usually comes from the front few rows like most SLM shows anywhere. When they are that close in times then there isn't a ton of passing. K-Zoo has two fast lines and guys run both of them so there is side by side racing. The LLM can compete because of the engine rules and tire rule.


Maybe the posts about local short tracks needs to be moved to the pavement section because we have went way off topic here.

Cup guys are sliding these cars two and three times faster then we ever race. I love it when the roads are crappy and covered with snow and ice but I also feel very stressed after driving too long in conditions where I'm constantly having to correct the wheel. My hand cramps up and I'm tense from my hand to my head. Imagine 500 miles and 3-4 hours of constantly saving the car.

What's harder, running the whole feature with a really loose car or a tight car? Duh. it's much harder to run a loose car. Obviously there is a compromise that could be met to get these guys on a better tire. Goodyear had the Nationwide cars and the Cup cars on the same tire. This tire does not suit both cars due to the difference in downforce.

NASCAR has not outlawed the words "MAN HANDLE", doesn't matter if it is PC or not.
Afterall, they still insist on using "GENTLEMEN start your engines" most of the time with all 3 series races instead of using "Drivers Start Your Engines". The only time they say Drivers is if a female is driving, which is not that often. So much for their diversity concerns.

The race was boring and it was mostly due to Goodyear supplying lousy tires. The drivers had their hands full just trying to keep the car on the track and off the wall all day that they were not really able to race each other. The other part of it being boring was due to it being the COT. This car still is not as exciting to watch race even with decent tires on it. The drivers should complain about the tires, it is a safety concern for them. Kyle did the best job of sliding around the track and deserved the win, he earned that one.

Hotlanta went to Wetlanta to Snowlanta to Coldlanta to Boringlanta, all in one weekend.

At least for now we can still count on some great racing with the trucks and Nationwide series.

I would venture to sat Hoosier is the official tire at Eldora, but boy was Tony funny kids got balls!

I stand by my own words....

You can't take a 3400 pound stock car and expect the sidewall to do the work of a suspension. Bump stop set ups will ruin the sport. They hit a bump and up the track they go, or they're dragging the splitter which causes debris. To me it's a 3400 lb go kart. They want a better tire but they want to stick all the cars weight on the sidewall of the tire. Put the suspension back into play and get rid of the bumpstops. Here's an idea if NASCAR want's to save the teams money tell them to get rid of the shock completely and put a solid rod in at whatever length they want. That's pretty much what they have now.

kyle saying back off, and slow down. That's like saying huge midgets... He blows tires because he doesn't know when to back off. Like coming out of 4 Sunday and rubbing all over DJ. What was the point! He could have wrecked two race cars for nothing. There were at least 4 grooves on Sunday and he had to drive through a lapped car on the last lap feet from the finish line with 2.5 second lead. Kyle is an idiot and he'll tear up a lot of equipment. In my opinion Gibbs better make his money off of him now, before he starts costing him a bunch.

I caught the tail end of Tony's post race interview and heard the commentary on the Goodyears.

Gotta hand it to him, he is saying what he feels, refreshing to say the least, given nascar's recent penchant for keeping the drivers from saying controversial things in pre or post race interviews.

One can only listen to how "great the *** *** *** car was", and how wonderful the crew was before it gets too old. You should mention the crews and sponsors, but also let the driver say what he is thinking at the moment.

Even Jeff got his licks in, again, refreshing for the moment.

have a good day,

schinde

Im not a Stewart fan, but he is a talanted man. His mouth is entertaining, but in many cases he comes off like Rusty used to. (As a BIG FAT whiner!)

Oh now that's not true, Rusty was never that big...

some of the guys here at the shop Im working in are brand new Na$car fans and they ask me: "who is that big mexican guy driving the home depot car?"
Makes me laugh everytime, I tell them that is Tony Rodrigez. They dont like him for driving a Toyota (Im in an automotive plant in Detroit)

Hey Kyle,

That actually was NOT a tire blow out in the Nationwide race, it was a a shock coming apart, that in turn, cut, and blew out the tire.

But your point is still right, he would have won all 3 races this weekend if it wasn't for that.

So with that in mind, what does that say about Kyle Busch?? Personally, I think it says the young man has a pair, and can drive just about anything out there. I think his older brother could learn a thing or two from him. I am very impressed with him this year. Think about it. He has left what most feel is the best team out there in Hendricks. Got a job with Gibbs, takes over a ride that was under average performance wise last few years (18), changes manufactures, and is the man to beat every week early on in this season, and has lead more laps than anyone this season, and if not for a couple of instances, may have won all 4 Sprint Cup races too!!!

Early on, IMHO, Kyle Busch is the man to beat in 2008.

Haaaaaa ha that is too freaking funny! They should do a commercial with Tony standing out front of the Depot looking for work in the morning holding a cup of coffee with a flanel shirt with only the top button buttoned and a bandana halfway over his eyes. Que pasa amigo you need a deck holmes?

Ed,

Now here is a question. What do you currently think about Jr.s run so far this year?

Curious about that, and I agree, Kyle is definitely driving well.

have a good day,

schinde

How unieque a driver complaining about tires we havent herd that one before have we

If I could only use one word, it would be...............................predictable.

We knew he'd run well at Daytona. We knew he'd have a crash or two (Cali, and not his fault). We knew, or at least most here figured, he'd run in the top 10, and he has. Predictable to me.

Bristol should be a great measuring rod for where he is at right now. Not the tell all, but should show us a lot. I am willing to give him most of this season to adjust to the new team and all that before I pass too much judgment on him. But when I look at how Kyle Busch has done so far, new team and all that, I wonder if that much time is necessary to be able to pass such judgment on a driver.

But I will give him some time!!

So, what we have proven so far is that Kyle Busch can drive a well set-up racecar better than anyone else. And he has a pair of cohonies that may match bowling balls.

But, what is going to happen when he doesn't have a good car? They won't hit the set-up in every race. What happens when they are off? I bet he wrecks trying to push the car past what it is capable of doing. Sometimes he gets away with it, sometimes he doesn't.

That is the difference between Shrub and guys like Gordon. Jeff will take a car that is capable of winning and win races, and he will take a car not capable of winning races and finish in the top-10. Very rarely does Jeff Gordon wreck a racecar (Vegas this year was the first time I can remember in a long time). Kyle Busch will take a car capable of winning and win, and take a car not capable of winning and wreck. This is why he won't win the championship, but he may win 10 races. What I want to see is how many times he takes an average car and finishes in the top-10. He never showed that ability at Hendrick. When they were good, they were good. But when they were bad, they were really bad.

As for those tires, it was a boring race. There was passing, but very little racing. I would rather see the guys have a softer tire that forces them to pit more often than that tire that offered very little side-by-side racing. If they don't pit more often, and don't change set-ups to keep from blowing tires, then they get whats coming to them when they blow.

I think your analysis here Kyle is spot on.

I guess what I must ask is that is Kyle (Shrub) capable of "maturing" enough to be able to finish high with bad set up race car??? When Gordon first stepped in, or any other decent driver for that matter, it takes them some time to learn how to take a 20th place car and finish 10th with it. After watching him this season, I think Kyle will be able to do that. I know I may be the minority here, but he has impressed me this season, and I think he's going to be one of the best out there very, very soon. Probably when he is able to do what you have described above.

I'd say Jr has performed better than any other Chevy this year. Toyota has some power now, so they seem to have the advantage by a noticeable amount.

Mike

Jeff already said SORRY to Goodyear ,, it's olny been a day . Tony next ??


from nascar.com
"I think he went a little overboard," four-time series champion Jeff Gordon said. "He kind of made it personal."

I agree that Goodyear doesn't know how to make a tire. Their short track tires always had problems with the caps seperating from the tire and this was on 2800 to 3000 lb cars and the Hossiers never had any trouble. They tryed writing big checks to track promoters and the drivers started to refuse to race on them and went to tracks that had Hossiers or American Racers so they couls use the tires more than 1 week and not be worried about a new tire sepperating. Goodyear was by far the worst tire I and many other drivers have ever raced on in the short tracks. What ever happen to Nascar being only stuff made in the U.S.A Goodyear Hencho En Chilli and the only car in the series made in the U.S.A. is Toyota. Ford, Chevy, and Dodge are all made in Mexico and Canada. Nascar make a step in the right dirrection and make it so everything has to be made in the U.S.A. to support American jobs and help get the economy back on track even if it is a small part. I bet Nascar gives Tony a big ol' fine for speaking the truth to fatten their pockets. By the way I am not a Stewert fan but do agree with him saying Goodyear doesn't have a clue. Thats why they bailed out of short track racing.

Very good post Kyle. Spot on.

Busch is a "Checkers or Wreckers" type of driver.

Chris

You know you can count on Jeff Gordon being slammed anytime he says anything not perfectly positive. The guy complains less than 90% of the racers out there, and has a camera in his face more than 90% of the drivers out there. Ill bet the people who give him $hit are much bigger babies than that man is. Jeff Gordon is a quality person according to all the people who seem to know him best. Every since he came into NASCAR and was competetive against the most popular driver in the history of NASCAR the haters call him.....a fag, a whiner, and anything else people can say to make him look bad in thier own small minds. The guy is one of the best drivers in the history of the sport like him or not, so stop all the hatin'!