What is the deal with all the blown tires lately??

Good question,DW, but we're not getting straight answers from anybody.

And what did I think of the race? Yawn.

Me, too. Yawn. The whole chase is boring.

Outside of Jimmie Johnson dominating the Race, I thought it was pretty eventful. I love pit road at Martinsville and you can see how it drastically effects the outcome of a race and the standings. It was good to see Junior have a solid run. He needed it.

As for tires, I am sick of watching them blow or week after week. Goodyear needs to be held accountable and bring a qualify product to the track each week. I have noticed that drivers are keeping quiet on the subject and not pointing fingers. I wonder if the same can be said for what occurs behind closed doors.

Anyway, the Sox are out of it so I am a full-time Race fan the rest of the way. I'll pick up the Patriots the week after Homestead!

Be prepared for Atlanta,Folks, where there were tire issues in the spring.

Teams pay $1600 a set for tires. If they don't use all of them, Goodyear will buy back unused tires for about $50. This is the "deal" Nascar has with Goodyear. Who's going to hold them accountable?

I think if qualifying gets rained out, instead of lining the top cars up according to point standings, they should invert the order like they did in the IROC. Make the top driver work harder for the championship. Having the first pit stall is an advantage.

Hey racefan -

NASCAR will keep them accountable. I am sure Goodyear does not want to lose its contract considering the monetary value and exposure the sport gives them. If tires keep falling apart and it is because of sub-par construction, wouldn't you agree that NASCAR would explore negotiating a deal with another company?

Well let's hope Nascar already is!!
It's ridiculous that there seems to be a tire issue almost every week lately. I know I would not be comfortable driving my car at 180+ mph into a corner hoping/wishing my right front holds together. Time to figure this out now!

Im not paticularly a fan of the chase, but would the weekly racing be any different, than it is now. I havent done the homework, but what was the closest points margin for the championship before the chase? I can remember championship contenders just riding around at the end of the year happy to get a top 5. Now at least wins count for a little more.

justracethecar

justracethecar: I think you have a point, BUT do you think it is fair that someone like Kyle Bush cleans up during the year and shows his ability and then is out of contention because of some bad luck? Yes, everyone faces good and bad luck, but you can't deny his accomplishment during the year and now he is not in the running for any reward. I am not his fan.

I believe with the old championship rules, at best,Kyle would possibly be the first looser. I think anything but the top is a disapointment for those teams. I think as long as they are all racing under the same rules, its fair.
justracethecar

I have a dvd of the last race in 1992. The points separating Kulwicki, Allison, and Bill Elliot was 10 each. All through the race the points went back and forth with Kulwicki winning by 10.

Rusty once beat Dale Sr by 8. I don't know if there are any closer finishes. Have to go look at the Nascar stats to see. I think they can be found at Know your Nascar on Nascar.com

Now that I know where everyone would be pointswise before last week, I'm going to keep track and see where everyone would be under the old point system.

It might be in the drivers' best interest to change tire manufacturer's, but perhaps not in the Nascar heirarchy's. We don't know what kind of $$$ is changing hands. And a question to you all about those tires-- do you suppose there might be something else in them besides just air? The thought has crossed my mind. Teams will do anything to get an edge and Goodyear seems to be bewildered by it all.

I think the teams actually use Nitrogen because its dry and causes less pressure build up.Any other products used for tire enhabcements is usually easily detected.

They use air or nitrogen. Still makes me wonder. Rusty tried to blame it on the driving styles, but I know at least three of the drivers with the flat tires drive altogether different.At any rate, the Atlanta track is abrasive. Let's see if Goodyear can get it right this time.

I just calculated points with the old system. It would be Jimmie, Carl, Kyle-one, two, three with points not real close but close enough for any of them to take the championship.

Vickers-Red Bull team just got hit with a huge fine and points deduction. Vickers crew chief fined $100,000. Ouch.

Since I posted this in a blog last week...here's the update on what the points would look like with the old points system:

(After Martinsville Speedway)
1. Jimmie Johnson 4609
2. Carl Edwards 4496 -113
3. Kyle Busch 4426 -183
4. Jeff Burton 4295 -314
5. Greg Biffle 4204 -405
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 4172 -437
7. Kevin Harvick 4100 -509
8. Tony Stewart 4024 -585
9. Jeff Gordon 4019 -590
10. Clint Bowyer 3937 -672
11. Denny Hamlin 3878 -731
12. Matt Kenseth 3799 -810

Hey Racefan, AS USUAL, you're so far off with your comments it's not even funny. Your buying back unused tires for $50 isn't even close to being true. You should really try to get your facts straight. For such a hardcore NASCAR fan that you make yourself out to be you are pretty clueless on a lot that goes on.

What is true about buying back unused tires, SJH? What are the facts? If you know, tell us. Otherwise, don't criticize other bloggers, unless you can back up the reason.

I will pass your message along to the Nascar crew chief who you say is not telling the truth,SJH.

I thought the term "lease" was used when referring to how the teams obtain tires now. I don't know the specifics for the buyback. I would think at only fifty dollars per tire that the teams would keep them and use them for testing.
I will say that it has been a while since I have heard from SJH and AS USUAL it was nothing good.
It seemed that certain teams had issues with tires while others had no problems at all. That tells me it is probably a set-up issue. If the problem was in the tire, it would have been more random, wouldn't it?
I can't make a case for Kyle having a better season with the old point system. He still has sucked real bad in the last six races. The top twelve guys are the same top twelve racing at the front every week, regardless of a chase format. It would be a comparable points race even without the chase.

I believe teams are only allowed a set amount of tires for testing as well. I've heard of teams bringing hoosiers and firestones to testing. Sometimes even trading sets with other teams, to try and determine wether handling issues are in the tire or the chassis.

Teams do keep their tires. It's not worth taking them back.

Who's gonna win at Atlanta?