Goodyear officials pleased with results
Nine drivers representing all four manufacturers in Sprint Cup combined to turn more 1,200 laps during two days of testing: Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Patrick Carpentier, Bill Elliott, Robby Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, two-time Brickyard winner and Indiana native Tony Stewart and Indiana native David Stremme.
Goodyear has scheduled another test June 15-16 at IMS for final confirmation of the tire combination for the race. Twelve drivers are scheduled to test, again representing all four manufacturers in Sprint Cup: Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, four-time Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon, Kahne, Matt Kenseth, 2000 Brickyard winner Bobby Labonte, Indiana native Ryan Newman, David Reutimann, Reed Sorenson, Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip.
"IMS, Goodyear and NASCAR are all committed to presenting a 2009 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard that all fans will enjoy, and it looks like the tire testing, which began last fall, is proving successful," said Joie Chitwood, IMS president and chief operating officer. "This upcoming test scheduled June 15-16 will continue the process of producing an effective tire for the race."
Throughout the test June 1-2, several cars made runs of more than 30 laps, with some even running out of fuel on track. A full-fuel run at IMS is estimated at 32 laps.
"We are very pleased with the results of this week's test at Indy," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of race tire sales. "The weather cooperated and gave us two days of hot, sunny conditions, just like we expect to see in late July. We were able to put rubber down on the track very quickly, and completed several full fuel runs, with tire wear, temperatures, and appearance all looking good. We believe we're in good shape for our final confirmation test on June 15-16." IMS PR
06/05/09 The process for Goodyear to determine the tire combination for the Brickyard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race continued this week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With weather and track conditions very near what is expected for the July 26-28 event, more than 1,200 laps of testing was completed with all results indicating they are on target to finalize that recommendation. Goodyear brought nine teams to the Speedway for on-track sessions on Monday and Tuesday, while rain rolled through the area on Wednesday, cancelling the third day of the scheduled test. Drivers and teams that participated were: #16-Greg Biffle, #31-Jeff Burton, #36-Patrick Carpentier, #21-Bill Elliott, #7-Robby Gordon, #9-Kasey Kahne, #42-Juan Pablo Montoya #14-Tony Stewart and #12-David Stremme. Throughout the test, several cars were able to make runs of more than 30 laps, with some even running out of fuel on the track. A fuel stop at the two-and-a-half-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway is estimated at 32 laps. Goodyear PR
06/04/09 Goodyear officials say more than 1,200 laps were completed during the tire manufacturer's three-day test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week.
Nine teams participated in the test, including Roush Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle, Richard Childress Racing's Jeff Burton, Tommy Baldwin Racing's Patrick Carpentier, Wood Brothers Racing's Bill Elliott, Robby Gordon Motorsports' Robby Gordon, Richard Petty Motorsports' Kasey Kahne, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing's Juan Pablo Montoya, Stewart-Haas Racing's Tony Stewart and Penske Racing's David Stremme.
After the session, Goodyear officials said that all results indicated they were on target with the tire that will be used in this year's Allstate 400.
Throughout the test, several cars were able to make runs of more than 30 laps, with some even running out of fuel on the track, according to a release from the manufacturer. A fuel stop at the 2.5-mile track is estimated at 32 laps. Drivers were forced to pit every 10 to 12 laps in last year’s race due to excessive tire wear.
"We are very pleased with the results of this week's test at Indy," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of race tire sales. “The weather cooperated and gave us two days of hot, sunny conditions, just like we expect to see in late July. We were able to put rubber down on the track very quickly, and completed several full-fuel runs, with tire wear, temperatures and appearance all looking good. We believe we're in good shape for our final confirmation test on June 15-16."