Stewart praises Goodyear tires in Bristol

NASCAR must have read Tony Stewart the riot act – praise Goodyear to make up for the pounding you gave them in Atlanta, or you can race somewhere else.

"I thought the tires were good," Stewart said after Friday's rain-shortened Bristol Cup practice.

"Anytime that you can take your car and go from the top to the bottom of the track and back, you obviously have the grip you need to go where you want to go," he said. "Having that flexibility is what we're all looking for."

That Stewart had something kind to say about the company he assailed surprised Goodyear officials, who would have liked to have heard it directly from the driver.

"It would have been nice if he could have come over here and told us that," said Greg Stucker, director of race tire sales.