Goodyear exec confident tires will be OK

As we have come to expect with Goodyear tires, more teams had tire trouble Thursday, creating concerns about Sunday’s race. Red Bull Racing driver Brian Vickers was surprised the tires were wearing out so quickly.

“I think everybody is pretty concerned about it," Vickers said. “We’ve got smaller fuel cells this year, and we still can’t even make it to a full fuel run. It’s going to be a big factor."

Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of race tire sales, said the problems are likely the result of higher-than-expected speeds and teams struggling to figure out the right suspension settings for their new cars.

He said the situation should improve throughout the weekend as there’s more traffic on the track, laying down more rubber and making the surface less abrasive.

“It’ll get better," Stucker said. We have heard that before.