Goodyear Officials confirm tire blistering
Goodyear Tire and NASCAR officials confirmed there was tire blistering during Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout, but assured competitors the problem is correctable.
"We saw some signs, up and down pit road, of excessive heat on the right front and right rear (tires) and some blistering," Goodyear's Rick Heinrich said Sunday before Daytona 500 qualifying at Daytona International Speedway.
"We saw some signs, up and down pit road, of excessive heat on the right front and right rear (tires) and some blistering," Goodyear's Rick Heinrich said Sunday before Daytona 500 qualifying at Daytona International Speedway.
David Gilliland, driving the No. 38 Ford, spun and hit the wall late in the Shootout because of tire blistering. Other accidents were the result of mechanical issues or contact between cars, according to Goodyear engineers.
The tire problem, said Sprint Cup Series director John Darby, was a "worse-case scenario" as far as racing conditions for the 70-lap sprint race, won by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Darby said Saturday night produced optimum speed conditions. The more speed, the more heat builds in the Goodyear racing tires.
"It was nice, cool air, night time racing, maximum grip in the racetrack, all those things," Darby said. More at Daytona Beach News Journal