Tony Stewart tries desperately to be controversial again.

[Knowlesy]

zomg, he speaks his mind innit.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65594

He's quite upset at Goodyear's tyres it seems.

Originally Posted by Very Angry Man

That's the worst tyre I've ever seen in my life in any professional form of racing.

It doesn't take long. If you do your homework and look at when (Goodyear) exited Formula One and the IRL and CART and the World of Outlaws and USAC, you name it, all the other professional sports Goodyear's exited because they can't compete, they can't keep up.

They don't have the technology, they don't have the people that are smart enough to build a tyre. This was pathetic today, to race like we raced today.

Topped off with this:

The first thing I'm doing when I get home is dismount anything I've got that's got Goodyears on it. I'm putting Firestones or something else so I feel a lot safer.

Would it not be better to try and suggest something constructive?

[muggle not]

Sorry knowlesy but many other drivers also spoke out about the tire at Atlanta including, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr, Jimmy Johnson, Kenseth, Jeff Burton, Kyle, Mark Martin. They all had strong words about the tire.

[Knowlesy]

I thought Dale Jr. said it best personally.

Didn't like the tyre, but accepted it and got on with it.

[muggle not]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

I thought Dale Jr. said it best personally.

Didn't like the tyre, but accepted it and got on with it.

Jr also said that the car was just out of control and that you just don't like driving cars like that. He also said that they couldn't race side-by-side or they would wreck.

Jeff Gordon stated "there is just no reason for this. This car, this tire at this racetrack was just terrible".

Mark Martin simply stated..."I can't drive it".

I don't think that Nascar will come down on the drivers as much as they will Goodyear. I believe that Goodyear will be given a good talk by Nascar.

[Knowlesy]

Ah, those are new quotes to me. Still prefer those to the drama queen approach all the way.

[muggle not]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Ah, those are new quotes to me. Still prefer those to the drama queen approach all the way.

Agree, Tony usually goes overboard on everything (understatement ). We have an advantage over some as there are always hundreds of reporters at the races and we can read their interviews after the race. We have one writer, Dustin Long, who does a great job of coverage.

[kelvin88]

I thought i saw a quote somewhere from Jnr saying that Goodyear should pull out of NASCAR.

[Craig]

I presume that Smoke still has a radio show to promote? Guess that's why he's always so much to say. Wait til Tuesday (I think) and he'll explain on his show what he 'really' meant and how the press blew it out of proportion

[fieldodreams79]

they all said it was "ridiculous" or "undrivable". Riggs, Bowyer and Bifle, whom all finished in the top 20 stated that they could not race side by side. many others, who did not finish as well, stated the same.

i've always had a love/hate feelings for Smoke. i don't always agree with him, but he speaks his mind no matter what else anyone thinks and i respect him for that. as for saying something constructive, i think he did. according to him, Goodyear has been "kicked out" of every major series that they've supplied tires. not sure if they is the case, but i don't see them in too many other series, and it sounds like Stewart is warning them that they better get there shtuff together before history is repeated. i don't remember JR saying they should leave, but he is one not to shy away from speaking his mind either, so it would not surprise me.

thankfully, Goodyear is bringing a tire that they have already tested at Bristol to next weekend's event, unlike the brand new tire at ATL.

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

zomg, he speaks his mind innit.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65594
Would it not be better to try and suggest something constructive? ;

Knowlesy, you're right... his comments this time were exceptional and went well beyond what was necessary to convey the problem. I watched the race live on Fox 5 yesterday and even the interviewer was taken aback by the way he lambasted Goodyear. It was uncalled for. For sure the tyre was bad, but everyone had the same rubber on their car AND nobody else felt the need to go as far as Tony did. He would have been best off giving comment along the lines of people like Junior and going to NASCAR [after all they're the reason why Goodyear are where they are] and gassing off behind closed doors. Saying he'll be taking the Goodyear tyres off his roadcar and replacing them with Firestone/Bridgestone rubber is likely to give the man in the street the impression his palm's being greased by them or something.

[Knowlesy]

But driver whingeing aside - did Goodyear do such a bad job?

They are under no obligation to make a tyre geared for out and out performance as there is no tyre competition. Much like other series with one manufacturer, they aim to make a safe tyre.

You can't deny it was safe - how many failures were there yesterday? None that I can think of, and very few put it in the wall. So the cars slid a bit - well slow down then! It seemed the drivers adapted just fine to me.

And how much is down to the car anyways? The new car is very top heavy and generates some serious sideways inertia at speed I imagine. It also has little downforce. It's not just the tyres, the car needs to work with the tyres.

It is up to Goodyear and NASCAR to work on it and they will get there together. But it may take time, so calm down Tony. Think of fluffy lambs and daffodils. Dry those eyes and have a nice early night.

[davyboy]

Truth be told, the COT is the main problem rather than the tyre. The COT has a much higher roll centre than its predecessor and has 35% less downforce. The tyres Goodyear are bringing to the races are more or less the same as those they brought last year... the result, the car's burning them out. OK, Goodyear could have developed a more performant tyre, one more suitable to the COT, but that's not the remit of a control tyre supplier. They're obliged to maintain equality/repeatability and most of all, safety.

Chad Knaus, Jimmie Johnson's crew chief, is on Speed at the moment more or less saying the same as I've said above... but he's added that they had great difficulty dialling the COT in at Atlanta and that even very fine pit adjustments were sending the car from too loose to too tight.

I think in time Goodyear will develop a tyre better matched to the COT, engineers will learn the COT more and drivers will get used to a racecar with different characteristics.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by davyboy

Truth be told, the COT is the main problem rather than the tyre. The COT has a much higher roll centre than its predecessor and has 35% less downforce. The tyres Goodyear are bringing to the races are more or less the same as those they brought last year...

bringing the same tire for a different car sounds like a mistake. if you can blame anyone else besides the guys who made the tire, blame mother nature for making it so cold. granted, the COT is completely different from any other "stockcar" made in the last 2 or 3 decades or ever. Goodyear has had just about the same amount of time to get it <mostly>"right" as Cup teams did.

Originally Posted by davyboy

OK, Goodyear could have developed a more performant tyre, one more suitable to the COT, but that's not the remit of a control tyre supplier. They're obliged to maintain equality/repeatability and most of all, safety.

can't argue with a safer tire. same occurance of failures this as last year. lots of others were not very happy, too. from what they are saying, Goodyear should have done MUCH better.

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

It is up to Goodyear and NASCAR to work on it and they will get there together. But it may take time, so calm down Tony. Think of fluffy lambs and daffodils. Dry those eyes and have a nice early night.

i too think there are some teething issues for all involved.
man....what do ya'll expect? that's tony being tony. i think he is upset that his beard his greying, he can't find a barber and he is about 40 lbs (2.857 stone) overwieght

[Sparky7]

Goodyear seems to have a nasty habit of bringing a different tire to the race than the tire they previously tested at a specific track. I'm not an engineer but I'd love to hear their explanation for that logic.

[muggle not]

Both Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman have stated that they think Tony went a little overboard with his statements.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by muggle not

Both Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman have stated that they think Tony went a little overboard with his statements.

yeah, saw that in this morning's paper. title of the article was "A little Overboard", from the AP. Jeff G and Knowsley have the same train of thought here:
"I don't disagree with him as far as the comfort level...try to give the folks that are doing their jobs the ability and constructive criticism to try to do it better."

Newman: "The tire thing is a little blown out proportion. There's alot of things he said that were true. Obviously, he took it to another level. That's Tony. Everybody is different."

they did not like the tire, but as other's have stated here, i think it has been a combo of weather, new car and an abrasive, very fast track. but it does seem that Tony is Tony and Goodyear is a bit behind the 8-ball. they'll make it better. eventually.

[Neil22]

They have to blame the tires now that they can't criticize what they are attached to. The COT sucks, straight up.

[FIRE]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RvBl4NhycbQ

[Knowlesy]

He sat in his car preparing that speech.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by muggle not

Both Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman have stated that they think Tony went a little overboard with his statements.

Of course they did! Tony made the point for them and they didn't get the bad press. Smart or gutless?

[Knowlesy]

Tony didn't make any point. He just issued a lot of inaccurate statements.

Such as Goodyear supposedly pulling out of F1 because they couldn't compete, despite ending their time in F1 with arguably a better tyre than Bridgestone.

[fieldodreams79]

yeah, i'd much rather follow a series where everyone is nice to each other and speaks well of NASCAR and all their cohorts. it would fun watching a series with a bunch of drivers who were sweet guys and about as interesting as a tree limb. we are getting closer and closer.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Tony didn't make any point. He just issued a lot of inaccurate statements.

Such as Goodyear supposedly pulling out of F1 because they couldn't compete, despite ending their time in F1 with arguably a better tyre than Bridgestone.

I don't have any knowledge of Goodyear in F1, but for the rest of the series I agree with Tony. Add sportscars to the list as Corvette Racing held up Goodyear for years. During the "tire war" the mom 'n pop Hoosier tire was able to compete with Goodyear. They also produce the Eagle F1 which is the biggest piece o' crap tire I've come across... Maybe I hold a grudge?

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

I don't have any knowledge of Goodyear in F1...

a quick search finds that they started in the mid 60s and went to the 90s. 350 wins and 25 championships. their last year (1997) drew significant complaints from drivers with Goodyear tires while winning every race; they were on Ferrari, Williams and Benetton while Bridgestone was on Stewart, Prost, Arrows.

make your own conclusion from that, and i am not sure how accurate that is.

[Knowlesy]

Don't get me wrong, I am all for outspoken views. But there is a difference between a spontaneous view and a pre-prepared 'look at me' charade.

For gods sake, after Texas last year he was whining about quitting the sport because he spun or something.

Re: Goodyear in F1. Their last season was 1998 in which their top team was Ferrari. Bridgestone had their top team McLaren and won the title. Goodyear started the year behind the 8-Ball, but they clawed back the ground (and more) and nearly sneaked the titles. This despite starting the season after announcing they would be pulling out.

If anyone doubts Goodyear's commitment, they are way off the mark. Have they got the right tyre for the car yet? Probably not! Are they perfect? Nope! But they can do the job.