VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
Jimmie Johnson wins the Goodyear Tire Blowout 400 at the Brickyard.
That last stop won him the race. Don't think him or Edwards coulda passed the other.
Brickyard 400 thread
- Thread starter TexasRaceLady
- Start date
That last stop won him the race. Don't think him or Edwards coulda passed the other.
That was the worst race ever that I could not take my eyes off of. Worst possible driver won it but Carl came in second 
California rocks compared to crappy-ass Indy.
Can't wait for Labor day weekend.
California rocks compared to crappy-ass Indy.
Can't wait for Labor day weekend.
You mean the balls of a gnat...
VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
That too!
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Digger
Guest
Great, ESPN's gonna go cover stick-and-ball sports. Exactly what I tuned in to see. 
VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
Can't remember what the stats they just said, but this race, believe it or not, was not the slowest Brickyard 400.
VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
Great, ESPN's gonna go cover stick-and-ball sports. Exactly what I tuned in to see.
So what, they're supposed to throw thier schedule out the window because the crappy race took so long? It was scheduled to go tilll 6:00 and it did. The race finished, they finished the race and interviewed three of the top 4 drivers. It is a sports network, and they do have other sports to cover...
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Digger
Guest
Sorry, I was used to real race coverage with TNT.
I forgot what I should've expected - the same embarrassments as last year.
Looks like I'll be watching the football games come September.
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steveluvs3
Guest
Sorry, I was used to real race coverage with TNT.
I forgot what I should've expected - the same embarrassments as last year.
Looks like I'll be watching the football games come September.
I'm sure TNT would of done the same thing if it was close to the top of the hour, now if they ran 15-20 min over maybe they would of showed more.
VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
Sorry, I was used to real race coverage with TNT.
I forgot what I should've expected - the same embarrassments as last year.
Looks like I'll be watching the football games come September.
Since TNT has nothing else to broadcast other than repeats of old shows and movies that have been on a baziliion times, they can extend the broadcast. But I'd be willing to bet that if this race had been on TNT, they too would have caried on with ther preveiousl scheduled shows at 6:00 as well.
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Digger
Guest
I'm happy that NASCAR erred on the side of caution. All our drivers came home in one piece. Had they been turned loose, we could have had mayhem and injury.
So I'm going to just take it and move on. As Junior just said, NASCAR did the best they could, short of packing up and leaving.
So I'm going to just take it and move on. As Junior just said, NASCAR did the best they could, short of packing up and leaving.
Agreed. I'm glad nobody got hurt. This race was a joke at best.
VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
You'll have to refresh my memory, I'm not as in love with TNT as you are. But remember, like I said, the only thing TNT would be missing would be the bazillionth showing of some crappy movie like "Hook" or "Zathura" or "Law and Order" from a year ago.
The networks don't revolve around you like you may think. Think about tha millions of other sports fans that would throw a fit if they turned into ESPN for news only to see them interviews driver after driver for a race that ended already. I know I'd be pissed.
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steveluvs3
Guest
you got that a little wrong TRL, As Junior just said," ummm errr uhhh NASCAR did the best they could,errr uhhhhh short of packing up and leaving.
VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
So I turn on Victory Lane a few minutes late and hear Jimmy Spencer laying 100% of the blame on IMS.
Um, yeah Jimmy, not the tires, not the car, not ahything else but the race track had anything to do with the embarrasment felt by Nascar today.
Pulease..
Um, yeah Jimmy, not the tires, not the car, not ahything else but the race track had anything to do with the embarrasment felt by Nascar today.
Pulease..
No one will ever know if "the best" car won. We only know that the best car for 10 laps won...
VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
No one will ever know if "the best" car won. We only know that the best car for 10 laps won...
You're right. And even then, we don't know if it would've been different if Edwards or someone else would have gotten out of the pits first. Cause he wasn't the best over those ten laps, because Carl was just as fast, and stayed the same distance behind for thoes last 6 laps.
buckaroo
Here kitty, kitty, kitty
I'm sorry, I know that this thread is titled the Brickyard 400 tire blowout but I didn't see that many blowouts. Could someone tell me the total number of tires that blew out? I saw two and figured that since there has been such a clamor about the blowouts that I had to have missed a bunch of them. Andy, you're probably more up on this than anyone, so could you tell me?
As for the racing, it really was like a bunch of heat races and that just isn't my cup of tea, but with so many blowouts, it was probably the best thing they could have done. The races between the blowouts was pretty good though and even though you could see it on TV, if you watch the live leaderboard on NASCAR.com, you could see a lot more. I also listened to the scanner that is free as well. It was interesting to see who would gamble with the tire situation and who would have blowouts. My fav Kahne had a major problem at the early stages of the race, but soldiered home a good finish and moved up in the standings. They were actually attempting to bring in a welder at one point, but had to have a 220 power supply for the welder and couldn't get it there in time so they just did what they could for the rest of the race. I think that had he not had a cracked header, he might have had something for the front runners. Hard to say, but he was up there before the header cracked.
As for the racing, it really was like a bunch of heat races and that just isn't my cup of tea, but with so many blowouts, it was probably the best thing they could have done. The races between the blowouts was pretty good though and even though you could see it on TV, if you watch the live leaderboard on NASCAR.com, you could see a lot more. I also listened to the scanner that is free as well. It was interesting to see who would gamble with the tire situation and who would have blowouts. My fav Kahne had a major problem at the early stages of the race, but soldiered home a good finish and moved up in the standings. They were actually attempting to bring in a welder at one point, but had to have a 220 power supply for the welder and couldn't get it there in time so they just did what they could for the rest of the race. I think that had he not had a cracked header, he might have had something for the front runners. Hard to say, but he was up there before the header cracked.
buck, I was being facetious with the thread title. I didn't mean to mislead anyone.
I assumed that from what I saw in practice we'd have tires letting loose. And had we gone green for more than 10 laps, we probably would have.
I assumed that from what I saw in practice we'd have tires letting loose. And had we gone green for more than 10 laps, we probably would have.
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dannynascar
Guest
at least we didn't have to see the commercials for the closer and saving grace 1,000,000,000,000 times today. and Kyle busch didn't win
buckaroo
Here kitty, kitty, kitty
No problem TRL. I know how frustrating this race was, not only for us fans, but for the drivers/owners as well. And think about the wives of the drivers! But they did handle it all very well, and there was some good racing when you could watch racing. I'm wondering just how many caution laps there were. But as you mentioned before, NASCAR went for safety rather than action. If they hadn't had those competition cautions, who knows how many blown tires there would have been. I just hope that they do some major testing for the future at this track, as I'm sure they will be doing.
buck, I know that at least 50 laps were run under yellow.
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BraveDave
Guest
I'm still waiting for my competition beer.
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
52 of 160...Mabey Indy needs a face lift
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Mopardh9
Guest
Memory serves me right that track was just repaved about 4 years ago. I see no reason why it would be the fault of the track eating up tires. Good Year just completely missed the tire. All i heard on ESPN was how the COT loads up the right side, well duh they have known that right along. It was like this was something new, i think Good Year should be totally embarassed for the tire they brought to Indy, also i think Nascar should start shopping around for a better supplier. What i don't understand is that this track is relatively flat and high speed. Why couldn't Good Year bring a tire that they use at other flat tracks? Anyway you look at it this race was a disgrace in my opinion, this is supposed to be one of the elite events on the schedule and it became a farce. Racing like this is why Nascar is loosing fans.
Let's not blame NASCAR for this --- they handled it the best they could. I don't even blame Goodyear.
If we must "blame" someone, blame the teams for not picking Indy for an open test when the lists were handed out last year.
Yes, we didn't have much of a "race", but we didn't have multiple cars destroyed, or any drivers injured.
Dale Jr said if someone must be blamed, blame him --- he participated in the tire test in April.
If we must "blame" someone, blame the teams for not picking Indy for an open test when the lists were handed out last year.
Yes, we didn't have much of a "race", but we didn't have multiple cars destroyed, or any drivers injured.
Dale Jr said if someone must be blamed, blame him --- he participated in the tire test in April.
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sledge
Guest
I still blame Badyear. They are the ones who make the tire. This is not the first time they have produced a tire that did not last.
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mudslinger47
Guest
Let's not blame NASCAR for this --- they handled it the best they could. I don't even blame Goodyear.
If we must "blame" someone, blame the teams for not picking Indy for an open test when the lists were handed out last year.
Yes, we didn't have much of a "race", but we didn't have multiple cars destroyed, or any drivers injured.
Dale Jr said if someone must be blamed, blame him --- he participated in the tire test in April.
If I heard correctly, Indy wasn't on the list for open testing, so if that is true, blame partially goes back to NASCAR.
They could have saved eveyone a bunch of money and made it the "Brickyard Nine". Results would have probably been the same. Duane
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RCR4Life
Guest
What do you do with 365 used condoms?
You melt them down, turn them into a tire and call it a Goodyear...
You melt them down, turn them into a tire and call it a Goodyear...
Doug Richert explained it last night on SPEED Report --- the entire list of tracks goes out to the teams --- they indicate which tracks they'd like to test ---- NASCAR compiles the results --- sends the list of most popular back to the teams, who then pick the tracks.
For some reason, most teams DIDN'T pick Indy.
wilson89
Team Owner
something tells me next year every team is gonna pick indy
Track testing for teams is different than Goodyear tire testing. Teams (drivers) have to be invited by Goodyear to participate in tire testing.
From SceneDaily...
Goodyear plans to work with NASCAR to resolve Indy tire issues
Sunday, July 27, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS – Goodyear officials will most likely test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before this year ends in an effort to remedy the tire problems that marred Sunday's Allstate 400NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the track.
After Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Juan Pablo Montoya each had tire problems early in the race, NASCAR officials opted to continue to use competition cautions to check the tire wear. The sanctioning body had announced prior to the race plans to throw the caution flag on lap 15, then continued the practice throughout the event, with the final competition caution coming on lap 150.
Goodyear officials said that the combination of the Indy track surface and NASCAR's new car caused the tires to wear quickly and that they'll look into the problem.
"Obviously, the tread wear didn't improve as we thought it would for the first of the afternoon," Goodyear spokesman Greg Stucker said. "Actually we don't have the answer as far as why that didn't happen, so we've got to go back and look at that and try to figure out how to make it better."
He noted this was the same compound that teams used in this event a year ago. Sunday's race marked the debut of NASCAR's new car at the 2.5-mile track, though it is the 20th series race featuring the model.
"This was the same compound we raced last year and the wear improved over the course of the day last year to the point where we could run the full stops," Stucker said. "That didn't happen today, so we need to understand why."
He said Goodyear will work to assess the cause of the problems.
"We're going to do our best to try to turn it around, we're going to talk with the race track, figure out what can we do about the race track, try to understand a little bit more, try to work with NASCAR and try to figure out what to expect from the car and the teams," he said. "We're the tire supplier, we take it onto our shoulders, we've got to improve it, but &hellip it's the package, so we need to understand the whole thing together and try to make it better."
Obviously, no one wanted to see a race plagued with cautions, especially not the series' tire supplier. Still, the cautions were preferable for everyone involved opposed to having cars with tires blowing out during the race. Stucker said the cautions were the best short-term solution.
"I don't think anybody wants that," Stucker said. "I'm sure there's other things that could have happened, but we worked with NASCAR and the teams and tried to manage it with the inventory we had and just try to make it so everybody got to the end, everybody had the same chance."
He pointed out that nobody was at fault for the problems, but that this is something the group will work diligently to resolve. Goodyear held a tire test at the track in April, but opted not to bring the tire from that session because of concerns about grip. Last year, the Cup drivers had a full-field test at the track, but the lack of that this season was not an issue, Stucker said.
"We had full-scale testing as far as we're concerned, I mean we had a tire test," he said. "We didn't have an open test like we did last year, certainly we didn't have as many cars on the race track as we did last year, so again that's a difference. But you try to use all that [in] your decisions."
Driver Quotes After Indy Fiasco
"That wasn't a race [Sunday]. It's ridiculous," said Indiana native Ryan Newman. "That's a lack of preparation from NASCAR to Goodyear to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to put on a show like they did for the fans [Sunday]. It's disrespectful to the fans, and I wish that it didn't have to be that way. That's not the way NASCAR racing is supposed to be."
"It was bad. It was actually embarrassing, it really was," Matt Kenseth said. "I apologize to the fans. You can't really blame NASCAR. After [Saturday's final practice], we knew this was probably how it was going to be. We knew it wasn't going to get any better. We knew we could only run about seven or eight laps on the tires. I don't know what they could have done differently."
"We did what was right [Sunday]," Earnhardt said. "NASCAR did everything right [Sunday]. But when that's happening at the test, you can't say, 'Well, it will get better.' That can't happen anytime. I don't care if it's one car on the racetrack testing, that can't never happen. You can't sit there and go, 'Well, you get everybody here to do it, it will go away.' That ain't good enough. That's still dangerous even if it's one cat out here testing."
"I'm just shocked they did a tire test here, and this is what they ended up with," Jamie McMurray said. The next time Goodyear holds a tire test, Kasey Kahne added, "they should probably learn something from it instead of bringing us back on something you can't race on."
Kevin Harvick called it "the biggest joke in racing." Now it's been joined by the unlikeliest of company -- the mighty, revered and respected Brickyard.
"I've got to stop and just apologize to the fans," Vickers said. "We've got some awesome, awesome fans that come out here and watch these races. I don't want to point a finger at anybody. It's a culmination of a lot of things that took place [Sunday] that caused the problem we're seeing with the tires. We as a sport should have done better. I'm embarrassed. I'm sure a lot of people are."
"It was a ridiculous race," said Ryan Newman, who finished 13th. "There was no racing involved, other than mandatory cautions."
"That's the most bizarre race I've ever run," said Dale Earnhardt Jr. who finished 12th. "I was just glad we got through it with no real chaos. I'm ashamed, but there wasn't much we could do."
"The problem is not one thing," said Cup driver Brian Vickers. "We've seen all year long that this car is a lot worse on tires. I think everybody has to raise their hand and take some responsibility here. We have to really think about where we're going and how we're going to do it."
"It's embarrassing and disappointing," Jeff Gordon said. "I've never seen anything like this, and I'm really sorry that it happened in such a big race like the Brickyard."
"That wasn't a race [Sunday]. It's ridiculous," said Indiana native Ryan Newman. "That's a lack of preparation from NASCAR to Goodyear to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to put on a show like they did for the fans [Sunday]. It's disrespectful to the fans, and I wish that it didn't have to be that way. That's not the way NASCAR racing is supposed to be."
"It was bad. It was actually embarrassing, it really was," Matt Kenseth said. "I apologize to the fans. You can't really blame NASCAR. After [Saturday's final practice], we knew this was probably how it was going to be. We knew it wasn't going to get any better. We knew we could only run about seven or eight laps on the tires. I don't know what they could have done differently."
"We did what was right [Sunday]," Earnhardt said. "NASCAR did everything right [Sunday]. But when that's happening at the test, you can't say, 'Well, it will get better.' That can't happen anytime. I don't care if it's one car on the racetrack testing, that can't never happen. You can't sit there and go, 'Well, you get everybody here to do it, it will go away.' That ain't good enough. That's still dangerous even if it's one cat out here testing."
"I'm just shocked they did a tire test here, and this is what they ended up with," Jamie McMurray said. The next time Goodyear holds a tire test, Kasey Kahne added, "they should probably learn something from it instead of bringing us back on something you can't race on."
Kevin Harvick called it "the biggest joke in racing." Now it's been joined by the unlikeliest of company -- the mighty, revered and respected Brickyard.
"I've got to stop and just apologize to the fans," Vickers said. "We've got some awesome, awesome fans that come out here and watch these races. I don't want to point a finger at anybody. It's a culmination of a lot of things that took place [Sunday] that caused the problem we're seeing with the tires. We as a sport should have done better. I'm embarrassed. I'm sure a lot of people are."
"It was a ridiculous race," said Ryan Newman, who finished 13th. "There was no racing involved, other than mandatory cautions."
"That's the most bizarre race I've ever run," said Dale Earnhardt Jr. who finished 12th. "I was just glad we got through it with no real chaos. I'm ashamed, but there wasn't much we could do."
"The problem is not one thing," said Cup driver Brian Vickers. "We've seen all year long that this car is a lot worse on tires. I think everybody has to raise their hand and take some responsibility here. We have to really think about where we're going and how we're going to do it."
"It's embarrassing and disappointing," Jeff Gordon said. "I've never seen anything like this, and I'm really sorry that it happened in such a big race like the Brickyard."
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basscatcher89
Guest
race once again showed that ORP is the real stock car track in town. Would have been a hell of a show if they had loaded up and gone over there
buckaroo
Here kitty, kitty, kitty
race once again showed that ORP is the real stock car track in town. Would have been a hell of a show if they had loaded up and gone over there
Now someone's finally talking.
ORP, or as I still call it, IRP, is one of my most favorite tracks. I actually like it better than Bristol, but don't tell anyone as that would be heresy.
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Digger
Guest
For once, we agree.Now someone's finally talking.
ORP has long been one of my favorite tracks. I look forward to it every year. ORP is like Richmond, I don't care who wins, it's gonna be a good race.
Remember the epic battle between Shane Hmiel and Brian Vickers?
http://premium.nascar.com/pr/video/2003/08/02/bg.ind.final_frameset_exclude.html
Awesome track.
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basscatcher89
Guest
ive heard its an awesome track no matter whos racing on it. I know some guys that work on asa late model teams and they race there. The guys say the track is just a blast with the asa lates.