Several drivers expressed concern over the tires selected for Speedweeks at Charlotte. Denny Hamlin, who hit the wall Monday night with just 10 minutes remaining in the practice session, was fuming.
"We can't get our car working together with the tire and the track," Hamlin said. "The tire is so hard. It's frustrating for us to have to race with this tire. We're trying to do everything we can to make it work."
Teams were astonished at the lack of wear on the Goodyear tires at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Richard Childress Racing ran four laps on one set and the sticker placement was still visible on the tread.
Goodyear opted to bring back the tire combination from last year's Coca-Cola 600 and scrap the left side codes that were used in the fall. Although the fall tires offered more grip to the drivers, Goodyear was concerned with the amount of blistering on the tread. And with NASCAR returning to the larger fuel cells, the current tire will have to log additional miles.
"There has been a significant amount or resources given to the teams over the last 12 months to improve durability with an appropriate amount of grip," said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear product manager.
"We can't get our car working together with the tire and the track," Hamlin said. "The tire is so hard. It's frustrating for us to have to race with this tire. We're trying to do everything we can to make it work."
Teams were astonished at the lack of wear on the Goodyear tires at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Richard Childress Racing ran four laps on one set and the sticker placement was still visible on the tread.
Goodyear opted to bring back the tire combination from last year's Coca-Cola 600 and scrap the left side codes that were used in the fall. Although the fall tires offered more grip to the drivers, Goodyear was concerned with the amount of blistering on the tread. And with NASCAR returning to the larger fuel cells, the current tire will have to log additional miles.
"There has been a significant amount or resources given to the teams over the last 12 months to improve durability with an appropriate amount of grip," said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear product manager.