Friday, March 18, 2011

Tire Issues Force Unexpected Change at Bristol

NASCAR and Goodyear announced within the last hour that there will be a tire change this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Issues have surfaced during practice today, with teams in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series experiencing extreme right-side tire wear, with some wearing their tires to the cords in less than a full fuel run.

Sources tell Sirius Speedway that the situation is similar to what happened at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a few years ago, where tires turned to dust rather than laying down rubber on the racetrack.

Those issues will force Goodyear to truck in approximately 1300 tires from a warehouse in Charlotte, NC, today for teams to use beginning tomorrow. The Nationwide Series will qualify on the tires they are using today, then race on the new 4408 tire tomorrow with a NASCAR-mandated competition caution at approximately lap 25, allowing them to check tire wear.

The Sprint Cup cars will run on new 4386 tires built for upcoming races at California and Michigan. Sprint Cup qualifying will roll off as scheduled at 3:30 PM ET today, on the “old” rubber.

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