INDIANAPOLIS — Jimmie Johnson celebrated his second victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a burnout.
Appropriately, one of his tires exploded. He was lucky he made it that long.
Tire troubles derailed one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events Sunday when Goodyear’s product wasn’t durable enough to withstand more than 10 or so laps of the Brickyard at a time. It created a chaotic and confusing caution-filled race that ended when Johnson outran Carl Edwards in a seven-lap sprint.
Goodyear and NASCAR were left to explain why the race became a debacle.
The tire issue cropped up early Saturday, when drivers learned during the first practice that the tires could only last from three to 10 laps before the rubber wore down to the cords. NASCAR and Goodyear hoped the conditions would improve — as it has in years past — once enough rubber was laid down on the track.
But the first-time use of the Car of Tomorrow prevented any improvement because the lack of downforce on the car, combined with its higher center of gravity, created conditions that made it very hard on the right side tires. No matter how much rubber was laid on Indy’s notoriously abrasive surface, the tires still weren’t strong enough to last more than about 10 laps.
There were 11 total yellow flags, and NASCAR had to throw six competition cautions to force teams to pit and change their tires. It meant the longest green-flag run was an embarrassing 12 laps, causing teams to fear both tire failures and a possible supply shortage.
“We came with the best tire we had for the conditions and we fell short,” said Greg Stucker, director of race tire sales for Goodyear. “We’ll try to get it right.”
