Posted on 07/22/2008 6:33:37 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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They just spoke about the time when F1 cars running Michelin tars pulled off the track.
I imagine the corn binders would be problematic on this track too. Haven’t watched Indy cars enough to know about them.
Watch your bumper!
Indy cars are lite. They need the diamond grind to get enough traction to keep speeds up. This looks like a no win for Goodyear to me.
They are lighter, but with the wings, they apply more down force.
Gotta get your “stick-em” somewhere to go over 200.
But the wings are low, CG is much lower, the weight distribution is completely different.
Weight distribution is different, but down force equates to weight. The tar wear should be similar.
That said, some teams ran three sets of rights to one left with all the wear being on the right side. I’m sure the Indy cars are using all four to hold the track, not just the right sides.
One of the discussions said the drivers at the test thought the ones GY brought were too hard and they wanted softer. Wonder if they changed compounds without even testing?
It was explained this morning that Indy cars only have a 2.5 inch clearance over the track. Because of the low clearance the levigating (grinding) was necessary because even the slightest bumps will cause the car body to drag, upsetting the handling etc.
But NASCAR and GoodYear know what is done to the track, know it is a highly abrasive track from past history, and should have learned from the Charlotte fall race fiasco a couple years ago (I was there) where there was a tire failure and a crash about every 20 laps after the same grinding process ate the tires.
How could NASCAR and Good Year, knowing from past experience, bring such an incompatable tire? apparantly the test results were either ignored or the test parameters were completely different from real time racing wear.
I don’t know who is engineering the tires. But they have been wrong at least twice this year. they better get their sh*t together or I will quit buying tickets and spend my Sundays away from the tv. I listened to the entire race on sirius radio. It was rather boring.
I see.
I’m just holding it for your return...
I just think it is round peg into square hole. This track is fine for Indy cars but not Cup cars. Trying to make up for it with tars is a kludge at best. I know about the history and all that crap, but this is not a good track for Cup. Pocono is worse.
I’d rather see them run Kentucky or Rocky, or better yet put in an early race at Sebring.
” I’m sure the Indy cars are using all four to hold the track, not just the right sides.”
Not sure but looking at Indy cars I could see how that wing helps them turn. The Cup car has more inertia. Down force puts the indy cars tight to the track, the cup cars are designed to slide. It is the sliding (across the cuts) that kills the tars. Try it with a bastard file: going with the grain you can push as hard as you want and no problem; even light pressure across the file rips the skin.
I’m not defending Goodyear in general, but this track is wrong for Cup cars.
I can imagine they were p/o’ed!
I didn’t like the COT when it first came out. After seeing Daytona, I thought it showed more promise. After the spring race at TMS, I really have no desire to go again. (Probably will, but...)
A lot of finger pointing at GoodYear and the track. Flash said it was everyone’s fault and he may have been indirectly pointing at the car.
IMO, the problem lies with this piece of junk Nascar is attempting to call a race car.
Maybe they need different cars for different tracks. I like the COT at the short tracks (can handle the banging), not bad at the 1.5 mile tracks where it can slam off the wall and keep going, and even at the super speedways it is not bad.
If you want to run at Indy put the cup car drivers in Indy cars and let them go at it.
This track is just wrong.
I agree with your first statement. It's absurd that NASCAR insists on running the Charlotte race on the same day as Indy. Charlotte should be run on Saturday and Sunday should be open in order to allow the NASCAR drivers to run Indy.
To the second comment, I'm not so sure. They've managed to run for 15 years at Indy without these problems. I would tend to think more that the problem is that Goodyear is becoming a little sloppy in its position as exclusive supplier. How can you not have open testing at the track that hosts the second most important race on your calendar? That's just dumb.
I think the biggest problem is one car simply does not fit all tracks. They could have always made the other cars stronger, but it’s a trade off with handling and speed.
LOL, well we know some of them can drive an open wheeled car, but I think we would have carnage until we got down to that handful. Then we could have a race, if there were any left. :)
I love it! The best was several years ago when there were three in one day! :)
I’m not trying to be dogmatic but is is true that this is the first year the Cup cars has tar trouble at Indy?
I agree about the testing.
What about the concept of running two Cup races at Pocono? That is a boring track if there ever was one.
Maybe the Indy-500 should be run on Memorial Day like it used.
I was at the race. IMO, the compound was too hard. It just ground the tire off and left black dust. People in the corners looked like chimney sweeps when it was over. A softer compound would have rubbered the track in better. I think Good Year just guessed on the tire based on needing to run harder compounds on the COT at other tracks.
I think they are going to have to do some design changes on the car. They are safe it would seem, but they are boring as all get out to watch and create too much right side loading to keep tires under it. Maybe wider right side tires would help.
What would you rather see? Indy and Charlotte back-to-back, as it is now, or Charlotte on Saturday and Indy on Sunday with Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Juan Pablo Montoya--just to name a few--in open wheel cars?
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