NASCAR waved the red flag after Elliott Sadler crashed while leading. Credit: Autostock

Surface, speed make a dangerous combination

CONCORD, N.C. -- How dangerous was Lowe's Motor Speedway on Saturday night for the UAW-GM Quality 500?

During a late caution, Tony Stewart inquired as to the chances of renewal on his life insurance policy.

The way tires were popping all through the field, there was a lot of merit to that philosophy.

Tire problems caused the crashes of Tony Stewart ...

"I was just kind of riding around, waiting to see which tire was going to blow, the right front or the right rear," said second-place finished Kurt Busch. "I was just running around at 75-80 percent."

"It's kind of like Talladega," said Greg Biffle, who finished third. "You just kind of hang out and wait. We were all driving around at 75-80 percent, and then at the end I had an ultra-fast race car. We were running 28.60s, and it was unbelievable."

Tire problems which surfaced in Friday night's Busch Series event cropped up early and often, and the lead was a place no one seemed to want to be as the race wore on.

... Elliott Sadler ...

Three drivers -- Kyle Busch, Stewart and Elliott Sadler -- all had tire problems while leading, although Stewart's was a puncture, not a wear problem.

Of the first 10 cautions in Saturday's race -- there were 15 overall, three more than the previous record -- nine were tire-related. Of the 15, 11 had something to do with tires. Those cautions included a planned stop at lap 30 to check tire wear and an impromptu competition caution on lap 200.

The tires, as in the Busch races, could not keep up with the heat generated by the pace and blistered, causing many tires to blow out. As was reported last night, neither the Busch Series cars nor the Nextel Cup cars experienced any such problems during testing on the newly ground surface of Lowe's Motor Speedway.

... David Stremme ...

"We've got a situation where everything is increased," said Phil Holmer, marketing manager for stock car racing at Goodyear. "The speeds are higher, the forces are greater...just about everything is increased."

Holmer went on to say that 40-50 percent of the trouble with right front tires had to do with air pressures lower than Goodyear's recommended 50 pounds per square inch.

When the second, unannounced competition caution was displayed on lap 200, NASCAR took the unprecedented step of changing the rules in the middle of a race.

NASCAR told the crew chief of every car still running that the right side tires, front and rear, had to be at the recommended 50 psi when it went out on the track or the driver and team could face penalties for non-compliance, including loss of points.

... and Kyle Busch. Credit: Autostock

"We sent officials, and Goodyear sent engineers, up and down pit road, and the teams were told that they were expected to comply with Goodyear's recommended numbers," said NASCAR President Mike Helton.

"Some teams questioned this, and they were told -- it came from me -- that they had been given a directive from NASCAR. If you choose not to follow that directive, be prepared. Failure to comply could lead to actions from NASCAR, and that could include the loss of points."

Stewart, who ran over debris and cut his right rear tire while leading on lap 217, was frustrated by this, but was also middle-of-the-road on the rest of it.

"What frustrates you is that NASCAR steps in, tells you what tire pressure, which totally dictates how your car is going to handle," Stewart said. "It sucks if you're the fastest car all night long and your tires are perfect.

Down and outPoints leader Tony Stewart cuts a tire and hits the wall More tire troubleSadler joins the laundry list of drivers with flat tires Trouble for twoA season of bad luck continues for Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

"I'm frustrated about it, but they did what they thought was in the best interest of safety for all of us. We make the adjustment and the next thing you know, we have a problem. We were pulling away in the points tonight. We should have left here 100 points ahead, but when we leave here I'm tied for the lead. Nothing like feeling you've got your hands tied behind your back."

Earlier, Stewart said that what happened Saturday night was "a bad set of circumstances that started before the May race and everybody did their part to make it as good as they could. I don't think it was Goodyear's fault. I don't know that you can point the finger at anybody. This is just what we had to deal with tonight."

The toll taken by tires and the new surface at Lowe's was staggering.

Of the 11 cautions that had something to do with tires -- two were for debris, one was for Robby Gordon's blown engine and the other for Rusty Wallace's accident on lap 331 -- all involved contact with the wall. Kasey Kahne didn't hit the wall on lap 307, but did bring out one of the debris cautions with a blown tire?while leading.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Hamilton Jr., Sterling Marlin, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, David Stremme and Scott Riggs all popped Goodyears at various points around the 1.5-mile oval. Stewart ran over something, and Sadler made contact with another car before his tire went flat.

Perhaps Brian Vickers summed it up best.

"There was no enjoyment in the kind of racing we had out there," he said after finishing 12th. "It was worse than I expected. We were worried about our tires lasting 30 laps, and that's crazy."