Jeff Burton, Richard Childress and Ryan Pemberton have a meeting of the minds at Daytona testing. Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

RCR, Burton not happy with Goodyear tire snub

Despite restrictions teams still find ways to test, owner says

CONCORD, N.C. -- In this new NASCAR era of limited testing and leased tires, an invitation from Goodyear to appear at a tire test is quickly becoming a cherished item.

During the winter, Goodyear invited just four teams to test a high-banked, 1.5-mile package, and Richard Childress Racing wasn't among them.

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That didn't sit too well with Childress.

There was a two-day tire test at Texas Motor Speedway last week, with Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. each getting the invite to come and shake down their cars.

"You're looking at teams that are going to do tire tests. There were teams that went to do tire tests the last two days," RCR driver Jeff Burton said. "We're not testing anywhere, and with the limited testing, that is a huge disadvantage."

For the 2006 season, NASCAR implemented severe restrictions on testing, limiting it to Daytona, Las Vegas, Richmond, Homestead-Miami, Indianapolis and Lowe's.

Those restrictions leaves teams with the option of testing at tracks that don't have a Nextel Cup date, but Burton says there is no substitute to a Goodyear tire test, which are held at tracks that each have two Nextel Cup dates.

In addition to the Texas test, Goodyear also invited the teams of Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch to test at Atlanta earlier this month. As a result, Edwards and Busch will be the only drivers with any preseason track time on Atlanta's 1.54-mile track.

"Every team should have the chance to do a tire test," Burton said. "You have a situation that is not equal for everyone."

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Childress says he plans on meeting with Goodyear to discuss the situation.

"Every team needs to be equally balanced with the tire test," Childress said. "It needs to be spread out over all the teams."

Even though NASCAR limited testing for 2006, it didn't restrict testing at tracks that do not have a Nextel Cup date. Because of the close proximity of Kentucky Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, teams often spend two days testing their downforce packages at those tracks instead.

Testing at Kentucky and Nashville isn't without its challenges. For 2006, Goodyear switched to a tire-leasing program, which means teams will no longer have an unlimited supply of tires available for testing at tracks like Kentucky and Nashville.

In 2006, teams will get their tires at the track but will be required to turn in any sets that go unused. All sets must be accounted for.

Team owners, anticipating this move, spent 2005 stockpiling their own inventory of Goodyears. Those sets are currently being used to test at places like Kentucky and Nashville. Even small teams like Morgan-McClure and PPI Motorsports were able to test during the winter using 2005 tires.

For instance, Burton's team tested at both Kentucky and Nashville, using some of the nearly 1,000 tires RCR gathered during 2005.

Childress says it is an example of how teams can find out ways to test despite the new restrictions. He also said he favors a ban on tests at non-Nextel Cup tracks.

"People are going to try to get around the testing situation," Childress said. "We'll see how it goes. I would have liked to see them just ban just any NASCAR track. That would have probably done the job pretty well."