Melting tires big issue for multiple drivers at M'ville

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- For the uninitiated, Martinsville Speedway is never the easiest of tests.

Combine the testing ban on NASCAR-sanctioned tracks this year with the fact that rain washed out all but one practice session prior to the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500, and Sunday was a rough day for brakes and tires at the .526-mile short track.

That seemed especially so for lesser experienced drivers, who braked so hard that the beads on the Goodyear tires actually melted, causing flats. It happened five times to Aric Almirola, who drove the No. 8 Chevrolet to a 37th-place finish. It happened multiple times to other drivers, too, including rookie Joey Logano, who finished 32nd in the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Lap-by-Lap

Aric Almirola had five tires go down at Martinsville, and several drivers had multiple tire problems during the Cup race.

• Lap-by-Lap: Martinsville

"It seemed like a lot of people were having tire issues," said David Ragan, who finished 27th in his No. 6 Ford.

And it wasn't only inexperienced drivers who struggled with the problem. Kyle Busch, who had won two of the previous three Sprint Cup Series races for JGR, also experienced some difficulty with his brakes getting so hot they melted the beads on some of his tires, causing them to go down at inopportune times. Busch had at least two tires go down and struggled to finish 24th.

Mike Ford, crew chief for Denny Hamlin, who finished second to Jimmie Johnson, said all of the JGR teams were aware of the potential problem heading into the race.

"We didn't have any tire problems, but the 18 [Busch] and the 20 did," Ford said. "It goes back to last year when they both had the same problems [at Martinsville, although the No. 20 was then driven by Tony Stewart]. They both had the same thing and worked really hard to keep the temperature out of the bead this time.

"We still don't have the full story on what happened there, but you saw that a lot [Sunday]. I don't fully understand what that is. I'm sure we'll go back to work on that."

A Goodyear official pointed out that those who ran up front Sunday had no issues with tire beads melting, implying that those who did probably were overusing their brakes.

Ford said he wasn't sure about that, but did add: "I know Denny is very easy on brakes. This is not even close to the hardest-braking track for us. We were aware of that issue, watching other guys. But it didn't come into play at all for us."

David Gilliland, driver of the No. 71 Chevy for TRG Motorsports, was another who did struggle with it.

"We had some brake issues," Gilliland said. "The heat from the brakes would melt the bead on the tire and we blew two right-fronts. We need to go back and work on our brake-cooling package. We weren't the only ones with that problem."

Marcos Ambrose, driving his first full season in the No. 47 for JTG-Daugherty Racing, managed to finish 14th despite battling brake and tire issues. But he said afterward that it's all part of trying to work through the difficult learning curve at Martinsville for drivers unfamiliar with the place.

"I was just hanging on the whole time," Ambrose said. "It's tough every single lap and these guys are really getting after it out there. ... It's very difficult to get around here for 500 laps. I ran out of brakes, ran out of tires, ran out of talent and somehow we managed to finish. I'll take it."