Goodyear's new Indy tire passes its first major test

INDIANAPOLIS -- For everything said about Goodyear's efforts to correct the tire problems that plagued last year's NASCAR race at the Brickyard, nothing spoke louder than the dark gray color of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway asphalt after a pair of Sprint Cup practice sessions.

Any remaining fears over a potential repeat of last year's debacle seemed to be assuaged after teams reported no tire problems Friday, the opening day of practice for Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Because of a combination of tire compound, additional stresses placed on the right-front in the new Sprint Cup car, and the grooved surface at Indianapolis, last season's tires disintegrated into a fine dust rather than rubbering in the race track as had been the case in previous years. The result was a race stopped every 10 to 12 laps by competition cautions so teams could change tires, and fans who left demanding refunds or vowing not to return.

Brickyard lessons

One year, seven trips to Indy and countless hours of research after last year's disaster, Goodyear's largest effort for a single race will finally be put to the test on Sunday.

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Friday, that day seemed like a distant memory. After testing seven times at Indy, Goodyear brought a tire that held up under practice conditions and is expected to hold up in the race. Unlike last year, when tires were worn down to the cords after only a handful of laps, the tread was fully intact when cars rolled off the race track.

"I think the tires are a non-issue. I think we need to actually move on to a whole new subject. It's done," four-time Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon said. "They have created a great tire. If anyone has an issue with tires, it's not because they're wearing out. They've done a great job, they've backed it up with testing, and they've now proven it here at the race track in what I think is the most crucial practice that we have. I could have probably run all day long on one set of tires if I needed to."

The largest number of laps made Friday was 26, by Kyle Busch in opening practice. In the two practices combined, seven drivers made runs of 20 laps of more. Most teams made only brief runs in the second practice. Qualifying and two more practice sessions are scheduled for Saturday.

"Tire wear actually looked really nice," said Mike Ford, crew chief for Denny Hamlin. "We haven't seen any wear issues at all. They seem to have decent grip. The race track is hot, and this is probably the worst-case scenario, because I think it's going to cool down as the weekend goes on, so that should help things. Everything looks good so far. In the first practice we were able to get about 13 laps on a set of tires, and everything looked good . Nothing alarming, and that is almost a third of a run. Nothing alarming there. They still had plenty of rubber on them, so I really wasn't that concerned." (Continued)