With the way the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was turning laps around the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500, you’d think a certain former premier series champion was behind the wheel.
Instead, it was 19-year-old Erik Jones.
Filling in for the suspended Matt Kenseth, Jones — in just his second career Sprint Cup Series start and third Sprint Cup appearance, all of which were in other drivers’ cars — spent much of the day in the top 10 in what proved to be a challenging race for some of the sport’s most seasoned vets.
Jones wasn’t invincible to the rampant tire issues that plagued many, having a right-front go down and tearing up the nose of his Toyota Camry, but he battled back to finish 12th, a more-than-acceptable result for a driver still earning his stripes.
“I wish we could have been a little stronger there at the end,” Jones said on pit road after the race. “We had that right-front go down and it tore the nose up pretty good so kind of took us out of a shot at a top-10. To still come home 12th is a good day for us.”
Jones — originally scheduled to run both the Camping World Truck Series and XFINITY Series races — had to change his Sunday plans when he learned on Thursday that Matt Kenseth had lost both appeals to get his suspension dropped and that a replacement was needed.
His doubleheader quickly turned into a tripleheader, and a successful one at that. The Kyle Busch Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing driver built on his points lead with a win in Friday’s Truck Series race and followed it up with a fourth-place showing in Saturday’s XFINITY event.
Perhaps the biggest things he’ll take away from the weekend, however, are the lessons learned on Sunday.
“You really have to be on top of your game and if you have any mistake like we did with the right-front, it really takes you out of any shot you have to run well,” said Jones. “Just staying in it and staying out front, that’s the biggest thing you need to do. I thought we did a decent job of staying in the top 10 all day up to that point. Other than that, it was a good day for us.”
Jones, who also mentioned he’s “ready to take a day off” after the busy weekend, gets to do it all again (the tripleheade that is) next weekend.
Kenseth’s suspension will keep him out until Homestead, thus “The Kid” will suit up once more for the Eliminator Round finale at Phoenix.
Jones picked up his first career NASCAR national series victory there in 2013 at the age of 17 in the November Truck Series race, then backed it up the following year with another.
With an added week of preparation with No. 20 crew chief Jason Ratcliff, the combination sets himself up for even higher expectations in his third career start.
So does he feel he could win?
“I’d like to think so,” Jones said. “My fortune has been very good at Phoenix, it’s a track I really like and actually JGR was there testing a month or two ago. I feel pretty good about it and feel going there we have a good package.
“I feel confident in my ability and think that’s definitely a place where we can go up and run top-10. You never know, if the weekend is going well we could probably be up front and challenge for it.”
RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Chase Grid
Below is a breakdown of how the full 43-car field fared at Texas Motor Speedway:
1. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson ran the bottom line to make up time and catch then-leader Brad Keselowski en route to his third straight Texas win (sixth overall). | RELATED: NASCAR.com goes 1-on-1 with Johnson in Victory Lane
2. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. The pole sitter led 312 laps and was just four circuits shy of punching his ticket to the Championship 4. | RELATED: Keselowski dominates but can’t seal the deal
3. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Desperate to defend his 2014 championship title, Harvick rebounded from a couple cut tires and even spent some of Sunday’s race driving with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the shifter because his car kept popping out of gear. | RELATED: Harvick overcomes adversity for top-three finish
4. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. NASCAR took the splitters from Kyle Busch and two of his Joe Gibbs teammates, but that didn’t seem to deter Busch, who led a lap and kept his name in the hat for the Championship 4. | RELATED: NASCAR confiscates splitters for three JGR teams
5. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards recorded his seventh top-five Texas finish after spending most of the race in the top 10.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt held onto a car that was “wrecking loose” and was the beneficiary twice en route to his 16th top-10 at Texas.
7. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Kurt Busch raced his way back into the top 10 on Lap 174 after dropping back to 22nd when his pit crew missed a few lugnuts during an early stop. | RELATED: Chase bubble watch post-Texas
8. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. Truex, one of the biggest movers early, had to hold on tight in the closing laps due to a lack of power steering. | RELATED: Truex keeps title hopes alive with tough Texas run
9. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. While most teams were sweating the lack of practice due to Saturday’s rain, Gordon and the No. 24 team could breathe easy thanks to their Martinsville win last weekend.
10. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. McMurray picked up his third straight Texas top-10 after stopping for two tires only during the final caution period.
11. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. After a lengthy chassis adjustment to help over the bumps, Dillon cracked the top 10 with 50 laps left in Sunday’s race and went on to record his best Texas finish.
12. Erik Jones, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Subbing in for a suspended Matt Kenseth, Jones qualified sixth — his best Cup start — and managed his best Cup result.
13. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Menard went from being on the splitter during the first part of Sunday’s race to needing help over the bumps en route to his eighth top-15 at Texas.
14. Brian Scott, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport. Scott turned in a solid run in his first Cup appearance at Texas.
15. Clint Bowyer, No. 15, Michael Waltrip Racing. “Stay after it,” spotter Brett Griffin encouraged Bowyer as he was running 15th and chasing down the competition ahead of him. | RELATED: Hear driver audio on RACEVIEW.
16. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. After making her best Texas start (11th), Patrick spent the race fighting a loose-handling condition.
17. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger restarted 20th on the final caution and picked up a few spots running the high line.
18. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Better on long runs, Almirola climbed through the field after an early penalty on pit road.
19. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. A hole in the cowl cover from the flat tire under green-flag conditions impacted Biffle late in Sunday’s race.
20. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. “I think something is broken,” Kahne reported as he faded from 12th in the final 25 laps. | RELATED: Hear driver audio on RACEVIEW.
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. “The front is shot,” Stenhouse reported to his team as he made his green-flag stop for four tires and fuel with 81 laps left in Sunday’s race.
22. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman was running ninth when he had a left-rear tire go down on Lap 145, and he made an unscheduled pit stop.
23. David Ragan, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Ragan dropped through the field after he had to make an extra stop early in Sunday’s race for damage sustained when leaving pit road on Lap 26.
24. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. A vibration with 100 laps to go prompted Hornish to give up the battle for the beneficiary pass and hit pit road.
25. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Looking for rear grip, Cassill was running 26th and racing for the beneficiary pass on Lap 201.
26. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. With Sunday’s finish, Mears keeps his streak alive and has completed all 23 events he’s attempted at Texas.
27. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Whitt’s biggest challenge mirrored that of the competition — endure the ever-changing handling thanks to tire wear.
28. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Allgaier picked up six spots within the first eight laps but consistently dealt with a tight handling condition in the center of the turns.
29. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. The longer green-flag run helped the handling of Gilliland’s car.
30. Brett Moffitt, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Handling was a persistent issue for Moffitt, who radioed his team early in the race, “The rear feels like it’s on ice, especially on throttle.” | RELATED: Hear driver audio on RACEVIEW.
31. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett improved upon his April appearance at the intermediate Texas track.
32. Jeb Burton, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. A 2013 victor at Texas in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Burton made his first Cup appearance at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth oval on Sunday.
33. J.J. Yeley, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. Yeley led Lap 55 during the fourth caution period before reporting to pit road for service.
34. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Ford, Leavine Family Racing. McDowell ran as high as 13th on Sunday, but was trapped on pit road when the eighth caution flag waved.
35. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. DiBenedetto fared better during long green-flag runs and was in striking distance of his best Texas result.
36. Ryan Preece, No. 98 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. The Texas newcomer started from the rear of the field after an engine change.
37. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Larson’s best Texas start opened strong, but was stalled when he experienced a left-rear tire issue on Lap 101 to bring out the caution flag.
38. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. A mechanical issue (fuel pump) sent Hamlin to the garage early in Sunday’s contest.
39. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Bayne lost his right-rear tire and cut his brake line after getting into the wall on Lap 197 to bring out the eighth caution flag.
40. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Logano, now in a must-win situation going into Phoenix, was briefly sidelined when his left-rear tire exploded on Lap 10. | RELATED: Logano goes for a spin early
41. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Bowman made his way into the top 25 before encountering a motor issue.
42. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart’s day was done after he got loose and spun through the grass on Lap 52.
43. Ryan Blaney, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing. Blaney dropped from the top 10 and headed for the garage after hitting the Turn 2 wall on Lap 25.
RELATED: Updated series standings | Chase Grid
FORT WORTH, Texas — Martin Truex Jr. said he wasn’t sure if there was or wasn’t contact, and having just climbed from his No. 78 Chevrolet on pit road, he hadn’t had time to survey the side of Furniture Row Racing entry.
But the distinctive donut, the result of contact with the tire of another car, was hard to miss just below the driver’s-side window.
“We just got together a little bit on the front straightaway,” Truex said of late-race contact with Brad Keselowski as the two battled for the lead in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. “I don’t know if I went down or he came up. He said he thought he came up. It’s all good, it’s hard racing.”
A loose wheel and power steering issue — the issue was that he had none — dropped Truex from contending for the win to hanging on for a top 10. He finished eighth, and is fourth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings with only one race remaining to determine the field of four that will compete for the championship later this month at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“We had a chance at the win there, I think,” said Truex. “Racing with Brad at the end and the right front started shaking and the car just got really tight. Then it was just (a matter) of trying to keep the thing on there for 15 laps and make it to the end. It’s just a shame. We had a really good car today.
“The 2 (of Keselowski) was stout all day long but toward the end it looked like we got a little bit closer to him. Before that last caution we were actually catching him a bit. I don’t know; I wished we would have finished better but all in all I guess it was an OK day.”
RELATED: Keselowski discusses racing with Truex
Consistency helped put the No. 78 in the Chase picture, and a win earlier this season at Pocono Raceway guaranteed his spot in the 16-team field. He had 14 top-10 finishes in his first 15 starts to open the season. And that consistency is starting to resurface with four finishes of eighth or better in his last five starts.
Truex led only a single lap, but given Keselowski’s dominance on the day, few others spent any time out front as well. His team managed to avoid the tire issues that plagued some teams on the 1.5-mile track, and he quickly showed that his 23rd-place qualifying effort wasn’t a sign of things to come.
It helped his cause, he said, that Keselowski was unable to win and thus sew up one of the remaining spots in the finale.
“That certainly helped a little bit. I was cheering pretty hard for Jimmie Johnson,” Truex said of Johnson’s pass for the lead in the waning laps. ” … We’re still in good shape. Next week would have been a lot easier had we gotten second or third and we had a chance at it. It’s disappointing when those finishes slip away but … all in all we’re in good shape.”
Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Ford for Team Penske, was quick to confer with his rival on pit road. Though disappointed with the outcome — Keselowski led 312 of 334 laps in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race only to lose the lead to Johnson four laps from the finish — there appeared to be no ill feelings as a result of the contact with Truex.
“It certainly is never helpful when you make contact with another car, your own car or theirs, Keselowski said. “As far as whether it hurt my car or not, I couldn’t answer that.”
Sunday’s win at Texas was the 75th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory for Jimmie Johnson, a milestone that only eight other drivers have reached in the sport’s history. It also put Johnson, eighth on the all-time NASCAR wins list, just one one behind Dale Earnhardt’s total of 76.
“It would be huge (to pass Earnhardt on the wins list),” Johnson said after his victory in the AAA Texas 500. “Hard to even put it into words. I came into this sport hoping to win a race. To have 75 of them is mind‑blowing. If I’m able to tie Senior, it’s something I would be just extremely proud of.”
If “Six-Time” does eventually pass Earnhardt, he would be seventh on the all-time list and have the totals of Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough in his sights.
When it comes to the most wins in NASCAR premier series history, here’s the top 10 drivers. An asterisk denotes a driver who is currently active.
All-time NASCAR premier series wins
| Driver | Wins | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Petty | 200 | 7 |
| David Pearson | 105 | 3 |
| Jeff Gordon* | 93 | 4 |
| Bobby Allison | 84 | 1 |
| Darrell Waltrip | 84 | 3 |
| Cale Yarborough | 83 | 3 |
| Dale Earnhardt | 76 | 7 |
| Jimmie Johnson* | 75 | 6 |
| Rusty Wallace | 55 | 1 |
| Lee Petty | 54 | 3 |
Editor’s Note: Clinching scenarios courtesy of NASCAR statistical services
RELATED: Updated standings | See the Chase Grid
This weekend marks the final Sprint Cup Series race in the eight-driver Eliminator Round before the Chase field dwindles to four. Here are the scenarios for clinching a spot in the Championship 4 this Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway during the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM).
Jeff Gordon has already clinched a spot in the Championship 4.
Regardless of the finish of any other drivers
Kyle Busch will clinch with a finish of 3rd or better; 4th and at least one lap led; or 5th and most laps led.
Kevin Harvick will clinch with a finish of 2nd or better; 3rd and at least one lap led; or 4th and most laps led.
Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano only control their own destiny with a victory. Logano can ONLY make it to the Championship Round with a win at Phoenix.
RELATED: Watch the live stream here
From 8-11 a.m. ET on Tuesday, NASCAR.com will live stream the post-race inspection process at the Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.
The three-hour look takes you behind the scenes as NASCAR officials inspect NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicles following Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The cars at the R&D Center this week are: the No. 48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson (won Sunday’s race), the No. 2 Ford of Brad Keselowski (finished second in Sunday’s race) and the No. 3 Chevrolet of Austin Dillon (the random car selected).
For more information on what the inspection process entails, click here.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (November 8, 2015) — NASCAR® and Chevrolet today announced the scholarship winners in the NASCAR Chevrolet Diversity Scholarship Contest during a special presentation at Texas Motor Speedway.
Four undergraduate college students from across the country were awarded a total of $20,000 in scholarships and treated to a VIP experience at today’s AAA Texas 500, including a tour of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, pace car rides and meet-and-greets with Team Chevy drivers and Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Program Manager, Alba Colon.
Last month, NASCAR and Chevrolet challenged college students to identify a specific technology within the sport and explain how STEM professionals came to its design in 90-second videos. Student videos were submitted online and judged on technical accuracy, creativity and production value.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student Maria Kaselow Salas earned first place and a $10,000 scholarship by illustrating the physics behind track banking in her video demonstration at a local skateboard park.
“I’m so thankful for Chevrolet and NASCAR for this opportunity and for inspiring students like me to continue to pursue their dreams,” said Salas, a senior aviation business administration major. “I’ve really enjoyed my experience at the track, and learning more about the science behind NASCAR.”
Utah State University sophomore Allan Blad took second place and won a $5,000 scholarship for his video about NASCAR’s eco-friendly, track-drying technology, the Air Titan 2.0.
Vishnu Rachakonda, a biomedical engineering student at the University of Pennsylvania, and Jonathan Gwinn, who studies mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio, finished in third and fourth place, respectively, earning $2,500 scholarships.
“Congratulations to these special winners and to all the students that participated in this unique challenge,” said Colon. “It is an honor for Chevrolet to be involved in this important program; not only with NASCAR, but with our future generation in their pursuit of STEM-related careers. They are not only a vital part in the ongoing development of our sport, but also in their contribution to the future of this country.”
“Supporting talented students who are interested in careers in STEM is essential for the growth of our sport and industry,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “Partnering with Chevrolet to present scholarships gives both companies an opportunity to recognize and applaud these future leaders and innovators.”
Before taking in the AAA Texas 500, the scholarship recipients also met with Richard Childress Racing driver Ryan Newman, who graduated from Purdue University with an engineering degree.
With this scholarship initiative, NASCAR and Chevrolet continue their longstanding commitment to STEM education and promoting opportunities for students to pursue STEM-related careers.
For more information about NASCAR’s diversity initiatives, please visit http://nascardiversity.com.
RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings
FORT WORTH, Texas — Two tire punctures and a balky transmission should have spelled the end of Kevin Harvick‘s bid for a second consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
But in spite of the avalanche of setbacks, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver still managed to pull off a stunning third-place finish in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway to keep his title hopes alive.
Third in points, Harvick is one of seven drivers still scrambling to secure a spot in the four-car championship round scheduled for later this month at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“As you look at the things we’ve had, we’ve had really good race cars and that allows us to overcome things like today with two flat tires,” Harvick said on pit road after the 334-lap race. “Even with the shifter problem we were able to maintain what we had. But all in all, we just kept gouging away and everything worked out in the end.”
Debris from an earlier accident cut a rear tire on Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet less than 40 laps into the race as he was running in the top five. Able to make it to pit road without damaging his car, Harvick stayed on the lead lap, but eventually restarted outside the top 25.
He wasted no time in getting back inside the top 10, and eventually the top five once again. He was dogging race leader Brad Keselowski on Lap 281 when the second tire puncture sent him back to pit road under green.
Because the field was preparing for a round of green-flag stops, the incident wasn’t as big of a setback as it might have otherwise been for the team.
“There was debris everywhere,” Harvick said. “The first caution, they just blew all the debris down to the inside wall. It seemed like a lot of people were hitting the wall and there was a lot of stuff out there today. It definitely was interesting with all the tire problems.
“I never felt the tire blow apart. It was a real slow deflation as I felt the first one in the middle of the corner. I felt the second one in the middle of the corner, too, and we were able to get the car down. The only part I was disappointed in is I misplaced which tire it was both times.
While several teams were battling tire issues brought on by air pressure adjustments and a lack of on-track time (both of Saturday’s practice sessions were canceled due to wet track conditions), crew chief Rodney Childers said other than the punctured tires, actual tire wear wasn’t an issue for the No. 4 team.
RELATED: Tire issues forces Harvick to pit
“At first I was blaming it on myself,” Childers said of the first flat. “I thought maybe I didn’t have enough air in it. But it was definitely a puncture. I’ve got the piece in my bag. It looked like a window shim, probably out of the 22 car (of Joey Logano). And then the right rear that we had a problem with later, there was a big puncture in it also.”
Childers didn’t blame NASCAR for the debris, noting, “when those things come apart, it just tears the car to pieces.
“It’s really hard for NASCAR to clean all that stuff up,” he said. “The one that got our left rear, it was anodized black. You would have never seen it on a black race track. I know they are doing the best job they can. As a competitor you want he race track to be clean but on the other hand I know they’re trying their best also.”
As if the tire problems weren’t enough, a problem with the transmission left Harvick driving nearly the final 100 laps while holding the gear shifter in place.
“It hadn’t missed a gear or jammed a gear or anything like that,” he said. “It shifted smooth all weekend. I was just going along like normal. One lap, all of a sudden it just pops out of gear in the middle of the straightaway. So I don’t really know. That’s happened to us several times, so we definitely need to figure that out.”
Childers said it could have been a “freak thing” that “may never happen again.” But it’s clearly been an issue for the team.
“We don’t build our transmissions,” Childers said. “… We’re going to have to do something a little different there. We’re the only people that run these transmissions.”
Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon clinched one of the four Chase spots with his victory at Martinsville Speedway a week ago. Teammate Jimmie Johnson‘s win Sunday at Texas kept any other Chase driver from automatically earning a berth.
Leaving Harvick to head to Phoenix International Raceway next weekend where he’s has won seven times, including the last four races.
Kyle Busch (4,080), Harvick (4,079) and Martin Truex Jr. (4,076) are currently second through fourth, respectively, in the points standings.
Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano round out the eight Chase drivers.
RELATED: Full race results | Update series standings
FORT WORTH, Texas – A combination of low tire pressures and lack of track time before the race led to a rash of tire issues for several teams during Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The problem didn’t play favorites – teams competing for NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup as well as those not in the title battle were affected.
Among the victims were Joey Logano (Team Penske), Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates), Ryan Newman (Richard Childress Racing) and Greg Biffle (Roush Fenway Racing). Even race winner Jimmie Johnson wasn’t untouched by the problem, but a fortunate caution allowed the Hendrick Motorsports driver to escape without issue.
“It just blew apart off Turn 2,” Logano said as his team worked to get the driver back in the race after the left rear tire on his No. 22 Ford exploded just 10 laps into the race. “The left rear tire came apart and shredded everything inside the car. It did a lot more damage than just the tire blowing apart.”
Logano finished 40th as a result of the damage and time lost in the garage while repairs were being made, leaving him last among the eight Chase drivers still fighting for one of the four spots in the Championship Round scheduled for later this month at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
RELATED: Cut tire puts Logano in big Chase hole
Newman, who finished 22nd, called it “a frustrating day.”
“We had at least a top-10 … Chevy before experiencing not one but two cut-down tires,” he said. “After the first one, we were looking good to race back onto the lead lap. All we needed was a caution since we were the free pass.
“Unfortunately we had a right-front tire unravel and it really hurt us. I’m not sure what was happening out there but it sure is frustrating to have a fast car and have issues like this.”
Goodyear’s Greg Stucker, Director of Race Tire Sales, said there was no single answer for the numerous problems. Some teams had tire issues as a result of running over debris. Others were likely caused by running low air pressures for more grip on a track that teams hadn’t been on since Friday. Saturday’s two scheduled practice sessions were canceled due to wet track conditions, leaving teams to guess at set-ups and tire pressures.
“It’s a combination of everything,” Stucker said of the issues. “We know where they are air pressure-wise; it varies but it’s all on the lower end.
“It’s hard to say it’s one thing; just a combination of how they’re using the left rear.”
Stucker said Goodyear officials noted “signs of over-deflection type air losses” when teams began having issues during the race. And tires, he said, “are just like a spring – when you put a load on it it’s going to deflect.
“We give (teams) a spring rate, it tells how many inches that tire deflects for every bit of load. If you put more on it, it’s going to deflect more; if you take air out and soften the springs it’s going to deflect more. Then the … tire starts to fail.”
Chad Knaus, crew chief for Johnson, said his driver had mentioned a change in the car’s handling just before he came to pit road and the team discovered a problem with the left rear tire.
“We were slipping back a little bit. Jimmie was talking about getting loose,” Knaus said. “The caution came out shortly thereafter. As he came down pit road and we took the tires off, we saw we had a left rear tire going flat.
“But … I was kind of prepared for it. This track does that a lot. So we were pretty conservative on our settings knowing we didn’t get any race trim practice to make sure we wouldn’t have a problem. Thankfully we really didn’t.”