Excessive tire wear was the story of the 2008 Brickyard 400, a debacle that resulted in constant caution flags for pit stops to prevent blowouts.
By Cheryl Senter, AP
Ryan Newman led a race-high 119 laps July 17 in winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. But it was a two-tire pit stop at the end that propelled him to take the checkered flag.
By Cheryl Senter, AP
Ryan Newman led a race-high 119 laps July 17 in winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. But it was a two-tire pit stop at the end that propelled him to take the checkered flag.
Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway might be remembered as the antithesis of that infamous event.
Tires have become one of the most important determinants in outcomes during this Sprint Cup Series season, with the Goodyears becoming the storyline for all the right reasons.
"Nowadays, when the race starts, you don't have to be a crew chief, you need to become a used car salesman," says crew chief Richard Labbe, who works with Richard Childress Racing driver Paul Menard. "You have to convince your driver, when he's wanting four tires, that he doesn't need them; he needs the track position."
With tires maintaining grip over longer periods, there has been less incentive to take four on every stop and more inclination to gamble on taking two or zero in a riskier strategy to stretch fuel mileage.
ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett says those are major reasons why there have been 13 winners through 19 races after only 12 winners in 36 races last season.
"Goodyear makes great tires," says Jarrett, who won the Brickyard in 1996 and 1999, his championship season. "This is probably the best tires they've ever had, so that opens it up to where this type of strategy can be employed."
The driver who has led the most laps has reached victory lane in six of 19 races, and winners led fewer than 10 laps in six races this year. Even with a fast car, playing the right strategy still can be essential.
In his July 17 win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Newman started from the pole and led a race-high 119 laps. But crew chief Tony Gibson said the team plotted pit stops based on how long the No. 39 Chevrolet could go without stopping for four tires and fuel.
Newman ran nearly half the race (147 of 301 laps) on a set of left-side tires as Gibson elected to pit only for right-side tires to stay ahead of other teams that took two instead of four.
"It's definitely changed the game, and everyone seems to be on the same plan," Gibson said. "Instead of having 10 guys on one strategy, you have 20 to 30 guys. It makes it more important to keep your track position, so you can stay ahead of the other guys" on the same strategy.
ESPN analyst Andy Petree, who won two championships as a crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, says teams also are training their drivers "how to really extend the range of the fuel tank. You can save a lot of fuel, but you have to slow down. And then you have to calculate, 'OK, if I slow down X amount, what is that going to do at the end if the caution doesn't come out?' So they're gambling now that it's not going to, and it's played out quite a few times."
Jarrett says there's "a good possibility" it could play out again Sunday at Indy, where the flat 2.5-mile layout is not conducive to passing in the corners.
Last year's Brickyard 400 was determined by strategy. Jamie McMurray led the final 11 laps thanks to a two-tire pit stop. Teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, who led a race-high 86 laps, crashed after taking four tires on a final pit stop and hitting traffic.
"It's the same way a (baseball) game is not always decided by home runs," Jarrett says. "Sometimes a manager has to employ a squeeze bunt to get that run home from third. ? It's just we're seeing it happen more, and that has a lot to do with (increased) competition."
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