Jimmie wins, or survives?
Sunday, May 21st, 2006 10:50am CDT
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.
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[thumb:168:r:s=1:l=x]Jimmie Johnson once again let us know that Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC, is his personal playground in what was a hardly challenged lead in the final segment of the Nextel All-Star race last night. But, even though Double J fought back from a pit road speeding penalty, and was 11th when the field was inverted, he still made it to the line first. However, last night was more of a script better suited for Survivor than Nascar.
I hope Nascar is satisfied with itself. Out of 20 cars that were in the main show last night, 10 of them ended up in the garage. 10th place was a lap down, leaving a mere 9 cars running on the lead lap when the checkers flew for Jimmie Johnson.
Accidents are nothing new to this race. But the sheer numbers, and how they happened, is something that’s going to be on everyone’s mind going into next weekend’s events at the track.
The problem: the tires, again.
In what was a panic from the results last year and the tires not being able to withstand but about 30 laps, Goodyear and Nascar worked together to find a solution, and fast. Goodyear created a harder compound that was unveiled in a tire test session earlier this season. When Jimmie Johnson dumped his car in the fence at this private test session that was invite only, it sent Goodyear into super-panic mode. They made the jump to Ludicrous Speed.
What Goodyear brought back for the official test session open to all the Nextel Cup teams was the hardest tire compound they had created. It’s harder even than the compound they run a Talladega, Darlington, etc. While the driver’s commented during the test that the tire would definitely withstand the new surface at Charlotte, the actual overall impression of the tire itself was met with little enthusiasm. The end result was clearly seen in the Craftsman Truck Series race Friday night, as teams were putting on 40 or 50 lap scuff tires that looked brand new. Teams were quoted as saying that putting on the traditional sticker tires was asking for a disaster.
The tire compound is so hard now, that it takes a considerable amount of time for the heat to build up in the tire, and provide any grip. The tire compound is so hard now, that it also is extremely difficult to feel what is happening with the car. In short, when the tire temps are low, you don’t really know if the car is going to stick in the corner until you’re there. Once you’re there, if it slips, you don’t know it until it’s too late.
Case in point is the accident between Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin last night. Kasey was in the corner, the car was gripping through the turn, and he and Mark were in the fence before Kahne could tell the car had lost the grip. The chain reaction behind this was ridiculous, and the end result was a junkyard of good cars that very much resembled a restrictor plate race.
By going into super panic mode, the entirely opposite end of the spectrum was reached.
Initially, the tire was a little soft to be able to handle the levigation of the track last year. Tire’s were popping anywhere from 28-34 laps on average, depending on set-up and use. Ok, understandable the the tire compound needed to be looked at as at the time the track was scheduled to be fully repaved. This is something not uncommon, and Goodyear has been in that boat before. However, the next step in this whole fiasco is what lead to the junkyard witnessed in the All-Star race last night, and all the other problems that have occurred prior to this weekends events.
When Goodyear made that jump to Ludicrous Speed, things took the turn for the worse. Had they kept level headed, worked with Nascar, and known about Nascar’s plan to use the smaller fuel cells at the track, this could have most likely been avoided. With the combination of the original harder tire that was tested in the tire test session, and the smaller fuel cells, the end result would have been a tire that would have withstood the competition, but provided a more realistic heat cycle and feel.
This not only affects the Nextel Cup Series, but the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series as well. Even though the trucks already survived Friday night, The end result from this will impact them in the upcoming future.
As it stands, the damage is done. They’ve got what they’ve got, and they’ll have to race with it. What makes this sport great, is the fact that these driver’s will make the best of it, and roll on to the checkers come next weekend. How many will be left? I guess we’ll know Sunday night.
Let’s get back to the carnage that was the All-Star race.
Kevin Harvick had a good run, and considering that he didn’t get the big bucks, he was pretty excited. He should have been. His car was pretty decent, although not as decent as Johnson’s, but considering it was his best showing in the All-Star race to date, and he was competitive with Johnson throughout the night, he should be pleased. Jeff Gordon, who survived for third was also pleased with his car. It certainly brought back memories of where once this track could have been called Gordonville instead of Johnsonville.
Something you’re not going to read much about in the coming days, but something that should not be overlooked is Scott Riggs. Yes, he finished a lap down. Yes, he was the last of the running cars that finished. But, here’s the tale of his night.
Scott Rigg’s dominated the Open, and lead all but 1 lap in rolling to the checkers in the Open. Surviving quite a few cautions and restarts, he held them off to transfer to the big dance. He knew his car was good.
The unfortunate part of this is that during the mandatory green flag stops in the first segment of the All-Star race his car was hit from behind and spun out right near the entrance to pit road. Scott saved it, and was able to keep going with only minor damage. However, there wasn’t a caution. Had that taken place in a points race there’s no doubt there would have been one simply from looking at similar instances in the past. Whether there should have been one or not will be written, discussed, and criticized this week. It started on SPEED’s Victory Lane after the race. However, there’s more to it. While making the cosmetic repairs, etc, Scott ended up a lap down. Since the lucky dog was fast asleep in his dog house, he was pretty much stuck there.
Scott Riggs should be commended, and I’m sure further earned the respect of his competitors last night. Even though he still had a decent car last night after all of this, he knew he wouldn’t be able to fight his way back onto the lead lap, and knew the risks were too great in trying to force the issue. While he wasn’t falling behind, he wasn’t forcing himself into the mess either. He held in the pure desire to mash the gas, drove a smart race, let the lead lap cars duke it out, and at the end of the night survived to a top 10 finish. Granted there weren’t any points on the line, but he earned something just a valuable. An on track lesson keeping your cool, your head up, and fighting to the end. You can’t help but admire what he’s done this year, and just flat out like the guy.
Currently, Scott sits 26th in points, with 10 cars trailing him that have competed in all 11 races. As we are reminded of each and every week, Scott’s team missed the Daytona 500. So he’s sitting in front of 10 other cars that have another race worth of points under their belts. He’s done it with solid finishes, and by keeping the fenders on it. The feat calls for admiration and respect. While other teams with the full schedule under their belts fight to get in the show, that’s one thing this team doesn’t have to worry about at the moment. You never know what’s going to happen. That’s life, that’s racing, that’s Nascar. But I doubt they’ll have to sweat it much for the remainder of the season.
So, Jimmie once again put’s the Lowe’s Chevy in the circle at Lowe’s. My only question is, I wonder if Johnsonville (as in brats) has tried to sign on as an associate sponsor of the team? How ironic that would be to see a Lowe’s sign that underneath it had the Johnsonville logo, sitting on top of the #48 car when he pulls back into Victory Lane in the future. As it is now, Jimmie’s fought the bumps, the levigation, more levigation, and now the new pavement at the speedway, and still ends up in Johnsonville.
Filed Under: Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series, Damn Good Points, Nascar, Nextel Cup, The Soapbox, Tracks
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There is one variable you left out of the equation: Tire pressure.
Recall last year at Lowes when mid-race NASCAR threw the “tire pressure flag?” They eventually mandated teams conform to GY’s recommended minimum of 50psi the remainder of the year. After the change and during that event only two tires blew out and one was verified as being cut and the second was also suspected, but not verified, doing so.
The remainder of the season went without the major problems that appeared previously.
It should also be noted events prior to LMS at Pocono. Everyone screamed blood murder as left fronts popped like cheap circus balloons. IT didn’t happen during the second stop at Pocono. The difference? Mandatory camber limits and a rework of the rumble strips in turn one.
While I’m not trying to apologize for GY I just fail to believe they are mostly at fault.
One final note. This should be a lesson for those that call for a “spec tire” rule. Spec tires by their very nature must have a compound to suit the most abrasive tire a series visits (read HARD). That same “spec” isn’t worth dog squat at a track that has a slippery surface.
Marc said this on May 21st, 2006 at 7:22 pm
I did think about tire pressures. In fact, one of the drivers/teams (not sure which one) was quoted as saying that because Goodyear made the tire so hard, they had to reduce the air pressure lower than normal simply because the pressures in this version of tire built-up so dramatically over a 30 lap run.
The simple way I see it is that had Goodyear and Nascar worked together a little better, and Goodyear known Nascar was going to implement the smaller cells, then they may not have further hardened the tire after their tire test a few months ago. Granted, this is only a short term problem, and once the track gets a little aging in it it will be fine. Well, it should be fine according to history.
Goodyear has always been a leader in tire innovations in the sport, and have always put safety first and foremost. Their response to the way the tires held up last year, especially last fall, is something to commend. However, in their fear of a repeat, they seem to have went to the completely opposite end of the spectrum. There isn’t any blame to associate with anyone, this is simply a problem that has to be dealt with at this time. But, after seeing the results Friday and Saturday on these tires, I fully believe that they over compensated when finding out the results of the tire test mentioned previously.
Trying to see it from a driver’s perspective, if I come to a speedway, and know how to drive it, that’s what I do. I hit the corner and roll-off, or whatever it is I do, and I expect the car to act a certain way. As I go through the corners, and the car is turning, I feel it underneath me. If it starts to slip, I could feel it. Kasey Kahne said flat out about the accident with Mark that he was going through the corner, and it just lost it. He said he couldn’t feel it slipping.
This is definitely a controversial issue. Some people may very well want Goodyear’s head on a platter. I don’t. But, looking back over the events leading up to this, one thing that sticks out in my mind is the reaction from that tire test. They were so afraid of a repeat of last year, and in their best interest for driver safety, went with an even harder compound. Nobody’s fault, but something to perhaps chalk up in the learning column for a similar situation in the future.
One thing is for sure, between now and next week, these teams will figure something out, and race just the same.
Luke said this on May 22nd, 2006 at 7:50 am