Stu Grant, head of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company’s racing program as general manager, global race tires, said this week that Goodyear has no intention of leaving NASCAR. With the parent company struggling financially, reports have been circulating since late March that Goodyear would drop its racing division as a cost cutting measure. Goodyear is involved in several different types of racing and has been the sole supplier of tires for NASCAR’s three major series, Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman truck, since 1997. But essentially, Goodyear has been the only tire in stock car racing’s top circuit since 1974, when Firestone withdrew from the sport. Hoosier invaded the Winston Cup Series briefly in 1994, but left after one year [Jayski Note: Hoosier also was in Cup 1988-89]. “We have no intention of getting out of NASCAR, in fact, we have a renewed commitment here,” Grant said. “We have a five-year contract (through 2007) with NASCAR. Reportedly, Goodyear’s corporate leadership has ordered its marketing department to start making better use of the racing program, and a bevy of marketing people were on hand at Charlotte last week. Still, some in the NASCAR garage remain a bit uneasy about Goodyear’s situation, and competitors are appearing on the periphery of the sport. In March, Michelin sponsored the spring race at Darlington, which created a furor when Goodyear was never mentioned during the telecast of the event. And Yokohama recently became the official tire of Infineon Raceway (Sears Point). Others point out that while Goodyear does indeed have a long-term contract with NASCAR, it could sell its rights to another company and despite all the talk about a renewed committment to the sport, Goodyear has cut back on its testing. Specifically, Goodyear reportedly will not test at New Hampshire, which is being repaved, or at Homestead, where a major construction project is underway to dramatically change the corners. A source close to NASCAR said it already has a contingency plan in place should Goodyear suddenly drop out. Most likely, that involves Firestone, which has the engineering experience necessary to produce racing tires for ovals.( Lakeland Ledger )(5-29-2003)
