Last weeks Dover International Speedway tire problems are again the talk in the garage here at Talladega Superspeedway. Dover is traditionally one of the tracks where allegedly inconsistent tires become the post-race issue for the teams that fail to reach Victory Lane. With so much at stake for each team it is not unexpected for those with unattained top-10 hopes to complain, but it is also important to know whats being discussed. Albeit unofficial, the problem, according to several high-profile crew chiefs, deals with the tire vintage uncorked at the abrasive Dover track last week. Specifically, the wide differences in tire build dates left some teams scratching their heads. The tires allegedly carried production tags and codes representing tires three weeks old or nine months old or maybe even 18 months old. And it is generally accepted that a newer tire compound more effectively sticks a car to the track than an older tire. The tire specialist from the Motorcraft Ford team countered, however, that reading the codes is not rocket science. Its getting a little overblown, said the tire engineer. All the information is right on the tires. The tire engineer continued, telling TFR that he could see that there were a number of tires from various tire runs and that he was able to identify and match sets to prevent or minimize any surprises. Other teams found a scapegoat for the weekend performance. Where the problem lies is that an older tire will amplify any problem that you have with a car or if its pushing a little with a new tire it will absolutely plow with an older one, said one of the Ford crew chiefs. Same with a loose car or if its a little loose on new tires itll want to snap around on the driver in a heartbeat on old tires. Another crew chief told TFR that hed bought 17 sets of tires trying to find five good sets in the lot. And we threw away four of those sets. They were totally useless to me or anyone in this sport, the irritated crew chief said. A NASCAR source told TFR today that beginning in 2004, when Goodyear brings out a new softer compound tire, a date code will be stamped onto the tire as part of the production process. The NASCAR source also said that he understood the good business sense that Goodyear is using in clearing out their warehouse of the aging tires before they become obsolete.( Ford Racing )(9-29-2003)
