#07-Dave Blaney and #19-Jeremy Mayfield were at Kanasa Speedway Tuesday for a tire test at the request of Goodyear, NASCARs tire supplier. This was a previously unscheduled test, one that Goodyear, NASCAR and Nextel Cup drivers hope will head off the problems that turned the July 10 race at Chicagoland Speedway into a crashfest. Chicagoland and Kansas are fairly similar tracks. Because of that, Goodyear and NASCAR had planned to use the same type of tire at the two tracks in 2005. But that plan underwent some rethinking after Chicago. In that race, car after car went into concrete retaining walls after tires went flat. Fingers pointed in all directions afterward. Some drivers pointed at the tires, and others pointed at decisions made by the teams. That group said that the tires were being abused by teams in a quest to produce more speed either by not following recommendations on inflation pressure or by opting for chassis setups that put unhealthy pressure on the tires. Goodyear said it just wanted to get to the bottom of the problem before the race at Kansas, which is scheduled for Oct. 9.(Kansas City Star)(7-27-2005)
