During a lengthy, unflattering critique of the tires that Goodyear supplied the drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Tony Stewart said that other tire companies would do a better job in NASCAR. While Stewart really was not calling for a tire war, his words surely hit a nerve in Daytona Beach and Akron, Ohio, cities where NASCAR and Goodyear have their headquarters. That’s because for racing series and tire companies, tire wars are often viewed as a potential Armageddon. “No,” Ramsey Poston, NASCAR managing director of corporate communication, said, “we are not interested (in a tire war). Goodyear has been a remarkably good partner.” Most major forms of auto racing in the world have gone through tire wars “ times when more than one brand of tire is available to competitors. The last tire war in NASCAR occurred in 1994, when Hoosier came in and challenged Goodyear for status and customers. Geoffrey Bodine won three races on Hoosiers that year. Cars using Hoosiers won 12 pole positions. But the move was not made without controversy. Concern was expressed by some teams and some drivers. They were worried that a tire war could adversely affect safety as the companies, in a quest to be faster than the other, would go with softer and softer rubber compounds and the result would be blown tires. Some thought the tire war would drive up costs. The 1994 tire war lasted one season. Hoosier did not come back in 1995, as it just proved too costly for a company that, compared with Goodyear, was mom-and-pop. A new tire war in NASCAR would be impossible to mount right now as the series does not have an open-tire policy “ NASCAR has an exclusive contract with Goodyear. No other tire company could enter the sport until the Goodyear contract expires. For the time being, Firestone, the American company that is probably best suited to go after Goodyear’s contract when it expires, is not interested in approaching NASCAR. “Obviously,” Al Speyer, motor-sports executive director for Firestone, said, “NASCAR is a very successful form of motor racing. But, we are really, really busy with open-wheel racing.” Might that change when Goodyear’s contract with NASCAR expires [2012]? Speyer said, “We are always looking at all motor sports, and we have ongoing analysis, but we could never comment on pending business ventures.”(Kansas City Star)(3-14-2008)
