Multiple drivers had their day ended at Indianapolis Motor Speedway because of tire failures.
A pair of Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Erik Jones and Denny Hamlin, as well as Alex Bowman, suffered big hits from their blown tires. Jones crashed in Turn 3 on lap 76, Bowman in Turn 1 on lap 134, and Hamlin from the race lead in Turn 1 on lap 155.
Ryan Newman was the first one to blow a tire, crashing in Turn 3 on lap 42. William Byron blew a left front going down the backstretch past the race’s halfway mark.
“The importance of air pressure, and getting it right, is something that we cautioned about before the race,” said Goodyear’s director of racing Greg Stucker. “With the high amount of downforce on the Cup cars down the straightaways, we asked teams to respect our recommended pressures so as not to hurt the tire. Early in the race, without having the benefit of any practice, teams obviously had to be very mindful of that.
“Most of the race was run in the heat, and teams were obviously searching for grip, while several issues happened later in the event when track temperature cooled off a bit and speeds picked up. We had our engineers on the ground all race, working with teams as we do every week, trying to emphasize the importance of right-front pressures.”
— Racer —