This morning my e-mail was jammed with various stories and columns regarding the “tire debacle” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Race tires are a unique product, and many factors (often outside of the control of the tiremaker) influence their performance. When they work, no one says a word. When they don’t…

It’s the why the tires “don’t work” that is most troublesome for us. I have every confidence Goodyear (the lone tire supplier to NASCAR) didn’t want reams of bad press, so I’m sure they built the best tires they could. I’m also sure that is the same with every other tire company that races on weekends.

We’re not race car, race tire or race track engineers, therefore providing any valuable – or even viable – information is impossible. Best we stay out of the way lest we inadvertently provide incorrect information. If you really want to know the details, I’m sure you can find a resource.

If you have comments to share, send to me at [email protected].

– Jim Smith