Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 8, 1995 TAG: 9506080085
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That point was underscored this week when Goodyear's racing chief, Leo Mehl, admitted that the replacement tires that worked so well in Sunday's race were chosen because they were all that Goodyear had.
``We selected those tires because they were available,'' Mehl said Tuesday during a teleconference.
The same tires had been used in testing the new concrete surface on the one-mile track and ``they wore out to the cords after 18 laps,'' Mehl said.
But as Goodyear made plans to add 1/2 of an inch of extra tread to the Dover tire, track officials smoothed the rough spots that were wearing out the tires. The thicker tire proved to be too thick. It overheated and blistered.
``In Saturday's [Grand National] race, we must have blistered 250 or 300 tires,'' Mehl said. ``When we realized we couldn't run that tire, it was a matter of finding out what we had around that we could run.''
Goodyear had plenty of left sides - 700 - but just enough right sides. Mehl said the teams used 493 right-side tires that were returned after Darlington, and the teams scrounged up another 34 from their shops.
``As it turned out, we just had enough to give everybody six sets'' before the race started, he said.
This type of tire crisis has happened to Goodyear several times, Mehl said, ``but it usually happens with Indy cars, and we have plenty of tires left over in our warehouse. This was scary because there was not a great overabundance of tires.''
A BOOST FOR PONTIAC: The Dover race, as it turned out, was won by an unlikely contender, Kyle Petty, who started 37th. Petty's victory was the first for a Pontiac Grand Prix since the last race of 1993 - a span of 42 races.
The victory gave a boost to a manufacturer that already was busy behind the scenes working to be more competitive in 1996. Pontiac is coming out with a new Grand Prix next year, and Michael Waltrip's team already has built one. Pontiac is trying to strengthen its stable, as well, and is actively recruiting drivers, among them Rick Mast of Rockbridge Baths and Ricky Rudd of Chesapeake.
``I think everybody is looking forward to the '96 Pontiac,'' Petty said. ``As far as Pontiac adding drivers, it's going to be a plus. You couldn't ask for a better group of drivers and owners as far as sharing. We may have something, and we'll cheat 'em one week, but then we share it with them.''
Waltrip said he tested the new Pontiac at Hampton, Ga., after the March race there.
RICHMOND TRUCK TEST: Seven NASCAR Super Truck teams tested at Richmond International Raceway on Monday to begin preparing for the September race.
But there were other reasons, too.
Jimmy Hensley of Ridgeway was there testing Grier Lackey's Dodge truck because he'll probably be running the truck in his first Super Truck race at Bristol, Tenn., on June 23.
``And he wants to run more,'' Hensley said.
And Ernie Irvan was there, too, on the comeback trail from his near-fatal head injuries last year.
``We're doing pretty good,'' he said Monday. ``Haven't hit anything yet.''
Irvan said he would like to be back in the driver's seat for the Richmond truck race and ``hopefully, we will race before then.''
by CNB