MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Are some racing teams losing tiny holes in their tires?
The rumor milling around the NASCAR garage is a hot topic this weekend, as NASCAR reminded crew chiefs Friday morning during a safety meeting that any funny business with tires will receive a harsh penalty.
Drilling holes could help tires maintain more consistent pressure throughout a race, thereby affecting speed.
The focus was on the Stewart-Haas Racing cars of reigning Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch as well as some of the Richard Childress Racing cars.
NASCAR took the tires of winner Harvick and Team Penske’s Joey Logano after Phoenix International Raceway.
Last week at Auto Club Speedway, tires were picked up from Harvick, Busch and RCR’s Ryan Newman and Paul Menard. Harvick and Busch were in contention for the victory until late debris warnings and pit stops thwarted their strategies.
Nothing was found after Phoenix, but NASCAR sent ACS’s tires to an independent facility for testing after being examined at the research and development center. Third-party test results are still pending.
NASCAR rarely brings tires back to its R&D center, but said it has been conducting a normal “audit” for the past two weeks. Goodyear is not involved in the evaluation of confiscated tires.
Harvick has finished first or second in the last eight races. Crew chief Rodney Childers told USA TODAY Sports that the No. 4 team wasn’t cheating.
“You look at the speed we had and you have to say, ‘Well, what’s different about them from us?’ A lot of people feel like they work hard on their cars and have good cars, but they’re just trying to catch up.”
If a team is caught playing with tires, the penalties could be severe.
A tire violation like the rumored tampering would likely be a P5 penalty under NASCAR’s deterrence system.
The regulations state that a P5 includes “performing, modifying and/or altering standard tires in any manner other than by authorized means.”
A P5 penalty could include loss of 50 points, a fine of $75,000 to $125,000, a six-race suspension and probation.
Two Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs also addressed the issue Friday. No Hendrick team has had tires taken for audit.
“There’s a lot of smoke around this, isn’t there?” Jeff Gordon’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, said of the tires. “There’s a lot of talk, there’s a lot of dialogue, there’s a lot of rumors in the garage. So yeah, I think it’s obvious that some people think there’s something going on.
“Is NASCAR reacting to this or are they feeling uncomfortable with what’s happening? I don’t know that answer, but it’s something that’s at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds. people.”
Gordon, a four-time champion, agreed.
“It’s getting to this level, it’s being done,” Gordon said. “I think there are teams (playing with the tires). We just don’t know how it’s done.”
Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Knaus, said he sent a text – probably sarcastic – to Sprint Cup Series director Richard Buck that said “Hey man, can we put some holes in our tires? Are you okay?”
“He said, ‘Absolutely not,’” Knaus said. “That’s all I know.”
Gustafson said drilling holes in the tires would have a similar effect to bleeder valves used at some local short tracks. The holes could help tires maintain constant air pressure throughout a ride, because pressure increases as tires heat up.
This isn’t a bad thing, except it’s illegal and would give an advantage if some teams do it and others don’t.
But it would be difficult to detect the tiny holes.
Gustafson said it might be better to create a legal way for teams to let air escape from tires during a race.
“I think that’s what’s going to be difficult for NASCAR. If it goes as rumored, it’s a very difficult thing to control,” he said. “And the way to control that might just be to allow it through a more conventional tool like a trap.”
Gordon agreed, saying purge valves could be a good solution in NASCAR.
Contributor: Mike Hembree
Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck and Hembree @mikehembree
