NASCAR notes: Tire tampering a hot topic in garages
NASCAR met with Sprint Cup crew chiefs Friday to reiterate the sport’s strong stance against any alterations made to tires, and driver Denny Hamlin hopes those caught doing so receive a harsh punishment.
Hamlin was among the most vocal about the subject, saying those who mess with tires should “have a permanent vacation.”
“You should be gone forever,” Hamlin said. “That’s a major, major, major thing. … No room for it in the sport.”
It’s not a new subject in the sport, but it’s something that has gained steam recently with the sanctioning body auditing tires after the past two races. The tires from the Phoenix race two weeks ago were clean, and results from last week’s race in Fontana, Calif., have not been released.
“It is a hot topic,” said Alan Gustafson, Jeff Gordon’s crew chief. “Obviously NASCAR is trying to make sure that we are all on a level playing field, and if anybody is violating that they will pay the price, which they reminded us this morning is very stiff.”
Penalties could include a 50-point fine, cash fines of $75,000 to $125,000 and a six-race suspension.
Gordon spoke on the subject as well. He faced accusations of tire tampering back in 1998, something that went unproven.
“After all these years, I think I would have known about that,” Gordon said. “I’ve heard a lot of things with valve caps and poking holes in tires for years. But I’ve never seen it done. I’ve never had proof that it was done. So it’s very interesting to me that NASCAR is investigating this further. I look forward to seeing what comes out of it.”
Gordon’s future
In announcing his retirement from full-time racing after this season, Gordon craftily left open the possibility that he wasn’t completely ready to hang it up.
One of the reasons is he could see himself wanting to race again at a track such as Martinsville Speedway, a famed short track where Gordon has enjoyed plenty of success. Gordon has won eight times there and ranked it as one of the more likely tracks he’d run again in the future.
“Martinsville is probably the reason when we made the announcement in January why we left that little bit of window and door open,” Gordon said. “Truck, Cup maybe Late Model … I just love this track.”
Gordon listed several reasons for liking the track, particularly because it stays relatively the same year in, year out.
“Aerodynamics don’t make as big of a difference, tires don’t change much here, the speeds may gradually change,” Gordon said. “But when you look at every other track on the circuit, and especially the bigger tracks when aerodynamics start to make a huge difference, that changes how you drive the car, how you set up the car and the knowledge you have to have of all the data and technology that’s going on with the cars.
“This one, you don’t have to worry about that near as much.”
Dog talk
Maybe more than the racing, Martinsville is known for its hot dogs. They have long been a staple at the track, which has introduced a new hot dog this year.
It’s pretty similar to the old dogs known for their neon red color and chili, although the supplier has changed. The taste, though, remains the same.
“I’m fine with that,” driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “I kind of liked them to begin with and if they are anywhere close that will be fine with me. I will probably be having two for lunch, and I’m going to call it a day.”
Drew Davison, 817-390-7760
This story was originally published March 27, 2015 at 3:51 PM with the headline "NASCAR notes: Tire tampering a hot topic in garages."