Stewart backs off after Bristol qualifying
It took just one quick practice session for Tony Stewart to assess the tires Goodyear brought to Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn.
“I thought it was good,” Stewart said after Friday’s rain-shortened practice.
It was the first positive remark Stewart has had about tires since his blistering rant against Goodyear following Sunday’s race in Atlanta.
The two-time series champion hasn’t softened his stance, continuing to rail against the tire choice every day since his second-place finish.
But he’s happy with the tire compound at Bristol, where he had no issues navigating the 0.533-mile bullring.
“Anytime that you can take your car and go from the top to the bottom of the track and back, you obviously have the grip you need to go where you want to go,” he said. “Having that flexibility is what we’re all looking for.”
That Stewart had something kind to say about the company he assailed surprised Goodyear officials, who would have liked to have heard it directly from him.
“It would have been nice if he could have come over here and told us that,” said Greg Stucker, director of race tire sales.
Tensions were still high Friday between Stewart and Goodyear, but the driver eventually met with Goodyear general manager Stu Grant for an amicable discussion.
“It was a good meeting, but at the end of the day, it’s up to Goodyear to make it right,” Stewart said. “If having this meeting helps to make things better down the road, then this meeting was a success.”
The flap started when Stewart – like many drivers in Sunday’s race – was unhappy that the hard compound Goodyear selected for Atlanta lacked the grip needed to race around the abrasive surface.
But that shouldn’t be an issue at Bristol, where the concrete surface is more forgiving and the speeds are much slower than most of the NASCAR tracks. Eith 30-degree banking, the lateral loads that Goodyear has apparently struggled with this season are not as severe.
Johnson, Gordon benefit
Rain washed out qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway, giving Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon front-row spots when the field was set by last season’s points.
Clint Bowyer will start third Sunday on the concrete bullring.
With qualifying washed out, all 10 Toyota cars entered in the race made the field.
Not making it were John Andretti, Patrick Carpentier and Jeff Green.
Dale Jarrett, who will race in his final points race Sunday before retiring from competition, will start 37th with no regrets about how he’s ending his 24-year career at NASCAR.
“I couldn’t ask for a better scenario,” said Jarrett, a three-time Daytona 500 winner and former NASCAR champion. “If you gave me a chance to go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Formula One
Lewis Hamilton got an early psychological edge over Kimmi Raikkonen, winning the pole position today for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne, Australia, while the world champion will start near the back of the grid.