Following his second-place finish, Tony Stewart lashed out at Goodyear.
Even though most of the drivers that competed in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta on Sunday agreed that the tire compound that Goodyear provided was below standard, they felt as if Tony Stewart was too harsh in his post-race criticism of the tire company that has had a long-standing affiliation with NASCAR.
Following his second-place finish, Stewart lashed out at Goodyear as he said, “If I were Goodyear, I’d be very embarrassed about the tire they brought this weekend…If they can’t do better than that, pull out of the sport. I guarantee you that Hoosier or Firestone could do a better job than that…I guess that’s why they got run out of Formula One, the IRL, CART and USAC, you name it.”
Other drivers, such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon, agreed that the tire was uncomfortable, but they refrained from spouting off insults.
Despite the condemnation, Goodyear continues to stand by their product.
"We believe that our engineering, research and tire development is second to none. We accept that drivers will have their own opinions about our tires. NASCAR president Mike Helton told us Monday that NASCAR is very grateful for the commitment Goodyear has made on behalf of building a good and safe product for our competitors, including this past weekend at Atlanta. NASCAR stands by our relationship and is proud to have Goodyear as a partner.”
They even responded to Stewart’s offhanded comments.
“Finally, we would like to correct an erroneous comment made by Tony Stewart. Goodyear decided to leave other racing series only because of the escalating costs of competition in those series. At least one other tire maker has done the same. For Goodyear, the enormous investment required to compete in those other forms of racing far outweighed the benefits derived from our participation. We see tremendous benefits in our 54-year relationship with NASCAR as the organization’s longest continuing supplier. We remain fully committed to, and are proud of, our relationship with NASCAR."
As a driver and an accomplished champion in NASCAR, Stewart has every right to voice his grievances and speak his mind. Nevertheless, he does not always go about it the right way. He is often over the top and will impetuously throw insults at whoever ticked him off.
Last year, he said that David Gilliland had ‘no talent’ and ‘lucked into a Cup ride’ following an incident at Talladega.
Several years ago, he blasted three-time champion Darrell Waltrip on live TV. If I remember correctly, Stewart said that Waltrip was the reason for the champions provisional because he could not qualify for a race on speed in the final seasons of his career. Stewart’s insult appeared calculated and rehearsed, as Waltrip had commented on Stewart’s driving style the week before.
However, once Stewart calms down, he is far more reasonable in his complaints and concerns.
Even fellow driver Jeff Gordon felt that Stewart went overboard with his comments.
"I think he went a little overboard," said Gordon "He kind of made it personal…I don't disagree with him as far as the comfort level in the situation we were in. But we have to look at all sides of this and try to give the folks that are doing their jobs the ability and constructive criticism to try to do it better."
Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman agreed with Gordon. He said, “the tire thing is a little blown out of proportion. There's a lot of things he (Stewart) said that were true. Obviously, he took it to another level.”
The point is that Goodyear is going to take the criticism of Gordon, Newman, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. more seriously mainly because they did not outright insult the company. They were able to cite their concerns in a more reasonable manner. Trust me; Goodyear would have been well aware of the discontentment regarding the tires even if Stewart did not provide his remarks. Yes, the tire was that bad.
