Warm weather causes problems with ‘cold’ tires

LOUDON, N.H. – November in New Hampshire normally calls for snow and cold temperatures. When NASCAR got the exact opposite in the weather, it was the drivers who suffered in Friday’s season finale at New Hampshire International Speedway because of bad tires.

“Goodyear had all kinds of problems and that really put us in a box,” said Johnny Benson, who finished 12th. “We blistered, everybody blistered, everybody had a problem.”

Goodyear, expecting cool track temperatures, brought a soft tire to the track for the teams to use. But when it heated up to almost 50 degrees during the race, the compound was all wrong and the rubber began blistering.

“There was a lot of concern that racing this late in November would make it so cold that the tires would not get as good a grip,” said Phil Holmer, Goodyear’s marketing manager. “So we went to something that was softer and we ended up with a day that was over 50 degrees – that was not something we expected.”

Once a tire begins to blister, a car can only run a few more laps on it before it blows. Goodyear advised its teams to use older tires they had scuffed during practice because that rubber probably was harder.

Many teams did that, and Benson went a step further, asking teammate Ken Schrader to run a few laps on new tires to scuff them for him because Schrader was not in contention to win the race.

Race winner Robby Gordon was one of the few drivers not affected because his team planned ahead, bringing harder, unused tires from earlier this year season in case the weather was too warm. NASCAR has no rule prohibiting teams from doing that.

“We knew the tires we had in the shop had cured a little more and they were a little harder,” crew chief Gil Martin said. “So we brought four sets with us just for such an occasion, and it paid off.”

Holmer said it would be too difficult for Goodyear to bring two different types of rubber to a race because they already produce close to 2,000 tires per event.

Craven embraces Loudon race

Ricky Craven was about the only driver who had no objections to NASCAR rescheduling the race after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

While most competitors complained about the new date cutting into their holiday time with family, Craven, a native of Newburgh, embraced the event.

“It’s been great, I brought my family to the cabin on Sunday night and lit a fire when we got there and I think it’s still burning,” Craven said. “As difficult as it was for everyone to be with their families under these circumstances, it wasn’t for me because I was going to be here anyway.”

Craven is hands-down the most popular driver at the New Hampshire track, with fans wearing his logos, waving his flags and giving him a thunderous ovation during driver introductions. He thrives in the attention, meeting and greeting throughout the garage area with his family in tow.

But once the race begins, Craven said there is no homecourt advantage.

“I have the advantage up until driver introductions, then I have to take on 42 of the best racers in the world,” he said.

Alas, he had no advantage, hitting the wall on lap 273 and finishing 38th.

Turning up the heat

Thermal underwear, space heaters and floodlights were all part of race day preparation

It was a lot better than the plows, snow tires and salt most critics thought NASCAR would need to successfully pull off the race, which was expected to be disrupted by the snow and cold.

NASCAR caught a break, with temperatures in the 40s at race time on a clear, sunny day.

“I know none of us are crazy about being here, but we’re pretty fortunate to have a day that’s not what anyone expected it to be,” NASCAR president Mike Helton said at the morning drivers’ meeting.

Some provisions still had to be made, though.

Because the race was a one-day event, the garage was open for business at 5 a.m. – about 90 minutes before the sun came up.

Crews hooked up halogen lamps to provide enough light to work on the cars while the space heaters were used to keep hands warm. Drivers made their way to the meeting bundled in heavy jackets, hats and gloves to protect them from early temperatures in the 20s.

Field comes up one short

There were only 42 cars in the field for the first time since the field expanded to 43 in 1998. The lineup was set in September, when Eel River Racing’s No. 27 car was still in competition. The team has since folded, leaving the field short one car. … Car owner Roger Penske has yet to tell his No. 12 team if it will be running next season. Crew chief Peter Sospenzo said he expects an announcement in the next week. … Buckshot Jones is still not a father. His wife was supposed to give birth to their first child on Wednesday, but had not gone into labor by race time.