Instead, Stewart felt extremely lucky to have even finished the race in his No. 20 car thanks to the new compound the Goodyear, NASCAR's sole racing tire supplier, brought to Atlanta for the Sprint Cup race. After exiting his car on pit road, he proceeded to rip Goodyear to shreds on network TV:
I think the single best line from all of Stewart's comments was "Goodyear can't build a tire that's worth a crap". (If you weren't able to watch the video, click the link below to read the transcript of Stewart's quotes.)
In further interviews, Stewart would go on to say that the first thing he would do when he got home was to dismount any Goodyear tire that he has and replace them with Firestones.
This isn't the first time that Stewart has had problems with Goodyear tires. Last year at Las Vegas, Stewart pummeled Goodyear and the track management for both redesigning the track and then bringing a different tire than teams tested with.
Here's the transcript of what Tony said:
"That's the most pathetic racing tire I've ever been on in my career. They exited out of Formula One. They exited out of IRL. They exited out of CART. They exited out of World of Outlaws. And there's a reason for that: because Goodyear can't build a tire that's worth a crap," said Stewart.
"If I were Goodyear, I'd be really embarrassed about this weekend and the tire they brought us here. It didn't keep us from winning the race and how we got to second I don't know. [...]
"It was ridiculous to have to race on a tire like this -- not at this form of racing. If they can't do any better than that, they [should] just pull out of the sport and save us all a bunch of headaches cause I guarantee you that Hoosier or Firestone could come in and do a lot better job than they're doing right now."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-10-2008 @ 11:13AM
jack vaira said...
If hedoes'nt like Goodyears, why doesn't he jusr quit using them? Instead of moaning and karping, just change. If I don't lije something, I try anotherbrand.
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3-10-2008 @ 11:20AM
Elizabeth said...
Thank you, Tony! A man not afraid to say what's going on and holding the tire company accountable.
He has a right to his opinion which was done in an
appropriate manner.
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3-10-2008 @ 11:44AM
trakman said...
with regards to Jack;s comment, u should know if u watch Nascar, the drivers have little say about the tires they run on at the track
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3-10-2008 @ 11:56AM
drgrcr601 said...
I'm not 100% sure about this but if memory serves me years ago Goodyear told Nascar if they could not be the exclusive tire supplier for Nascar they would no longer participate. Hoosier was supplying tires to Nascar a few years back but suddenly disappeared.
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3-10-2008 @ 2:19PM
Maveness said...
I don't agree with Tony a lot of the time, but I'm willing to help pony up some money to pay the fines if NASCAR goes after him for saying that. Because Tony is spot on. Spot. On. And this is why allowing monopolies is a bad thing - it runs competition out of the business and lets someone get away with creating an inferior product. (But give credit to Goodyear for having great PR - they know how to counteract arguments and make them sound good.)
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3-10-2008 @ 12:25PM
John said...
THE TRUTH HURTS
It's about time! I've said it for years, but I'm just a stupid old man that knows nothing. I even took them off my garden tractor.....just in case. The worst tires in the world have Goodyear written all over them.
It's time they (Goodyear) stop resting on their laurels and make tires for today's conditions, or leave it to those who can.
Kudos to Tony Stewart and others whos careers and very lives depend on the only thing between them and the road.
No Goodyuk tires for me either!!!
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3-10-2008 @ 1:10PM
Aj said...
Why not just build 2 types of tires & be done with
it....spec tires for short track right side & left
side....(secondly) left & right side spec tires for long tracks...
I mean why not...for the exception of engine & decals....we're watching NASCAR's version of IROC.
If a driver has pedal left & wants to haul it in
,tug on the belts & pretend your Superman..
Drive it, that's what your paid to do!! Those seat belts aren't permanent!
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3-10-2008 @ 1:19PM
racing20guy said...
Regarding jack vaira's comment: Goodyear is the exclusive tire provider for NASCAR. drgrcr601 is exactly right, nobody seems to remember the big Hoosier vs Goodyear debacle sveral years ago. Tony was not the only one blasting Goodyear... Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all had negative comments about the tires. Of course those three may have had a little more tact about their complaints, but hey, that's Stewart for you. Seems to me like his ripping of the company would get through a whole lot more loud and clear than little whiny "Oh, the tires just didn't work for this track" complaints. Go Tony!!!
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3-10-2008 @ 2:25PM
MarchHare said...
Silly people. I am willing to bet there isn't an engineer among you. You have no idea what goes into building a tire. If you truly believe that any of those manufacturers named has a holy grail tire that would fit into any track, weather or driving condition you are completely out of touch with reality. Tony Stewart complains about everything. Today it is Goodyear, next Sunday it will be the Bristol track management or NASCAR(again) or his Coke won't be cold enough. He has publically criticized the COT, Toyota and even a device that may have saved his life more than once. I won't pretend to know why Goodyear brought a different tire to the track but there had to be a reason because it would have cost them less to use the compound they already had rather than develop and manufacture a new one. And we all know it is all about the bottom line.
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3-10-2008 @ 2:52PM
KIM said...
GO FIGURE..TONY DOESN'T FINISH EXACTLY WHERE HE'D OF LIKED TO AND HE BLAMES SOMEONE ELSE!HE'S ALWAYS BEEN A WHINY CRY BABY AND ALWAYS WILL...
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3-10-2008 @ 2:55PM
KIM said...
OOOO AND JACK FYI YOU NEED TO READ UP ON NASCAR..DRIVERS DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF CHOOSING THEIR TIRE...UNFORTUNATE AS IT MAY BE.
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3-10-2008 @ 3:13PM
drgrcr601 said...
As anyone who follows Nascar knows there has been an on going tire issue. Teams have been complaining for some time now about tires too soft for some tracks causing premature tire failure. Teams say it's the tire and Goodyear says it's a camber problem. Maybe Goodyear gave up and said you want a harder tire. you got one.
Reminds me of a story about a guy in a resturant who sent his breakfast back because it was cold. So they nuked it to about 400 degrees. "That hot enpugh for ya?
Ron
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3-10-2008 @ 3:32PM
tonya said...
nascar has done it...totally boooooooooorrrrrrrrrring...the car of tomorrow is the death of nascar today
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3-10-2008 @ 4:25PM
Patty said...
Kudos to Mr. Bad Ass himself. Tony Stewart...you either love him or hate...but one thing...he will always tell you the way it is...Goodyear should not be the only supplier of tires for the races...Obviously quality control for Goodyear is garbage.
These guys are in a dangerous sport and considering the speed at which they travel if you can't rely on your tires...you might as well kiss your ass goodbye..
Love ya Tony keep up the great racing!!
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3-10-2008 @ 7:07PM
gatorlady4ever64 said...
GO TONY GO !!! Tires are a serious problem for all the Nascar drivers out there, and everyone keeps saying Tony is a whinner, even thought other drivers are complaining about the same things,but we all kmow Tony tells it like it is.
I think the reason for that is he is the only one with BALLS to tell it like it really is!!!!
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3-10-2008 @ 7:26PM
Kim said...
Maveness,
Well said, indeed my friend! I knew about the exclusive contract between NASCAR & Goodyear and you are correct, when large monopolies start taking over, product efficiency, production, caring about the product you provide, and new innovations go down the tubes! With a contract like this one, there is no room for competition. With no competition, there is no pressure on Goodyear to provide a better service and product.
On a side note, I just changed my tires on my truck. They were Goodyears, only four years old, and I have only put 35,000 miles on what was supposed to be a 70,000 mile tire. They were such crap, I couldn't even drive on drive pavement without sliding around here & there and everywhere. It became very unsafe. I just purchased a brand new set of high quality Michelins for my truck a month ago and couldn't believe the difference. I LOVE THEM! So to me, Goodyear = CRAP!!!!!
I have never been a Tony fan but I have to say a big THANK YOU to him for yesterday. He has been so politically correct lately, I wasn't expecting those comments and I found myself sitting there with my mouth wide open and then laughing my butt off after he was finished. He made an incredibly boring race more enjoyable for me yesterday. Hats off to you, Tony!
Kim
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3-10-2008 @ 7:29PM
Kim said...
I meant "dry" pavement. Sorry, typos. Ugh!
Kim
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3-10-2008 @ 10:43PM
Cynthia said...
From some of the posts I've read, a handful of you speak as though Tony is not entitled to an opinion on the matter. I think as a TWO TIME Cup series champion and the fact HE RISKS HIS OWN LIFE EVERY SUNDAY TO PUT ON A GOOD SHOW FOR HIS FANS on those tires, HE has every right to comment on them.
It also seems the tires and the car aren't quite in tune with each other.From what I gather from reading numerous (but reputable) article's ...Good Year doesn't even consult the crew chiefs or the drivers in determining what tire they will bring. I think that's absurd. The teams test the tires without any input. I think that's way off base. Give the drivers a good race tire not rock hard slick with no grip.
JMO
Cynthia
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3-11-2008 @ 8:34AM
Rick said...
A second place on a day like that a Tony still finds something to whine about. Go Tony, I love it when you make an ass out of yourself.
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3-11-2008 @ 8:46AM
Rusty@therustygourmet.com said...
Tony is entitled to his opinion. I don't believe that slamming Goodyear on tv was appropriate. What good does it do? (Except create publicity.) The No. 20 has Goodyears on it now and will next week and the next. If Stewart was holding the checkered flag, would he have made the same comment?
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