SOZ on RTR - The 300,000 Solution - Making the Grade Indy by Michelsen

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The 300,000 Solution - Making the Grade Indy

7/29/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)

Did you enjoy the "Twelve Lap at a Time at the Brickyard?" NASCAR racing at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway has always been more hype than great racing. But the debacle we saw on Sunday was a joke! If Goodyear can't come up with a tire compound that works at Indy then the series needs to seriously considering not coming here again. Goodyear sold so many more tires on Sunday a rough guess at the extra profit would be around $300,000! NASCAR should fine Goodyear that same amount and match the funds to start a dedicated testing team. Use out of work NASCAR drivers to run thousands of laps every week on every track on the NASCAR circuit. Experiment with tire compounds to come up with the right tire for this new car design. It shouldn't be a shock to anyone, let alone a tire engineer or NASCAR, that a new car design would need a new tire design! NASCAR should turn this negative race into a positive by letting it inspire them to make major changes to how they look at tires for the new cars!

Race Grade: F

Was there a race on Sunday? I thought we might be watching "Happy Hour" practice instead of a NASCAR race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! Goodyear has not been doing much for their reputation this year with the choice of tires at NASCAR races. But this week was a new all time low for Goodyear and NASCAR. Both companies should be out there front and center apologizing to the fans for the show they gave us on Sunday.

F for Rusty Wallace

Maybe I should toss out some free advice for Rusty Wallace...JUST SHUT UP! Perhaps his new personal sponsor should be Waste Management because every time he opens his mouth garbage spews out! Rusty told anyone that wanted to listen that Ryan Newman was fired by Penske Racing. He also told us that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway needs to make changes to their track instead of Goodyear making changes to the tires.

D for Matt Kenseth's Luck

Timing is everything in life and in NASCAR! On Sunday we saw competition cautions every 12 laps. Matt Kenseth had his tire explode just a half lap before a competition caution slowing down his momentum as he tries to qualify for the Chase. If that caution came out just a half lap earlier Matt's results could have been much better!

C for Marcos Ambrose

Next year could be an interesting year for JTG Motorsports and driver Marcos Ambrose. The team had to borrow a pit box from the Wood Brothers. But on Saturday they qualified for the race with a solid 24th place lap. Marcos Ambrose drove a smart race on horrible tires and brought the car home in one piece in 22nd place on the lead lap.

B for Carl Edwards

Cousin Carl has already had a great career already but is yet to win one of NASCAR's major races. (Unless you count the Bristol night race as the fourth major) Sunday Carl Edwards came so close to winning at the famed Brickyard but couldn't catch winner Jimmie Johnson. The No. 99 team is shaping up as one of the favorites to win the Championship this season.

A for Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and the Pit Crew

There are many reasons why this team has won two championships in a row and they should why on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! Nobody deals with adversity or unpredictable situations better than Crew Chief Chad Knaus. Jimmie Johnson managed his tires better than most of his competitors. The Pit Crew helped grab that win by getting Johnson out first on the final pit stop. Once again the No. 48 group showed that this is a team sport!

Extra Credit for NASCAR Officials

As bad as the race was this could have been worse…NO ONE GOT KILLED! NASCAR will get thrown under the bus along with Goodyear for getting everyone into this situation and they will deserve their share of the blame. But on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway their job was to call the race in a way that didn't get anyone hurt and they succeeded in doing that job quite well!

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