Goodyear Looks to Rebound After Last Year's 'Debacle' at the Brickyard

Debacle. Fiasco. Embarrassment.

All of these words and more were used to describe last year's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

What could cause utterances of this nature to be used to describe one of NASCAR's crown jewel events, held on sacred racing ground at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

Tires.

Specifically, the greatest drivers in the world were reduced to competing in ten-lap sprints as NASCAR officials displayed the caution flag nine times for "competition yellows."

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The tires that the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company brought to the track wore quickly on the uniquely abrasive racing surface that in the past has been diamond-grinded for the lighter IRL cars. This, coupled with the handling characteristics of NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow, making its Brickyard debut last year, and its increased weight on right-side tires, spelled disaster for the tires. In a virtually unprecedented scenario, they didn't "lay down" any rubber after a few laps but instead shed a fine dust that led to rapid tire wear and blowouts.

Just as teams found themselves scrambling to prevent their tires from exploding, NASCAR found itself clambering to put a positive spin on its new-found black eye. Any situation that compromises the integrity of the show does and should come under intense scrutiny, casting a cloud over the sport.

That is why, for example, NASCAR takes such a harsh stance against cheating. Any manipulation to a race car for the purpose of gaining an advantage is penalized by the sanctioning body. NASCAR wants its fan base to know the playing field is level. In the case of Indy one year ago, certainly there was no cheating perpetuated, but the quality of the show for the fans was indeed harmed.

Rightfully so, fans expressed outrage after the race, eventually won by Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson. Some competitors were vocal about the issue, others empathetic. Greg Biffle said on our SPEED program 'This Week in NASCAR' that he was simply doing his job.

"That's what I get paid to do," Biffle said. "My job is to adapt to the conditions of the track and figure out a way to win the race. Was it a good situation? Absolutely not. We have to make it better for next year. The fans deserve that."

Two days after the race, NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton acknowledged, and apologized, for the outcome of the event and vowed a similar experience wouldn't happen again.

So what has happened since then?

Plenty. Goodyear has worked incredibly hard to rectify the situation. In 2009 alone, the tire manufacturer has held seven individual tire tests at IMS among 31 drivers who have logged 13,000 miles, in addition to seven initial visits last year. Officials say they have been through approximately 20 tire compounds with the goal of developing one that would "rubber into" the track but not grip the surface so well it blistered.

"It would have been easy for Goodyear to stick their heads in the sand," said NASCAR on FOX and SPEED analyst Larry McReynolds. "Last year's race was one of the blackest marks in their long racing history. Goodyear could have blamed the track surface or any number of factors, including the race car, but they didn't. They rolled up their sleeves and went to work. Goodyear won't quit until the drivers are satisfied."

Former series and Brickyard 400 champions Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon recently praised Goodyear for their efforts to remedy the situation, and both said they expect a much better race this time around. Gordon went as far as to say he was "100 percent" confident tire problems are a dead issue at Indy. Goodyear also has expressed a similar assurance that they've found the solution.

Each of us who work in NASCAR, and have supported it over the years, fervently hope a resolution truly is at hand this weekend because neither NASCAR nor Goodyear nor Indianapolis Motor Speedway can afford a sequel to last year's horror movie, because it just might spell the end of NASCAR at the Brickyard.

In a perfect world, Goodyear would prefer to go unnoticed on a given race weekend, opting instead to be like the baseball umpire who calls a game without any controversy. But we don't live in a perfect world and neither does Goodyear. If Sunday's race produces results similar to last year, it won't be for lack of effort. But rest assured no one would be as disappointed as the tire maker itself.

Steve Byrnes is the host of Trackside Live, NASCAR Live and This Week in NASCAR on SPEED, in addition to his duties as a pit reporter for FOX Sports. A NASCAR broadcaster for nearly 25 years, Byrnes also hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice and qualifying broadcasts, as well as the NASCAR Nationwide Series sessions. He broke into NASCAR broadcasting in 1985 as the host of Inside NASCAR on TNN and went on to host Darrell Waltrip's Racers on TNN, among numerous other programs. Byrnes also has served as a play-by-play announcer in the NFL. For more information about Byrnes or to access the NASCAR on SPEED programming schedule, please visit www.speedtv.com.