Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reminds Goodyear That Aggressive Bristol Tire Wear Is A “Detriment to Their business model”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. applauded Goodyear and their decision to bring quick wearing tires at the Bristol race and risking losing business.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reminds Goodyear That Aggressive Bristol Tire Wear Is A “Detriment to Their business model”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (via Imagn)

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Goodyear introduced a softer right-side-tire compound for the Bristol race, keeping in mind the layout of the high-banking concrete short track. This change was aimed at increasing tire wear on the right side and making the race and tire strategies more dynamic and interesting. The changes brought about were received with great enthusiasm by the drivers.

But Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. opens up on the loss that the tire company has to bear just to keep the consumers happy. Many drivers were surprised by the extreme tire wear at the Bristol Speedway, as they did not expect the changes to cause degradation so quickly.

Denny Hamlin was one of the many who couldn’t help but express his surprise at the positive effects of a faster deteriorating tire. Although the drivers and teams had a relatively positive response to the changes, Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes that Goodyear is hurting their image just for the sake of NASCAR.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. applauded Goodyear and their decision to bring an aggressive and faster-deteriorating tire compound to Bristol. The Hall of Famer acknowledged that for a tire company to bring tires that wore out faster and caused problems for the driver did not help their tire-selling business. The people unaware of the sport could be hesitant to buy Goodyear tires because they wear out so quickly.

Kudos to Goodyear for getting aggressive, we asked them to. For a tire manufacturer to make a tire that wears out, that fails, that will be something you need to manage, is not helpful to their bottom line or it is not helpful to them selling tires at a tire store on Monday. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on the Dale Jr. Download.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued that NASCAR was asking Goodyear to do detrimental things to their business just for the sake of making races more exciting for the fans and drivers. The 50-year-old added that Goodyear did not make money purely by selling tires, and the racing business was just a compliment to their main brand. Regardless, the company was willing to take risks for NASCAR, which was a great gesture by them.

So, what we’re asking them to do is almost a detriment to their actual business model. Goodyear doesn’t make money building racing tires, they don’t, The Goodyear racing tire business is supposed to be a compliment to their brand and their ability to sell tires to customers on the street. And so, making these tires wear out and fail, it’s a risk to their brand.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals he ‘wouldn’t change a thing’ about Goodyear tires at Bristol

The newer compound introduced at the Bristol Speedway did wear out quickly, but it made for some great racing action throughout the race. The cars on track slid a lot, causing some crashes, but all in all, the new compound was all the talk on Sunday as everyone kept talking about it. As such, despite bringing a seemingly negative change, Goodyear managed to make the racing exciting.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Via IMAGO)

Hence, Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed that he did not want any changes to the tire compounds. Goodyear can make the new compound a regular appearance at races where the tire degradation isn’t very high or causes a lack of racing. Dale Jr. recalled that he talked to a driver, and he loved the opportunity to have a real fighting chance towards the final stages of the race.

I wouldn’t change a thing, I talked to a driver this morning and they loved having the opportunity as a driver to maybe do it better than the guy in front of them. That’s never really part of the game anymore. At a lot of races, you just fire off and you’ve got the car that you’ve got and if it handles better, you can drive it the way you want.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. noted.

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Speedway was one of the more entertaining races on the calendar, all thanks to Goodyear’s daring strategy to put forth a newer compound. The Round of 16 is now officially over as the better drivers out of the pack move to the next round, with some others being eliminated from the championship.

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