Tire wear raises Kahne at Atlanta

It was appropriate that on a weekend when labor was being celebrated nationwide, the stress-subjected tires that carry the Sprint Cup cars around the track should also labor.

As Kasey Kahne notched his second win of 2009 in the Pep Boys Auto 500 at notorious Atlanta Motor Speedway, drivers, crews, and race fans watched a wild slip ’n slide unfold around the high banks of the 1.5 quad-oval. The race, like so many Sprint Cup events, showed strong cars for various segments of the 500-miler. Early on, pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr. dominated. In their own turn, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin grabbed the top spot at various junctures during the first half of the 325-lapper, all looking solid enough to take a win.

But at the race’s midpoint, Kevin Harvick, coming out of pit lane 16th following the race’s fifth yellow, stormed through the field to take the lead within 32 laps of the restart. He looked like a surefire candidate for Victory Lane, as did Kahne who had sparred successfully with Harvick in some tight racing little more than 100 laps out from the end, issuing a harbinger of what was to come: Kahne won three restarts and one race off pit row in the final 117 laps. The race’s ninth and final caution, with just 16 laps to go, undid Harvick. Kahne, slow off the restart, got a push from behind on the inside lane that catapulted him past Harvick and on to the checkered flag.

To the casual observer, the race was an on-going all skate. All night long, cars got loose, plowing sideways down the straightaway coming off the turn or screaming across the grass, as Sam Hornish Jr. managed to do twice. At the core, it seems the tire was again the X factor. Testing heavily and successfully at Atlanta this past spring, Goodyear didn’t seem to have an answer for night racing on a tough track. Supposedly there would be more grip in the tires for the fall race with its cooler temperatures. That didn’t stop six cars from either wrecking or spinning out due to tires going down, not to mention two cars that busted rear axles. Racing setups went askew, as tire changes left pit crews and drivers clueless as to what to expect next.

Testing was banned for all teams this past season in an effort to curb the sport’s rocketing expenses. But Goodyear, not subject to the teams ban, is free to test to their heart’s delight. Perhaps Goodyear and the CoT design team should have lunch some time. They have a lot to talk about.