Dover Tire Rubber Caused Issues For NASCAR Drivers; What Happened?

During Sunday’s NASCAR race at Dover, the Sprint Cup Series drivers repeatedly struggled with an excess amount of rubber on the 1-mile concrete surface.

But at the end, the winning teams showed that the tires weren’t wearing out very much – Mark Martin didn’t even take tires for the last 70 laps.

So why was there so much rubber on the track if the tires were staying relatively intact?

Here’s what happened: Over the last several Dover races, drivers have noticed that this particular Goodyear tire lays rubber in a way that doesn’t go well with the track.

At most other tracks, the rubber “marbles” come off the tires and find a resting spot out of the racing groove near the wall. But at Dover, the marbles from the current tire tend to roll back down into the middle of the track.

So on restarts, the drivers would then run the marbles over and squash them into the track and the existing hot rubber, which made it even greasier and more slippery than usual.

Here’s a sampling of what the drivers had to say about the racing conditions and the rubber:

Matt Kenseth: “That rubber was awful. ... The sun affected the rubber more than the concrete and it got really slick. It was a challenge, and we had our hands full all day.”

Mark Martin: “It was almost dangerous. Before that last caution came out, I felt like it was dangerous. I just didn’t feel like I could pass anyone without getting in a wreck; unless they allowed you to clear them. You couldn’t run side-by-side.”

Kyle Busch: “You’re sawing on the wheel back and forth, left and right, trying to miss the rubber – sliding over the rubber, not meaning to. As some of us put the term, your butt and elbows were up in the air, man.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: “It just made for a scary, scary entrance (into the turns). Just real loose in. Everybody had the same problem. You had to dodge these patches, you know? That’s just annoying.”

Brian Vickers: “Great job by Goodyear. I’m sure some guys complained about it, but I love it. I love it when the track lays down rubber like that. Makes it slip and slide and you have to move around and find a groove.”