Are NASCAR teams tampering with tires?

Are teams doctoring tires to improve performance? NASCAR is investigating the possibility and during a safety meeting Friday reminded crew chiefs of the penalties if any illegal modifications are found.

In recent weeks NASCAR has confiscated tires off the cars of Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Joey Logano. Harvick and Busch are teammates at Stewart-Haas Racing, Newman and Menard at Richard Childress Racing, while Logano is with Team Penske.

The tires taken were sent to NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. for further inspection, in addition to an undisclosed third-party test. NASCAR has not issued any penalties nor yet found any irregularities.

“It’s hard to speculate because that is all I could do,” said Jeff Gordon’s crew chief Alan Gustafson. “In my experience there is a lot of smoke around that. There is a lot of talk, there is a lot of dialogue and there are a lot of rumors in the garage.

“I think it’s obvious that some people think something is going on. Is NASCAR reacting to that, or do they feel uncomfortable with what is going on? I don’t know that answer. But I do think that it is something that is on the forefront of a lot of people minds.”

Speculation is some teams may be drilling small holes in their tires to slowly bleed air out. Doing so would increase grip by relieving the air pressure buildup over long runs.

Chad Knaus, Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief, said he sent a text to Sprint Cup Series director Richard Buck asking if he was permitted to put holes in tires. Buck responded, “Absolutely not.” Although likely sent in jest, the message underlines the belief some teams are playing outside the rulebook pertaining to tires and air pressures.

“When it gets to this level and when you’re hearing about it and (officials) are talking with crew chiefs, that tells me that it’s being done,” Gordon said. “It’s just not clear on how it’s being done.

“It’s very interesting to me that NASCAR is investigating this further. I look forward to seeing what comes out of it.”

It’s common in other disciplines of racing to have bleeder valves installed on tires to help maintain a consistent air pressure throughout a run and prevents falloff in speed. Gustafson said there is even a safety component to the practice, as it helps decrease blown tires.

But NASCAR prohibits bleeder valves and team caught violating the rule faces serious sanctions. Anyone caught tampering with tires faces a fine upwards to $125,000, the loss of 50 points and a six-race suspension.

“I think what is going to be tough for NASCAR is that if this is going on as rumored, it is a very difficult thing to police,” Gustafson said. “The way to police it may be to just allow it through a more conventional tool like a bleeder.”