No amount of “spin” can salvage NASCAR’s Indy debacle

It was ugly. It was absurd. It was inexcusable. And it was flat-out embarrassing. Other than that, the 2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard was a swell event. I will dispense with the particulars about who won (Jimmie Johnson), driving what (Hendrick Motorsports-prepared Car of Today), etc., because it doesn't matter at this point. What matters is that NASCAR and Goodyear conspired – by way of their incompetence and a stunning lack of preparation – to turn the second most prestigious event on the racing organization's schedule into a total and utter fiasco.

That NASCAR and Goodyear tested at The Speedway last April with a minimal contingent of cars and called it good, even when there were indications of severe wear problems on the right side tires – the right fronts in particular – makes it even worse. Goodyear and NASCAR both made assumptions that the premature wearing problem was caused by the "green" surface at the time, and that when the cars unloaded at Indy and started laying rubber down, things would be okay. Well, things were not okay – big time – and the race was a monumental waste of time because of it.

The Car of Today took some of the heat because of its lack of downforce and its higher center of gravity, but again, that's no excuse. NASCAR blew one of their premier events to smithereens, and as always, the fans were the ones who suffered. NASCAR ended up throwing six "competition yellows" last Sunday because the cars couldn't run more than 10-13 laps before catastrophic tire failures occurred, and NASCAR's vaunted "show" turned into a nightmare of gigantic proportions. Autoextremist.com