NASCAR (web|news) has ordered competition cautions during Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway over worries about the Goodyear tires used by the circuit. Drivers and crew chiefs complained after practice on Saturday that the tires were wearing down too quickly on the 2.5-mile track and are concerned they might not have enough tires to complete the 400-mile race.

There will be a mandatory caution on lap 10, allowing drivers to pit and change tires without losing track position. NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said the tires used during the first run will then be tested to check the wear. Additional competition cautions could be necessary if the tires don't perform better.

NASCAR took similar measures during last year's Indy race.

"We anticipate that it will fix itself," Pemberton said. "This is not anything that we don't go through leading up to the race, primarily early in the event."

The problem stems from the inability of the tires to lay rubber on the track. Normally when tires heat up during a race, a small amount of rubber is laid on the surface, creating racing grooves that create a buffer between the tire and the surface.

That didn't happen during the first practice run on Saturday, with some cars burning through tires so quickly drivers were forced to pit every five to six laps. Typically NASCAR cars can go 30-plus laps at Indy before needing to change tires.

If the situation doesn't improve, there is some concern teams could burn through their entire tire inventory, though Pemberton said when the entire field is on the track Sunday afternoon getting rubber down should be easier.

Goodyear shipped in 800 tires from next week's race at Pocono as a contingency. If the tires designed for Indy don't work, NASCAR could order the teams to switch to the tires from Pocono, which is the track most similar to Indy.

Crew chiefs quietly fretted the tires won't even make it to the first assessment. There was also concern that because NASCAR and Goodyear decided they would not reclaim tires from teams that drop out of the race, it would create a free-for-all situation on pit road with teams frantically trying to purchase the extras from other crews.

Some feel the problem isn't the tires, it's the cars.

This year's race is the first NASCAR event at Indy in the Car of Tomorrow. The COTs have a heavier right-side load than the old model and don't stick to the track as easily.

"It's not the tire," said Chad Knaus, crew chief for pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson. "It's the same tire we used last year. The problem is the lack of downforce on this car. If the car had more downforce, we wouldn't be sliding all over the track. So it's not solely Goodyear's fault."



Written By WILL GRAVES