Keselowski blames tires, Earnhardt blames track for problems at Fontana

FONTANA, CA - MARCH 23: Richard Labbe, crew chief of the #27 Duracell / Menard's Chevrolet, and other crew members inspect their Goodyear Eagle tires after a pit stop during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 23, 2014 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
FONTANA, CA - MARCH 23:  Richard Labbe, crew chief of the #27 Duracell / Menard's Chevrolet, and other crew members inspect their Goodyear Eagle tires after a pit stop during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 23, 2014 in Fontana, California.  (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
FONTANA, CA – MARCH 23: Richard Labbe, crew chief of the #27 Duracell / Menard’s Chevrolet, and other crew members inspect their Goodyear Eagle tires after a pit stop during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 23, 2014 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

Tires were the word of the day Sunday as several contenders suffered issues during the NASCAR Sprint Cup series Auto Club 400 in Fontana California.  The issues actually began to show during practices earlier in the weekend as Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. were among those suffering tire issues prior to the actual race.

Sunday the issues arose early. On lap 18 Kevin Harvick lost a left rear tire forcing the first of seven cautions, at least five of which were related to tire issues. Others suffering blown tires included Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, and with only a few laps to go, race leader Jimmie Johnson who lost a tire, the lead and the race.  Brad Keselowski suffered tire issues twice Sunday and finished 26th. Despite Goodyear officials indicating that the issues were being caused by teams who used aggressive setups and air pressure, Keselowski seemed to put the blame on the tire manufacturer.

“If air pressure was the issue then it is a pretty simple fix,” Keselowski said Sunday after the race. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.