[Stevensville Mike]

Let me put myself in the shoes of the Tire Doping Cops. My job is to enforce the rules and bust the culprits.

When teams go to the track, they have to purchase their RR tires there. The tires are subsequently marked and mounted. Seems simple. No time to dope.

Oh, wait.... for the weekly races at tracks, no one (Hoosier, American Racer, Goodyear) are there to mount tires. My plan holds no water. Dope away, men!

But for USAC races..... WoO races.... All Star races....

[sprintracer82]

Originally Posted by Stevensville Mike Let me put myself in the shoes of the Tire Doping Cops. My job is to enforce the rules and bust the culprits. When teams go to the track, they have to purchase their RR tires there. The tires are subsequently marked and mounted. Seems simple. No time to dope. Oh, wait.... for the weekly races at tracks, no one (Hoosier, American Racer, Goodyear) are there to mount tires. My plan holds no water. Dope away, men! But for USAC races..... WoO races.... All Star races....

Forcing teams to buy tires at the track the day of the race eliminates all the small teams like mine who don't always buy new every night. I raced for 10 years on dirt and hardly had new tires. No I'm not going to win a usac race, but a new tires is the difference between me going and me staying home. Also, new tires isn't the reason why I'm not winning a usac race anyway. Even my current pavement sprintcar program doesn't have the budget to buy new every night.
Nick Landon

[Tim]

Folks,

I should probably know the answer to the following question but, since I make every attempt to abide by all rules stated by the sanctioning body, I don't know. What is the cost to dope a tire? If the expense is minimal it seems to me the cost of enforcing the rule may outweigh the doping cost. If the doping does, indeed, change the track surface then that may be another consideration but I am having a difficult time understanding that part of the equation. Maybe someone can explain that, as well.

I will also say that I am a fan of using the same tire in your feature that is used for qualifying. May deter some of the doping.

Tim Simmons

[TQ29m]

So, that's what it has come down to, that's what people do to win 🏆? I can say this, it's not in my bones, but I'm not in it anymore, but it also makes watching it all the less appealing, nascar has a bigger problem on their hands, and they are trying to make the monetary fines high enough to stop any infraction, they have already fined Rouse and company enough to stop them in their tracks,, for what, a poorly designed race car, Jack didn't design? I still have a lot of personal friends involved with it, and I don't know how much longer they can take it, Nascar is the only winner so far, it can only get worse. Don't let that happen to the best racing ever created. Open Wheel Racing!!!!

[mscs20]

Originally Posted by Tim Folks, I should probably know the answer to the following question but, since I make every attempt to abide by all rules stated by the sanctioning body, I don't know. What is the cost to dope a tire? If the expense is minimal it seems to me the cost of enforcing the rule may outweigh the doping cost. If the doping does, indeed, change the track surface then that may be another consideration but I am having a difficult time understanding that part of the equation. Maybe someone can explain that, as well. I will also say that I am a fan of using the same tire in your feature that is used for qualifying. May deter some of the doping. Tim Simmons

Tim, tire prep the go karts use is around $23 a quart.

[jonboat15]

Do the karters still call it "painting the tires" we used to use a paint brush to apply the chemical, I couldn't tell you what the chemical was it was a friends kart and I was lucky enough to get to race it? Would sprint car tires require more than a quart of tire conditioner, how long would a quart last?

[spankytoo]

Originally Posted by sw1911 To a casual fan, this whole melodrama makes no fuggin sense. Let me ask a couple naive questions please. First, why do we need any tire rules? Is it because they take some of the edge off the richer teams? Second, let's assume someone justifies tire rules. Why do we care what the hell what somebody does to their tires? Once again, is it because the richer teams can afford more exotic doping? Third, the reason we enjoy our standard of living under a constitutional republic is, in a word, competition under capitalism. Why is competition not allowed in the sale of sprint car tires??

Let's break this up.

1. Why do we need any tire rules? - We don't. Hoosier bought up all the tracks/series by paying them to enforce a single tire. Then subsequently raised their prices for the people buying the tires.
2. Why do we care what the hell what somebody does to their tires? - If all the big teams are doping tires and getting away with it, the locals will rarely compete. Doping tires is expensive and requires a lot of time. Most teams cannot afford it.
3. Why is competition not allowed in the sale of sprint car tires? - See #1. Hoosier bought everyone up. I hear it's like $25 per car to the track owner??

Good year is out. American Racer is almost out. Having a single tire company and allowing doping will continue to drive out most if not all of the middle and low class sprint car teams.

[Midget98]

Originally Posted by spankytoo Let's break this up. 1. Why do we need any tire rules? - We don't. Hoosier bought up all the tracks/series by paying them to enforce a single tire. Then subsequently raised their prices for the people buying the tires. 2. Why do we care what the hell what somebody does to their tires? - If all the big teams are doping tires and getting away with it, the locals will rarely compete. Doping tires is expensive and requires a lot of time. Most teams cannot afford it. 3. Why is competition not allowed in the sale of sprint car tires? - See #1. Hoosier bought everyone up. I hear it's like $25 per car to the track owner?? Good year is out. American Racer is almost out. Having a single tire company and allowing doping will continue to drive out most if not all of the middle and low class sprint car teams.

Let's not forget the key point here. If #1 and #3 went away, there would be no need for #2.

I honestly don't understand how the racers, teams, tracks, and sanctioning bodies haven't figured out that Hoosier's bribe money hasn't saved anyone a dime. Maybe there's more under the counter payoffs that most don't get to see. Go back 20-30 years and Hoosier was a relatively equal competitor to McCreary (American Racer) and Goodyear. Tire doping wasn't needed, because there was a compound available from one of these companies that did what the racers and teams were wanting it to do. Hoosier actually had to try to create a superior or comparable product in order to compete in the open market. Fast forward to today and Hoosier can basically put out whatever junk spec tire they want because they have no one to compete with. Instead of spending money on developing a superior tire that teams wanted to buy, they spent that money on buying their monopoly and never improving their product. In most other businesses, the open market brings the best products to the top. In the racing tire business, you now end up with whatever Hoosier sends you because their competitors can't or won't pay enough in bribe money to show you they have a better product.

[revjimk]

One more naive question: What does "doping" actually do to a tire? Softer? More traction? Last longer?

[badcoupe]

It’s a really big deal in the karts and I know the kart shop by me has flavors of juice. Some to help keep them from sealing off on a dry slick track some for more heavy tracks etc. They freeze them then turn them on a lathe etc spring rate them, pretty involved process