By David Mirsky

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 7/29/08 — A few years ago, Michelin Tires were responsible for making the US Formula 1 Grand Prix, at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a true laugher in the sports world. It was considered a once in a life time occurrence. Only 6 cars out of 22 were entered in that race. Those other 16 cars refused to race, sighting that Michelin had brought inferior tires to the track, which were unsafe to use at speeds nearing 200 M.P.H. It cost Michelin hundreds of millions of dollars, not to mention the bad publicity it created for the past few years.

Well, Michelin is off the hook, and they have Good Year to thank for that. For this week’s NASCAR race, the Allstate 400 from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Good Year’s racing division had brought 800 racing tires to the track. Enough tires for everyone for the entire weekend. There was one problem. These tires were all marked for Pocono, a different race track altogether. Good Year had messed up badly. Good Year had done the unthinkable; they directly influenced the race, and its subsequent finish. The tires they had brought to the track this week were the worst. These tires were unable to handle the excessive speeds and down force to the cars. At 200 M.P.H., these tires would start to break apart.

Juan Pablo Montoya and Matt Kenseth were just 2 drivers that these inferior tires did in. So, the NASCAR brain trust came up with a plan. They decided to continue on with the race, but for safety sake, NASCAR rolled out the yellow flag every 10 to 12 laps, giving the opportunity to the drivers to enter the pit lane and change to fresh tires. This 400 mile race turned into a series of sprint races. It really didn’t matter who was leading the race, there was going to be a yellow flag every few laps…you were going to have to wait until the very last lap to figure out who was going to win.

As it turns out, Jimmie Johnson’s Chevrolet took only 2 tires on his final pit stop, allowing him to return to the race track before everyone else, and take the lead away from Dale Jr. among others, for the win. Carl Edwards finished in front of Elliot Sadler for 2^nd and 3^rd places respectively. Point leader, Kyle Busch finished in 15^th place, with Dale Jr. in 12^th.

This week’s Indy Car race was held in Edmonton, Canada. The Rexall Edmonton Indy Car Race on Saturday ran all of its 95 laps over the 1.97 mile road course with a minimal amount of attrition. Several cars kissed the tire barriers, crashing out of the race, without any injuries. Scott Dixon crossed the finish line first, followed by Helio Castroneves and Justin Wilson. Former series champion, Paul Tracy returned to racing after a hiatus, and finished fourth, making Saturday’s race a bit more interesting instead of the usual gang of top finishers. Ryan Briscoe won pole position. August 9^th is the next Indy Car race from the Kentucky Speedway.

Formula 1 returns on August 3^rd from Budapest, Hungary.