High speeds contribute to Tony Stewart's Indy tire test accident

   Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing, said driver Tony Stewart was running speeds as much as a second faster than norm when he blew a tire during a test earlier this week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

   “Like a lot of race tracks we’ve been to this year with this new car package, it appears the race pace can be significantly faster than it’s been in the past,” he said.

   “It appears that increased, sustained speed over that run generated a significant amount of heat, which eventually caused the right-front to go down (on Stewart’s car). Those are the condition we have to consider in making the right decisions for the race.”

   Asked Friday afternoon about the cause of his accident, Stewart said he wasn't sure. "I’ve asked them what the cause of it was, but that’s part of tire testing," he said. "That’s why you go to the test. I’m sure they’ll learn something from it and go on.” 

   Goodyear will continue to talk to the Indianapolis test teams and review the data from the session to come up with its final recommendation in the next week. Goodyear also has tire tests planned at Richmond, Va. (July 8-9) and Homestead, Fla. (Aug. 26).