Is there tire tampering in NASCAR?

Jeff Gluck | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption Tempers will flare at Martinsville Jeff Gluck of USA TODAY Sports discusses the upcoming NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Are some race teams drilling tiny holes in their tires?

The rumor that's been floating around the NASCAR garage is a hot topic this weekend, as NASCAR reminded crew chiefs Friday morning in a safety meeting that any funny business with the tires would receive a harsh penalty.

Drilling holes could help the tires maintain more consistent pressure throughout a run, affecting speeds.

The focus has centered around the Stewart-Haas Racing cars of reigning Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch as well as some of the Richard Childress Racing cars.

NASCAR took tires from race-winner Harvick and Team Penske's Joey Logano after Phoenix International Raceway.

Last week at Auto Club Speedway, tires were taken from Harvick, Busch and RCR's Ryan Newman and Paul Menard. Harvick and Busch were in contention for the win until late debris cautions and pit stops thwarted their strategies.

Nothing was found after Phoenix, but NASCAR sent the tires from ACS to an independent facility for testing after they were examined at the Research and Development Center. Results are still pending from the third-party test.

NASCAR rarely takes tires back to its R&D Center, but has said it is doing a normal "audit" the last two weeks. Goodyear is not involved in the evaluation of the confiscated tires.

Harvick has finished first or second in the past eight races. Crew chief Rodney Childers told USA TODAY Sports the No. 4 team is not cheating.

"You look at the speed we've had and you've got to say, 'Well, what have they got different than us?' A lot of people feel like they're working hard on their cars and they have good cars, but they're just trying to catch up."

If a team is caught noodling with tires, the penalties could be harsh.

A tire violation like the rumored tampering would likely be a P5 penalty under NASCAR's deterrence system.

The rulebook says a P5 includes "effecting, modifying and/or altering the standard tires in any way, other than through authorized means."

A P5 penalty could include the loss of 50 points, a $75,000-$125,000 fine, a six-race suspension and probation.

Two Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs also addressed the issue Friday. No Hendrick teams have had tires taken for audit.

"There's a lot of smoke around that, right?" Jeff Gordon crew chief Alan Gustafson said of the tires. "There's a lot of talk, there's a lot of dialogue, there's a lot of rumors in the garage. So yeah, I think it's obvious some people think there is something going on.

"Is NASCAR reacting to that or do they feel uncomfortable with what's going on? I don't know that answer, but it's something that's at the forefront of a lot of people's minds."

Four-time champion Gordon agreed.

"It gets to this level, it's being done," Gordon said. "I do think there are teams (playing with tires). It's just not clear how it's being done."

Jimmie Johnson crew chief Chad Knaus said he sent a text – likely sarcastic – to Sprint Cup Series director Richard Buck that said "Hey man, can we poke holes in our tires? Is that OK?"

"He texted back, 'Absolutely not,'" Knaus said. "That's all I know."

Gustafson said poking holes in the tires would have a similar effect as the bleeder valves used at some local short tracks. Holes could help the tires maintain a consistent air pressure throughout the course of a run, since pressure builds as the tires heat up.

That's not a bad thing, except it's illegal and would provide an advantage if some teams are doing it and others aren't.

But detecting the tiny holes would be difficult.

Gustafson said it might just be better to make a legal way for teams to let air out of the tires during a race.

"I think that's the thing that's going to be tough for NASCAR – if this is going on as rumored, it's a very difficult thing to police," he said. "And the way to police it may to just be allow it through a more conventional tool like a bleeder."

Gordon agreed, saying bleeder valves could be a good solution in NASCAR.

Contributing: Mike Hembree

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck and Hembree @mikehembree







