First, it was engines. Then, it was titanium. Wait, maybe that is reversed. Regardless, the hot topic in Sprint Car racing the last two years — in both availability and cost — has been tires.
It’s been a rough couple of years for Hoosier Tire and Sprint Car teams across the country. The end result has been a chasm between the two sides and a public relations nightmare in pit areas across the country.
No doubt that will continue with the introduction of the new D15A right rear and D12A left rear for 2023. It’s coming in a little over a week, and Hoosier Tire is in a no-win situation when it comes to the distribution of the new paws heading into the much-anticipated World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series events in central Pennsylvania.
The eyes of the sport will be focused on the region. That’s what happens when the Outlaws come to town, and it will be magnified because of the new release of tires heading into the two-week campaign.
After tracking down an email sent to some of the professional teams, word started to leak out on the procedure for purchasing right and left rears for the swing. Reviews were mixed but looking at the verbiage and making a series of calls, it’s a lose-lose situation for the tire manufacturer despite the fact that they are doing the right thing from a competition standpoint.
Here’s how it’s going to work. Teams, local and national, will have to travel to Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic on March 8-9 to make their purchase. The time frame is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with teams encouraged to order in advance to make the process go smoother. Teams can’t buy tires from dealers during this stretch.
As for teams not able to make the trip to Finksburg, Md., they can order tires and pick them up at the track. Hoosier will have a truck at Port Royal on March 10 at noon, giving teams adequate time to purchase and mount tires. Dealers will not be handling the initial release of tires at the track.
On the surface, this seems cumbersome. However, it’s the best way to work through this process and put teams on equal footing heading into what could be a big weekend … weather permitting.
“We are working in tandem with Carlton [Reimers] at the World of Outlaws and Steve O’Neal at Port Royal,” said Neil Cowman, Oval Track Dirt Business Unit Manager for Hoosier. “We’re doing our best to release tires a couple of days in advance and release tires to everybody at the same time. That will give everyone who intends to run that first event at Port Royal a fair opportunity to get the tires at the same time.
“We didn’t want to release tires too early because of the concern of guys going to test and renting tracks. We are just trying to make it fair for everybody.”
Some might think that Cowman’s statement is a positive spin. They must not have been around in the late 90s, when Hoosier got into the game. Teams got tires early and lined up to test at some “Undisclosed location.”
According to one promoter, the current release process of the D15A and D12A is the best to date. A prominent driver in the region also stated that no matter what Hoosier does, it’s an unwinnable situation because of recent tensions.
I agree.
But consider this: What if the tires were released in a different manner and traveling or high-dollar local teams get their hands on the tires early? They will go to a track that night and start testing to get a leg up on the competition. It should be noted that the Outlaws are also encouraging tracks not to hold test sessions before the Port Royal event.
Any other process upsets the competitive balance, which many will agree is out of whack to begin with. There is no reason to add to that theory.
According to the email from Hoosier, teams can order a maximum of six D15A right rears and eight D12A left rears. You can also get two Medium right rears. Those numbers are also in place if you put in an order and pick it up at the track.
There is also a tire allocation on site at the track. If you don’t order tires or are looking for more, you can purchase one D15A right rear and two D12A left rears a night. These numbers are subject to change.
This process is expected to be in place for the two weekends the World of Outlaws are in the area. Once the series leaves, it’s expected that regular Hoosier dealers will take over the distribution, but that is up to the discretion of Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic.
“It’s not going to be perfect,” Cowman said. “We aren’t going to make everybody happy, but we are doing our best to roll this out and do it through Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic to give everybody a fair shake at getting tires. Once the tires are released and we get several weeks into the season, then I envision dealers getting involved to service the races and take care of everything.”
It’s easy to take a shot at Hoosier, especially with the rising costs. Emotions are high with owners, who seem to be dealing with rising costs across the board. Of course, it doesn’t help that every change that comes along has to be eaten by teams.
But in this case, Hoosier is doing the right thing. The playing field will be equal, and teams have every opportunity to get tires by making a short trip or by simply picking up the phone.