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Newman: NASCAR Bears Responsibility

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The Associated Press

Published: July 31, 2008

PITTSFORD, N.Y. - NASCAR's apology went only so far with driver Ryan Newman, who held the governing body responsible for the tire fiasco that ruined the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the weekend.

"NASCAR has the ultimate responsibility," Newman said Wednesday at Bills training camp. "They are the Barnum and Bailey. They know what's going on in the center ring. And if they put a tiger out there that's going to bite somebody, then that's their responsibility."

He was careful to say he wasn't referring to NASCAR as being a circus in voicing his frustrations about a stop-and-go race in which the longest run under green was 13 laps. What troubled Newman, who is from Indiana, is the problems occurred at Indy.

"Let's just say, there's 100 years of automobile racing there. And I bet going back to 19-0-whatever they didn't have tire problems," Newman said.

The trouble was blamed on a durability issue involving the compound of the tires Goodyear selected not being strong enough when combined with NASCAR's current car.

NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton issued an apology Tuesday: "I can't say how sorry we are and it's our responsibility being NASCAR that we don't go through this situation again."

Newman did say "it was big" of NASCAR to apologize, but criticized the governing body, Goodyear and track officials for failing to communicate.

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