Areaseven:
The '''tire wars''' is a term used to describe the different periods in [[NASCAR]] history where the [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company]] competed with different tire manufacturers as the sport's official tire supplier. The most notable of these business wars involved [[Hoosier Racing Tire]] from 1988 to 1989, and in 1994. Following Hoosier's departure in 1994, Goodyear has since become the exclusive tire supplier of NASCAR since 1997.<ref name="NASCAR.com"></ref><ref name="FOS"></ref><ref name="Racing-Reference"></ref><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"></ref>
==Earlier history==
When NASCAR was founded in 1948, its sole tire supplier at the time was the [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company]]. In [[1954 NASCAR Grand National Series|1954]], [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]] entered the sport and engaged in a tire war with Firestone for the next two decades.<ref name="FOS"/> In response to the deaths of [[Jimmy Pardue]] and [[Billy Wade (racing driver)|Billy Wade]], both Goodyear and Firestone started manufacturing the "Inner Liner Safety Spare" - also known in NASCAR as "Lifeguard", which was a second envelope inside the tire that prevented instantaneous deflating and allowed drivers to return to pit road after experiencing tire failure. Controversy erupted at [[Talladega Superspeedway]]'s debut race in 1969, when drivers experienced tire failures during practice, resulting in Firestone withdrawing from the race and [[Richard Petty]] led a driver walkout over safety concerns.<ref></ref> Both tire manufacturers claimed race victories and speed records until Firestone withdrew from NASCAR in [[1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1974]].<ref name="Race Line Central"></ref>
In [[1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1978]], the McCreary Tire & Rubber Company entered NASCAR. Despite [[J. D. McDuffie]] winning the pole at [[Dover International Speedway|Dover]] with their tires, McCreary never won a race and quickly exited the sport. This left Goodyear as the sole tire supplier of NASCAR until [[Hoosier Racing Tire|Hoosier]] entered the [[NASCAR Xfinity Series|Busch Grand National Series]] in 1987.<ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/><ref name="Race Line Central"/>
==Goodyear vs. Hoosier (1988–1989)==
In 1986, NASCAR was worried when Goodyear faced a hostile takeover that potentially threatened the manufacturer's racing program.<ref></ref><ref></ref> Because of this, NASCAR invited Hoosier as a backup plan.<ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
In [[1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1988]], Hoosier entered the [[Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series|Winston Cup Series]].<ref name="NASCAR.com"/> Hoosier gained an early advantage at the second race of the season at [[Toyota Owners 400|Richmond]], where [[Morgan Shepherd]] took the pole and [[Neil Bonnett]] won the race and at [[Subway 400|Rockingham]] two weeks later using Hoosiers. During the season, NASCAR allowed teams to switch between Goodyear and Hoosier tires. Teams learned that Hoosiers were softer and faster while Goodyears were more durable and safer. Because of this, Goodyear spent money on developing a faster tire. The tire war took its toll on several drivers, who were injured from accidents caused by tire failures. The most notable of these incidents was during the [[1988 Coca-Cola 600]]. Goodyear withdrew their tires after practice when it was discovered that their compound was too soft for the track; as a result, all drivers except [[Dave Marcis]] switched to Hoosiers over safety concerns. The move proved disastrous in the race, as Hoosier tire failures resulted in crashes that injured Bonnett, [[Rick Wilson (racing driver)|Rick Wilson]], and [[Harry Gant]]. Despite this setback, Hoosier rebounded when [[Bill Elliott]] drove the tires to victory lane at the [[Coke Zero Sugar 400|1988 Firecracker 400 at Daytona]]. Goodyear was dealt a major blow at [[Gander Outdoors 400|Pocono]] when their tires were disqualified for being too wide on their treads, resulting in the manufacturer missing a NASCAR race since the [[Bojangles' Southern 500|1956 Southern 500]].<ref name="Junior Johnson"></ref><ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
In [[1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1989]], Goodyear planned to roll out its new [[radial tires]] at the [[1989 Daytona 500|Daytona 500]] to prove their superiority to Hoosier's [[Tire#Bias|bias-ply]] tires. However, when [[Dale Earnhardt]] and Elliott experienced tire failures during practice, with Elliott sustaining a broken wrist, Goodyear withdrew all radial tires from Daytona. This setback gave Hoosier a major head start, when [[Darrell Waltrip]] drove on Hoosiers to win the Daytona 500. Hoosier dominated the first four races of the season, with [[Rusty Wallace]]'s win at the [[Toyota Owners 400|1989 Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond]] eventually becoming the tire manufacturer's final win of the season. Goodyear's radial tires made their debut at the [[First Union 400|1989 First Union 400]] at [[North Wilkesboro Raceway]]. While Wallace won the pole on Hoosiers, but he was lapped by the lead cars by lap 70. Using the Goodyear radials' high durability to his advantage, Earnhardt won the race. This was the death blow for Hoosier, who left NASCAR after the [[GEICO 500|1989 Winston 500 at Talladega]] when they could not sell enough tires to be economically viable.<ref name="NASCAR.com"/><ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
==Goodyear vs. Hoosier II (1994)==
Hoosier returned to the Busch Grand National Series in 1991. Three days after the end of the [[1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1993 season]], Hoosier announced their return to the Winston Cup Series in [[1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1994]] with their radial tires.<ref name="NASCAR.com"/><ref name="Racing-Reference"/> The company's return was marred by the deaths of Bonnett and [[Rodney Orr]] in separate crashes during practice for the [[1994 Daytona 500]], as both drivers used Hoosiers on their cars. Because of this, the media was quick to blame Hoosier for the deaths. Hoosier decided to release all concerned drivers from their contracts and encouraged them to switch to Goodyear. In addition, NASCAR set a rule allowing drivers to switch tire brands within the first 40 laps of the race.<ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
An independent investigation by the ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]'' revealed a faulty right-rear shock absorber mounting bracket as the cause of Orr's crash and that the Hoosiers met all safety regulations. This was also theorized to be the cause of Bonnett's death, though no official cause of his crash was announced.<ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
Hoosier claimed 12 poles in the 1994 season, including the inaugural [[1994 Brickyard 400|Brickyard 400]] by [[Rick Mast]]. [[Geoff Bodine]] won four races with Hoosier, including the [[1994 The Winston|The Winston]]. But like the 1988 season, both tire manufacturers saw catastrophic failures on their products. [[Ernie Irvan]] suffered near-fatal head, chest, and lung injuries in a practice crash at [[Consumers Energy 400|Michigan]] after one of his Goodyears blew and sent him colliding with the turn two wall. Geoff Bodine and [[Loy Allen Jr.]] experienced horrifying crashes at the season-ending [[Folds of Honor Quicktrip 500|Atlanta race]] due to their Hoosiers failing. [[Mark Martin]], who won the Atlanta race, blasted the tire war, saying: "We need one tire company. Then we would have the tire at each track that we need. I'm really proud I lived to talk about the '94 tire war. It's not worth it man."<ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
The day after the end of the 1994 season, Hoosier left NASCAR for good, citing high production costs, stiff competition, and the lack of driver support. This marked the end of the tire wars.<ref name="Rubber News"></ref><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
==Aftermath==
Hoosier became the official tire supplier of the [[ARCA Racing Series]] in 1995.<ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
In April 1997, Goodyear officially became the exclusive tire supplier of NASCAR; this deal was subsequently extended until 2022. This was seen as a measure to prevent another tire war. However, in late 2006, when Goodyear workers went on strike, NASCAR once again approached Hoosier and proposed a backup plan for the [[2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series|2007 season]]. The plan fell through after the strike ended.<ref name="NASCAR.com"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
==References==
[[Category:History of NASCAR]]
[[Category:NASCAR controversies]]
[[Category:Business rivalries]]
==Earlier history==
When NASCAR was founded in 1948, its sole tire supplier at the time was the [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company]]. In [[1954 NASCAR Grand National Series|1954]], [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]] entered the sport and engaged in a tire war with Firestone for the next two decades.<ref name="FOS"/> In response to the deaths of [[Jimmy Pardue]] and [[Billy Wade (racing driver)|Billy Wade]], both Goodyear and Firestone started manufacturing the "Inner Liner Safety Spare" - also known in NASCAR as "Lifeguard", which was a second envelope inside the tire that prevented instantaneous deflating and allowed drivers to return to pit road after experiencing tire failure. Controversy erupted at [[Talladega Superspeedway]]'s debut race in 1969, when drivers experienced tire failures during practice, resulting in Firestone withdrawing from the race and [[Richard Petty]] led a driver walkout over safety concerns.<ref></ref> Both tire manufacturers claimed race victories and speed records until Firestone withdrew from NASCAR in [[1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1974]].<ref name="Race Line Central"></ref>
In [[1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1978]], the McCreary Tire & Rubber Company entered NASCAR. Despite [[J. D. McDuffie]] winning the pole at [[Dover International Speedway|Dover]] with their tires, McCreary never won a race and quickly exited the sport. This left Goodyear as the sole tire supplier of NASCAR until [[Hoosier Racing Tire|Hoosier]] entered the [[NASCAR Xfinity Series|Busch Grand National Series]] in 1987.<ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/><ref name="Race Line Central"/>
==Goodyear vs. Hoosier (1988–1989)==
In 1986, NASCAR was worried when Goodyear faced a hostile takeover that potentially threatened the manufacturer's racing program.<ref></ref><ref></ref> Because of this, NASCAR invited Hoosier as a backup plan.<ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
In [[1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1988]], Hoosier entered the [[Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series|Winston Cup Series]].<ref name="NASCAR.com"/> Hoosier gained an early advantage at the second race of the season at [[Toyota Owners 400|Richmond]], where [[Morgan Shepherd]] took the pole and [[Neil Bonnett]] won the race and at [[Subway 400|Rockingham]] two weeks later using Hoosiers. During the season, NASCAR allowed teams to switch between Goodyear and Hoosier tires. Teams learned that Hoosiers were softer and faster while Goodyears were more durable and safer. Because of this, Goodyear spent money on developing a faster tire. The tire war took its toll on several drivers, who were injured from accidents caused by tire failures. The most notable of these incidents was during the [[1988 Coca-Cola 600]]. Goodyear withdrew their tires after practice when it was discovered that their compound was too soft for the track; as a result, all drivers except [[Dave Marcis]] switched to Hoosiers over safety concerns. The move proved disastrous in the race, as Hoosier tire failures resulted in crashes that injured Bonnett, [[Rick Wilson (racing driver)|Rick Wilson]], and [[Harry Gant]]. Despite this setback, Hoosier rebounded when [[Bill Elliott]] drove the tires to victory lane at the [[Coke Zero Sugar 400|1988 Firecracker 400 at Daytona]]. Goodyear was dealt a major blow at [[Gander Outdoors 400|Pocono]] when their tires were disqualified for being too wide on their treads, resulting in the manufacturer missing a NASCAR race since the [[Bojangles' Southern 500|1956 Southern 500]].<ref name="Junior Johnson"></ref><ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
In [[1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1989]], Goodyear planned to roll out its new [[radial tires]] at the [[1989 Daytona 500|Daytona 500]] to prove their superiority to Hoosier's [[Tire#Bias|bias-ply]] tires. However, when [[Dale Earnhardt]] and Elliott experienced tire failures during practice, with Elliott sustaining a broken wrist, Goodyear withdrew all radial tires from Daytona. This setback gave Hoosier a major head start, when [[Darrell Waltrip]] drove on Hoosiers to win the Daytona 500. Hoosier dominated the first four races of the season, with [[Rusty Wallace]]'s win at the [[Toyota Owners 400|1989 Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond]] eventually becoming the tire manufacturer's final win of the season. Goodyear's radial tires made their debut at the [[First Union 400|1989 First Union 400]] at [[North Wilkesboro Raceway]]. While Wallace won the pole on Hoosiers, but he was lapped by the lead cars by lap 70. Using the Goodyear radials' high durability to his advantage, Earnhardt won the race. This was the death blow for Hoosier, who left NASCAR after the [[GEICO 500|1989 Winston 500 at Talladega]] when they could not sell enough tires to be economically viable.<ref name="NASCAR.com"/><ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
==Goodyear vs. Hoosier II (1994)==
Hoosier returned to the Busch Grand National Series in 1991. Three days after the end of the [[1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1993 season]], Hoosier announced their return to the Winston Cup Series in [[1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|1994]] with their radial tires.<ref name="NASCAR.com"/><ref name="Racing-Reference"/> The company's return was marred by the deaths of Bonnett and [[Rodney Orr]] in separate crashes during practice for the [[1994 Daytona 500]], as both drivers used Hoosiers on their cars. Because of this, the media was quick to blame Hoosier for the deaths. Hoosier decided to release all concerned drivers from their contracts and encouraged them to switch to Goodyear. In addition, NASCAR set a rule allowing drivers to switch tire brands within the first 40 laps of the race.<ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
An independent investigation by the ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]'' revealed a faulty right-rear shock absorber mounting bracket as the cause of Orr's crash and that the Hoosiers met all safety regulations. This was also theorized to be the cause of Bonnett's death, though no official cause of his crash was announced.<ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
Hoosier claimed 12 poles in the 1994 season, including the inaugural [[1994 Brickyard 400|Brickyard 400]] by [[Rick Mast]]. [[Geoff Bodine]] won four races with Hoosier, including the [[1994 The Winston|The Winston]]. But like the 1988 season, both tire manufacturers saw catastrophic failures on their products. [[Ernie Irvan]] suffered near-fatal head, chest, and lung injuries in a practice crash at [[Consumers Energy 400|Michigan]] after one of his Goodyears blew and sent him colliding with the turn two wall. Geoff Bodine and [[Loy Allen Jr.]] experienced horrifying crashes at the season-ending [[Folds of Honor Quicktrip 500|Atlanta race]] due to their Hoosiers failing. [[Mark Martin]], who won the Atlanta race, blasted the tire war, saying: "We need one tire company. Then we would have the tire at each track that we need. I'm really proud I lived to talk about the '94 tire war. It's not worth it man."<ref name="Racing-Reference"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
The day after the end of the 1994 season, Hoosier left NASCAR for good, citing high production costs, stiff competition, and the lack of driver support. This marked the end of the tire wars.<ref name="Rubber News"></ref><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
==Aftermath==
Hoosier became the official tire supplier of the [[ARCA Racing Series]] in 1995.<ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
In April 1997, Goodyear officially became the exclusive tire supplier of NASCAR; this deal was subsequently extended until 2022. This was seen as a measure to prevent another tire war. However, in late 2006, when Goodyear workers went on strike, NASCAR once again approached Hoosier and proposed a backup plan for the [[2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series|2007 season]]. The plan fell through after the strike ended.<ref name="NASCAR.com"/><ref name="Racing-Reference 2"/>
==References==
[[Category:History of NASCAR]]
[[Category:NASCAR controversies]]
[[Category:Business rivalries]]
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