Unhappy Gordon

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Stewart, Kahne, Sadler picked for Indy tire test


Unhappy Gordon passed over by Goodyear for fourth time this year


AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Jeff Gordon is 0-for-4 when it comes to getting selected for tire tests this season, and he is far from happy about it.

Sources in the NASCAR garage said that Goodyear would use Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler to test tires at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday and Tuesday

It is the fourth such test for Goodyear this season. The tire manufacturer also had closed tests at Atlanta, Texas and Charlotte.

Being picked for tire tests is becoming increasingly competitive, as NASCAR rules limit testing to just six tracks.

"I would like to get a call from Goodyear to do a tire test because they haven't called us to test for a while," Gordon said. "I feel like we have paid the price a little bit.

"We have called them and asked them why we aren't tire testing. It is a huge advantage these days with the limited amount of testing we get -- especially if they go to a racetrack where we don't get to test."

Despite Gordon's concerns, drivers that have been picked for tire tests did not fare well in the actual race. Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards tested for Goodyear at Atlanta, but neither went on to finish on the lead lap.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bobby Labonte were picked to test at Texas. Labonte finished 10th and Earnhardt placed 12th.

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Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler will test for Goodyear next week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leaving Jeff Gordon wondering what he has to do to get selected for one of the sessions.

The Indy test will be the fourth Goodyear session this year. Although their purpose is to help the tire manufacturer select which compounds to use at that track, the sessions create extremely valuable track time for the teams.

“I would like to get a call from Goodyear to do a tire test because they haven’t called us to test for a while,” Gordon said. “I feel like we have paid the price a little bit. We have called them and asked them why we aren’t tire testing.”

Hendrick Motorsports officials aren’t sure when Gordon, a four-time series champion, last participated in a tire test but feel confident he did not participate in one in 2005.

Rick Heinrich, product manager for Goodyear, said the tire company was not intentionally excluding Gordon from tests.

“We definitely look for drivers who are fast, give good feedback and are good at the track we are testing, and he’s good just about everywhere,” Heinrich said. “He’s certainly good everywhere and someone we would want to be included in a test.”

But who Goodyear wants isn’t always enough.

Goodyear tries to spread the tests out to as many teams as possible, get at least one representative of every car model, and often takes input from NASCAR. For example, NASCAR doesn’t want drivers competing in the Chase for the championship to participate in a tire test because it gives them an advantage over the rest of the title contenders.

Jimmie Johnson, Gordon’s teammate, was recently involved in the tire test in Charlotte, N.C., which makes getting Gordon to one a lesser priority for Goodyear because they don’t want to include a Hendrick team every time.