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NASCAR WCUP: Kenny Wallace expects Darlington to be hard on the new Goodyear tires

30 August 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

CHARLOTTE, N.C.--A hot topic this week amongst NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams is how will the new Goodyear tires perform in Sunday's Pepsi Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. While the tire has received mixed reviews from several Winston Cup squads, Kenny Wallace, driver of the Square D/Cooper Lighting Chevrolet, believes the subject is moot when preparing for the "Track Too Tough to Tame."

"I don't care what tire you bring to Darlington, the track is going to be hard on the rubber," said Wallace. "Any race track on the East Coast (Darlington and Rockingham, N.C.), because it's located near the ocean, is going to have asphalt with a lot of grit. The track surface at those venues will really tear the tires up. After we get 20 laps on any set of tires, all this hoopla won't matter. We'll still be slipping and sliding."

While Wallace appreciates any effort to increase the speed and durability of his Square D/Cooper Lighting Chevrolet, his racing team will focus on more than just the new Goodyear compound.

"This Darlington track demands a good chassis setup and use of all four tires equally," added Wallace. "The tire bill will be expensive this week. This weekend at the Pepsi Southern 500, we'll probably go through a dozen sets of tires. There's just nothing we can do because everyone is running hard all day long. The only things that will help is a strong chassis setup and wearing down all four tires evenly throughout the race."

Although engine woes regulated Wallace to a 35th place finish in this year's TranSouth Financial 400, the St. Louis native is very upbeat for Sunday's race. He believes his race car was better than where it finished last March. With three career top-10s to his credit at the Darlington Raceway, Wallace believes he will have a positive showing at 1.366-mile oval.

"The last time at Darlington, we were running strong," said Wallace. "What hurt us was a motor problem, but since then we've solved the motor dilemma and we're stronger in that department. With that said, I'm looking forward to returning to Darlington. It's one of my favorite tracks. The Pepsi Southern 500 is a legendary race that has been around for a long time. I've had some success there in 1998 when I finished with two top-10s. It's a challenging race track, but I like challenges.

"It's called the 'Track Too Tough to Tame' for a reason," continued Wallace. "A wall will jump up and get you at any time. You have to know what you're up against. It's very slippery and we run a foot from the wall. That's a dangerous combination."

Text provided by Chris Hunt

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