Before manufacturing wars were common in NASCAR during the 1980s, tire companies battled for supremacy. On one side of the ring, you had Goodyear, a long-trusted partner for NASCAR, and newcomer Hoosier on the other. The latter wanted to disrupt the tire market in NASCAR, which was solely controlled by a single company.

Out of all the drivers, Geoff Bodine was the one who made the most out of running the Hoosier tries during the races. Now it is tough to get the stories of the epic tire war from the past, but Bodine signed up for Q&A sessions with fans. And, let’s just say he did more than enough to expose how brutally his racing career got affected in the aftermath of the tire wars.

Geoff Bodine believes Goodyear sabotaged his races for siding with Hoosier

In 1988, a relatively smaller tire company based out of Lakeville, Indiana, entered the NASCAR Cup Series races. The company was founded by Robert Newton and Joyce Newton. NASCAR had no issues with the teams choosing between the Hoosier and Goodyear, and teams started to learn that Hoosier had softer and faster tires. At the end of the 1988 season, the small tire company helped teams win 9 races. And this was enough to wake up the sleeping giant, Goodyear.

After a two-year stint, Hoosier returned to NASCAR in 1944; this time, they had contracts with drivers to run their tires. Geoff Bodine, who sided with Hoosier, certainly made the most of this tire war as he would rack up 12 pole positions along with three wins in 1994. However, tragedy marred the exit of Hoosier from the NASCAR scene.

Neil Bonnett lost his life when his car suddenly swerved out of control, coming through the steeply banked Turn 4 during the first practice for the Daytona 500 and hit the wall nearly head-on. Just three days later during the second qualifying, Rodney Orr also passed away when his car went out of control, flipped on Turn 2, and smashed into the concrete wall. Unfortunately, the deaths of Neil Bonnett and Rodney Orr, who were driving on Hoosier, proved costly for them, and they announced their exit from NASCAR.

And now that Goodyear had gained its top spot back, there were rumors about the company sabotaging the drivers that had sided with their rivals. Dale Jr. wanted to know if these rumors had any basis or not and asked Bodine during a Reddit AMA session. “Y’all ask him if he thinks Goodyear really conspired against him after his stint with Hoosier.”

To which the veteran driver responded, “Dale, I really know that they conspired against me for running Hoosier Tires. I know you have a copy of my book, and it explains what and how Goodyear did what they did, and it explains how Bill France Jr. told me to run the Hoosier Tires in 1994 and how he never told Goodyear that HE told me to run them. And when he did tell Goodyear that it was his idea, for me to run the Hoosiers, Goodyear changed all the tires they’d already mounted for me and mounted up all new, different tires.”

Interestingly, after Hoosier’s departure from NASCAR, Geoff Bodine was only able to clinch a single race win across five full-time seasons until 1999. And well, looking at the current state of tires and how it’s shaping up racing in the Next Gen era, an entry of another Hoosier might bring out better results.

Can Goodyear tires improve short-track racing?

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What is interesting is that the current short-track package is lacking with Hoosier tires provided. Quick and softer tires wear off quickly. Well, those of you who have been following the 2024 season might know the predicament NASCAR is in with the short-track package. Of course, there was this surprising tire wear race early in the year at Bristol. But as it turns out, it was just a one-off race.

Lack of passing opportunity and little to no tire wear has forced the teams to prioritize track position over actual racing. Strategies are out the window. Especially with the Next Gen car, as the field is packed up close to each other. There are concerns about the future of short tracks, as stale racing has led to some of the good tracks getting a boot from NASCAR.

Richmond Raceway lost a race for the 2025 schedule, whereas more road courses and mile-and-a-half tracks are being prioritized. There’s been an outcry by veteran drivers like Dale Jr. and Denny Hamlin to fix the short-track racing before it is too late. “I do not see short-track racing surviving this if they don’t find some solution. And it’s not out of the question to think that in just a few years the Martinsville and the Bristols are going to be really hanging on.” Dale Jr. said this on his podcast.

NASCAR is trying to experiment with Goodyear on developing a softer tire for short tracks. The Martinsville playoff race did feature the new compound, but it’s hard to say it is going to solve the current problems entirely.