Why Do They Scrap Tires Using Fire in NASCAR?
Follow Us
If you’re a NASCAR fan, you must’ve come across the visuals of a pit crew member taking a fire torch, burning the tire, and using a knife to scrape off the rubber. It is a fascinating thing to watch indeed.
But this is also something that makes one wonder, “Why are they doing what they’re doing?”
Well, there’s a reason. A very solid reason that has something to do with the phenomenon of ‘tire wear’ or tire degradation, a big big enemy of all racecar drivers and teams in all motorsports.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
View this post on Instagram
WATCH STORY: NASCAR Drivers with the most Daytona 500 wins
Why do NASCAR pit crews heat and scrape the used tires?
To put it simply, the pit crews heat and scrape the tires in order to determine the amount of rubber that’s actually left on the tire. This is because after a tire has been run, be it during the race through a pit stop or after the race, it has all kinds of debris on its surface that it collects since it’s hot.
So the pit crews simply take it off to check how much actual rubber is left.
#4 tire specialist scraping @KevinHarvick #jimmyjohns @GoodyearRacing #NASCAR scuffs. Looks good from what I can tell pic.twitter.com/wFxWTGf2j4
— Kris Kienzl (@ImKrisK) September 14, 2014
This was something that one of Joe Gibbs Racing’s pit crew members also explained in a video.
He described how each tire has five holes, and through the help of an instrument called tread depth gauge, they check the depth of each tire through these holes and get a number. This is done before the tire has been run.
Now, after it’s been run, they need to check the depth again, but at this point, the tire has picked up all kinds of debris. So what they do is they burn and scrape the junk, put the gauge in again, get a number and the difference is the actual tire wear.
What happens with the old tires?
Trending
Michael Jordans’ Entrepreneurial Drive Could Potentially Be the End of 23XI and Denny Hamlin’s Dream
May 02, 2024 10:39 AM EDT
Sister Kelley & Jordan Fish React as Dale Jr’s Wife Sends Heart-melting Message on Their Daughter’s Special Day
May 01, 2024 09:05 PM EDT
Denny Hamlin Reveals the Harsh Reality That Awaits NASCAR At the End of 2024 – “We Just Wouldn’t Show up”
May 02, 2024 06:55 AM EDT
Dale Earnhardt Jr Drops an Expletive Bomb as He Turns the Tables on Cup Teams Financial Outcry
May 03, 2024 08:19 AM EDT
6 Years After Retiring, Danica Patrick Hops Behind the Wheel and Fans Can’t Get Enough
April 29, 2024 06:43 PM EDT
Get instantly notified of the hottest NASCAR stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.
Follow Us
The amount of tires that are discarded, naturally, and unnaturally, after a race is quite overwhelming. This is simply because once a tire has been run, it’s of no use again.
So what does NASCAR do with its old tires?
They recycle them.
Liberty Tire Recycling is the official recycling partner of the sport that helps them not only in the process of recycling an old tire, but also to make sure its put to good use.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“It is a great use of what was a problematic waste,” said Tom Carter, the Vice President of alternative fuels for Liberty Tires. “Over the last three decades we have been able to produce products that consumers desire and that are making a difference.”
In a year, on average, the company recycles around 300,000 tires.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
That’s a lot of useless rubber.