Atlanta tires? No grip, drivers say, and they're worried about Sunday's 500

  

  
Greg Biffle: where's the grip? (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)

  

    By Mike Mulhern
    mikemulhern.net

   ATLANTA
   Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle say they have been surprised by the lap of grip in the tires at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
   "We did the tire test, and we were so fast it was almost too fast," Biffle said. "We were running 29.50s (187.9 mph), and 29.30s (189.2 mph) in race trim, which is phenomenally fast around this track.
   "But when we showed up today there was no grip.
   "It's just unbelievable.  The car was just slipping and sliding all over the place.
   "I'm a little bit miffed on how we were that far off."
   Gordon agreed: "There was no grip at all, which surprised me, because we'd heard this tire would have more grip. But then it was 50 degrees when they tested, and it's 90 degrees today.
   "We may have tire issues, but I don't think we'll have wear issues. This is going to be a white-knuckle, hold-on kind of race….and I'm excited about that.
   "This track may be the most difficult track in the world to build a tire for."
   Biffle, though, isn't pleased at the moment: "I'm not real, real happy with the way my car is driving.
   "I'm a little bit frustrated and don't understand."