That proposed new 17-inch NASCAR Goodyear? Well, upon further review......

  Jack Roush says forget that 17-inch tire, because it will never run a lap in competition (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
  

   By Mike Mulhern
   mikemulhern.net

   FONTANA, Calif.
   That new, larger 17-inch NASCAR racing Goodyear?
   No time table yet, Goodyear and NASCAR say.
   In fact NASCAR seems a bit testy about the whole thing, for some reason.
   Dale Inman, Richard Petty's crew chief for most of his 200 NASCAR victories, and now still a key player in the George Gillett-owned Richard Petty Motorsports operation: "They say it's not coming until 2011, so I'm not worrying about it right now."
   And, well, there is apparently more than just a little behind-the-scenes debate about it, to listen to car owner Jack Roush.
   Goodyear just tested it on the track, at Richmond, for the first time officially, with two NASCAR teams, both out of the Roush Ford camp.
   And Goodyear's Stu Grant says the results were positive, and more testing is planned, with Roush on the point.
   But listen to Roush's own reaction to the prospect of racing a new, larger tire:
   "There is no 17-inch tire coming….and you can quote me on that.
   "It would be too expensive….it's unnecessary…
   "There is maybe only one tire company in the world that could do that, as seen by me.
   "And based on my conversations with NASCAR, I don't think there is any 17-inch tire coming.
   "The things that Goodyear is learning through the 17-inch-tire excusion, or experiment, is intended to benefit the tires we have today."
   Yes, Roush confirms he is Goodyear's lead in this program. "But there is no 17-inch tire in our future," Roush insists. 
   And what does four-time champ Jeff Gordon think about this new tire? "I haven't had a chance to talk to anybody about the test. I don’t even know what their goal is, other than, I would think, they’re just trying to figure out a way of getting the compounds to where we have a little more grip in the car mechanically and it doesn’t abuse the shoulder of the tire as much. I really haven't had a chance to talk to them about what they're trying to accomplish."

  But legendary crew chief Dale Inman (R) says the 17-inch tire may be on NASCAR stockers in 2011 (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)