June 13, 2005 - By the end of the Pocono 500, there were no less than 11 tire failures during the race. 5 failures by Ricky Rudd alone. Theres been a lot of talk over at Goodyear regarding this issue with the tires. Initially, it was thought to be just a few cars, suggesting a setup issue, but then as more and more cars were having problems and some complete failures, further investigation is warranted.
Most of the failures were on the left fronts which some felt that the inside rumble strips in turns 2 and 3 could be the culprit however those strips have been in place since the early 70's.
If your not familiar with the tires on the NASCAR cars, they run different compounds on the inners and outers. Usually the outers are a hard compound while the inners are a softer compound. And part of the way that the inners are made softer is with less of a sidewall, giving more flex to the tire which ultimately means it is more prone to failure.
Other factors such as tire pressure, camber, and driving style also play into the life of a tire. While some crews had multiple failures in this race, others did not suggesting that it may be a combination of many things.