Stewart lets loose on NASCAR's tire manufacturer. Again.

There are just some things in life you can count on, you know? Old Faithful, birds flying south for the winter, and Tony Stewart going off on Goodyear.

And while it's true that you never know exactly when Stewart's gonna blow, you know he is -- and really, the real pleasure is in the anticipation. So count me slightly disappointed to find that we're not even one race into the season before old Smoke took some pointed shots at the exclusive tire supplier of NASCAR.

Sure, Stewart's got reason to be pissed: he and his teammate/employee Ryan Newman wrecked in Saturday's final practice for the season-opening Daytona 500 when Newman's right-rear tire shredded. Stewart, drafting Newman, was caught up in the crash; both drivers are forced to go to their backup cars, meaning they start from the back of the field (Stewart had been scheduled to start fifth; Newman 36th). 

"Same stuff that we always talk about every year is the failures that Goodyear has," Stewart told reporters in the garage. "I think that's part of their marketing campaign. The more we talk about it, the more press they get. I think they forget that it's supposed to be in a good way, not a bad way." 

While Stewart's anger and his routinely sharp comments make for good copy, and while it's a safe bet we will replay this scene a few times this year, this is just about the last thing Stewart and his brand-new team needs right about now. Of course, you can be damn sure NASCAR's even more unhappy about this: the absolute last thing the sport needs in this climate is a replay of last summer's Brickyard.

In other words, Stewart and Newman aren't the only ones hoping like hell Goodyear has it's act together.