The NTT IndyCar Series and Bridgestone Americas announced on Thursday that the racing series will continue to use Firestone tires for multiple years into the future.
America’s premiere open wheel series has been using Firestone tires exclusively for 25 years, and the extension of the partnership will see that exclusivity remain for the near future.
Both companies pointed to their mutual desires to develop and implement sustainable practices in all areas of motor racing.
Recent developments from Firestone have allowed the series to provide tires made in part from sustainable rubber sourced from the guayule plant, which grows in the American southwest among other places.
“At Bridgestone, motorsports are our passion – always have been and always will be,” said Paolo Ferrari, executive chairman and CEO, Bridgestone Americas.
“This is particularly true for our Firestone brand, which has been part of world-class racing since winning the first Indy 500 in 1911.
“We believe motorsports are the ultimate challenge for premium performance and a proving ground for advancing in our goals toward sustainable innovation. Our relationship with the NTT IndyCar Series has been a critical part of these efforts, and we are proud to keep driving forward together.”
In addition to providing tires to IndyCar, Firestone will also continue to provide tires to the IndyNXT by Firestone feeder series.
The final jumping block to top level open wheel racing in America has been sanctioned by IndyCar directly for the past couple years, and is considered one of the most successful feeder series programs in motorsports.
“Our relationship with the team at Bridgestone continues to set an industry standard for success and innovation,” said Roger Penske, chairman of Penske Corporation.
“Firestone has been a foundational partner for our sport, from the very first Indy 500 to now, playing an integral role in the development of the NTT IndyCar Series and its highly competitive racing. We’re extremely proud to carry this long-term partnership forward into a very exciting and productive future together.”
On a typical race weekend, Firestone will bring between 13 and 15 sets of tires per entry to the track, which totals over 1500 tires for 27 cars.
Each tire is mounted, balanced, and given to teams for their use throughout the event, and engineers are made available to monitor wear and ensure guidelines are being followed by the teams.
This week’s announcement was billed as a multi-year extension, though no specific timeline was given.
