The NTT IndyCar Series has chosen Earth Day to announce a few new environmentally friendly initiatives that will be become part of the series in later this year.
Firestone, the series’ sole tire manufacturer, will be a big part of the changes by providing tires made with natural rubber sourced from alternative and renewable sources.
The main source of the rubber for the new tires will come from the guayule plant, which produces rubber in its stem, branches, and roots. The plant grows in the southeast United States and Mexico, and requires very little water to grow.
These tires will be used first during the Pit Stop Challenge on Carb Day just ahead of the Indianapolis 500, and then will be used as the alternate tire option at the upcoming Music City Grand Prix in August.
Firestone has stated that the new tires should be virtually identical to the traditional tires used today, and teams are not expected to have to adapt to the sustainable compound.
“This will be the most sustainable Indy 500 in our 100-plus year history,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President & CEO Mark Miles said.
“Moreover, through excellent coordination and teamwork with partners who are true innovators in this field, we’re moving IndyCar toward industry leadership when it comes to environmental awareness and impact.”
Other initiatives were also announced, including the intent that transportation trucks for all 26 full-time entries will use renewable diesel fuel to reduce travel-related emissions.
The truckloads of tires used for the Indy 500 will also be delivered from Firestone’s warehouse to the track via a Freightliner eCascadia electric semi-truck.
Fans attending the Indy 500 will also be given the chance to offset their own travel footprint via a contribution to the GreenTrees reforestation project.
Last year, the Indy 500 achieving 37 social and environmental standards of good practice and was certified at the Silver level by the Council for Responsible Sport.
Recent renovations to the track that included water-efficient sinks and extensive use of LED lighting have significantly reduced emissions generated by large events at the track, and more improvements are currently being worked on.
