INDIANAPOLIS — The heated tire wars have long faded at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, those days when manufacturers — BFGoodrich, Michelin, Dunlop, Palmer Cordwere, Firestone, Goodyear — were in a high stakes, fierce, research, design and development battle to dominate at the Indianapolis 500.
The tire wars ended in 2000 when Firestone was chosen as the sole tire provider for IndyCar, a deal crafted to ensure fairness in racing standards, and a decision based on Firestone’s long and successful history at IMS.
Firestone tires have won 76 of of the 89 Indianapolis 500s they’ve raced. That’s more than double all the other manufacturers combined. And since 1909, when Firestone first put rubber to the track, those tires have come a long way.
Sunday, as 33 drivers take off on their 500-mile journeys, on a mission to take the checkered flag, they will be riding on four, handmade pieces of art.
Inside the 2026 Indy 500 tire: ‘Like baking brownies in a flat pan’
Firestone can produce 32,000 passenger and commercial tires a day. It makes just 32,000 racing tires each year, says Pat Caporali with Firestone Racing.
“So just to give you an idea, passenger tires, they’ve got their process,” Caporali says. “Racing tires, they’re made by hand. It’s an art form.”
Of those 32,000 racing tires Firestone makes each year, 5,000 are for the Indy 500. Each team is given 31 sets, 124 tires.
“And the race tires are actually artisan made,” Caporali says. “Our Firestone chief engineer Cara Krstolic describes it like baking brownies in a flat pan. It’s actually flat …. so that’s what’s incredible about the consistency of it. The quality control is amazing.”
After every race, the scientists and engineers at Firestone go to work to tweak their racing tire formula.
This year’s tires, for instance, have recycled steel bead wire in all right-side tires and two monomers (a tiny chemical ingredient that helps create the rubber) made from palm oil waste residue. Each year, Firestone tries to make the tires more and more sustainable, Caporali says.
Each Indy 500 tire is specifically engineered for each position on the Indy car — all four tires are different — with compound and construction combinations to meet the specific demands at IMS.
Creating an IndyCar tire is part recipe, part intense scientific endeavor.
Space travel or IndyCar racing more complicated?
Caporali once asked a question to an engineer who had worked with Apollo space machines, which were developed by NASA to land humans on the moon.
“I said, ‘So, what’s more complicated? Space travel, like rocket science, or IndyCar racing?'” she says. “And he goes, ‘Oh, hands down, IndyCar racing. And that was not the answer I was looking for.'”
Then he explained it. In space, everything happens in a vacuum, so as long as the math is right, everything should go as planned. There’s no outside interference. There’s no unknown.
In racing, there are so many variables.
“And that’s when I thought,” Caporali says. “I should be paying more attention to the tires.”
At the Indy 500, tires are the single, most crucial link between the cars going more than 230 miles and the asphalt of the track — grip through turns, race strategy, swapping tires and the wear that changes a car’s balance.
And Firestone has been at the forefront of mastering race tire performance from the beginning.
IMS: A proving ground to test tires
Harvey Firestone founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber company in Akron, Ohio, in August 1900 with 12 employees and a vision to make tires for carriages and buggies. The company eventually revolutionized the automotive and racing industry.
By 1909, when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened, it was the perfect proving ground to test tires, Caporali says.
Harvey connected with Barney Oldfield, who was known for speed, the Mario Andretti of that time. Oldfield won the first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 300-mile race in 1909, and the legacy began.
As other tire manufacturers came and went at IMS, Firestone was the one who stood the test of time.
What happens to an Indy 500 tire?
Inside Gasoline Alley, more than 100 years later, teams bring their wheels to the Firestone garage where the tires are put onto the wheels using mounting and balancing machines. Then, the tires are stacked.
“So Sunday morning, you’ll see a nice line of tires,” Caporali says. “Then the teams will come pick them up.”
When the teams are done with a set of tires, they bring them back to the Firestone garage. There is a barcode on every single tire to keep track.
After the race has ended, and all the tires are returned, they are recycled and used for sports fields, golf courses and more.
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 tires, the crucial link between asphalt and speed are made by hand
