NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 24, 2026) – Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) today announced that Firestone Racing will usher in the 2026 INDYCAR season with Firehawk race tires. These tires demonstrate the power of the company’s sustainability-focused suite of technologies through the integration of Bridgestone global ENLITEN™ Technology., Both the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone will compete on Firehawk race tires beginning at this weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
While the Firestone brand celebrates 125 years, racing has been instrumental in the development of tires since the early 1900s. Firestone established its winning performance and quickly secured its place in history with Ray Harroun’s victory at the inaugural Indianapolis 500® in 1911.
Motorsport remains a vital proving ground for advanced materials and technologies, shaping innovations and tire development that extend far beyond the racetrack.
“Firestone Racing serves as a mobile lab to test and prove new technologies under the most extreme conditions,” said Lisa Boggs, Director, Bridgestone Americas Motorsports. “The integration of ENLITEN Technology is the next step in our commitment to no compromises, and sustainably focused technology through the use of cutting-edge materials.”
NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone 2026 Season
This season, the Firestone Race Tire Engineering (RTE) team will design, develop, and deliver approximately 37,000 Firestone Firehawk ENLITEN Technology race tires. Of that total, more than 32,000 race tires will be supplied to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. They span 60 different specifications to meet the diverse demands of oval, road, and street course configurations on the 18-race schedule.
The tire allotment also includes 5,000 tires across 18 different specifications, to support the next generation of drivers competing in INDY NXT by Firestone. These tires help provide critical driver development experience over a 17-race schedule and on a competitive platform closely aligned with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
ENLITEN Technology in INDYCAR
ENLITEN Technology is designed to deliver customized performance while promoting a focus on enhanced sustainability across the Bridgestone and Firestone tire portfolios. This includes consumer products, such as the new Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 V2 ultra-high performance summer tire, as well as commercial and race tires.
Firestone Firehawk primary and alternate race tires will incorporate key ENLITEN Technology components1, including:
- Renewable soybean oil: Replaces petroleum-based oils traditionally used in tire compounds
- Recycled steel: Used for the bead wire that anchors a race tire to a wheel
- Recycled carbon black: Reinforcement material recovered from end-of-life tires
Use of these materials helps improve resource efficiency and increased material circularity while meeting the rigorous performance demands of North America’s premier open-wheel racing series.
Evolution in Firestone Racing’s Sustainability Efforts
For the past three seasons, Firestone successfully proved the use of guayule-derived natural rubber in the sidewalls of alternate race tires on street circuits. Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 race tires also incorporated materials derived from hard-to-recycle plastics (2023) and palm oil waste residue (2024-25). The 2026 Firehawk Indy 500 race tire will once again feature two ISCC PLUS-certified monomers – butadiene and bio-styrene, produced from waste residue of palm oil processing – along with recycled steel bead wire.2
Efforts are also ongoing to advance end-of-life recycling initiatives for race tires, moving from energy generation to material circularity. Nearly 100% of the tires used in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone are recycled into new uses beyond the racetrack – including playground and sports surfaces, flooring and other rubber products.
Firestone Firehawk race tires are produced at the Bridgestone Advanced Tire Production Center (ATPC) in Akron, Ohio. Opened in 2022, the ATPC marked a new chapter in Firestone’s 125-year history in the community where it was founded. The Firestone RTE team collaborates closely with their colleagues at the nearby Bridgestone Americas Technology Center, where insights gained on track help enhance product development across the Bridgestone and Firestone tire portfolio.
1The specific ENLITEN technology attributes vary by tire product. Results may vary depending upon proper tire and vehicle maintenance, road conditions, and driving habits.
2These materials are certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) system for the transparency and traceability of sustainable raw materials throughout the supply chain. The recycled material is allocated using the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) mass balance approach. Find out more about ISCC PLUS certification at: http://www.iscc-system.org.
