Bridgestone Americas Inc.'s new Firestone Firehawk race tire, which is made with guayule natural rubber, will debut at the Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge on May 27.
Firestone Firehawk alternate race tires made with guayule will make their competition debut Aug. 6-7 during the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tenn.
Bridgestone has invested more than $100 million in efforts to commercialize the use of guayule natural rubber.
The company recently received a federal grant to help advance its efforts to incorporate the desert plant into its products.
It operates a guayule processing and research center - plus a 281-acre guayule farm - in Arizona.
"Guayule is part of the Bridgestone plan to achieve carbon neutrality and make tires from 100% renewable materials by 2050," say Bridgestone officials.
