Bridgestone’s Firestone Racing Brings ENLITEN Tech to INDYCAR Tires

Bridgestone Americas’ Firestone Racing is ushering in the 2026 INDYCAR season with Firehawk race tires that integrate Bridgestone global ENLITEN Technology. Beginning at this weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of  St. Petersburg, both the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone will compete on Firestone Firehawk ENLITEN Technology race tires.

This season, the Firestone Race Tire Engineering (RTE) team will design, develop and deliver approximately 37,000 Firestone Firehawk ENLITEN Technology race tires, with more than  32,000 race tires supplied to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The tires 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.

“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.”

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 components, 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.

Firestone Firehawk race tires are produced at the Bridgestone Advanced Tire Production Center  (ATPC) in Akron, Ohio.