Firestone at the 500

Firestone at the 500 is open now on the mezzanine of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and it's going to be there through November 2026. It's a look at the partnership between Firestone and the Indianapolis 500, which goes back to the very first race in 1911, when Ray Harroun won on Firestone tyres. Since 2000, the brand has been the series' exclusive tyre partner, and it picked up its 76th win at the 2025 race with Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing.

Harvey Firestone once called the Speedway "the great outdoor laboratory," and the exhibit shows why. It was here the company worked out breakthroughs like gum dipping and the modern slick race tyre. The display pulls from the museum's own collection and the Firestone Archives, so you'll see things that rarely make it out: a replica 1932 gum-dipped tyre, original telegrams between Harvey Firestone and racing legends, and Parnelli Jones' "490" jacket. The whole thing marks Firestone's 125th anniversary.

There's a look at the current gear, too. The Firehawk Indy 500 tyre, built for the 2.5-mile oval, uses Bridgestone's Enliten Technology, with recycled steel bead wire in all the right-side tyres and ISCC PLUS-certified monomers derived from palm-oil processing residues. It's a good way to see how the tech has changed from those early days to what's actually on the track now. You'll find it on the mezzanine of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, open through November 2026.