AKRON — Racing legend Mario Andretti joked that an IndyCar racer never wants to second guess his tires when he is going into a corner at 250 mph. Andretti, the only driver to ever win the Indy 500, Daytona 500 and the Formula One World Championship, was driving the point home that there is an institutional trust and quality to Firestone racing tires.
Two and half years after Bridgestone Americas Inc. gave a tour to media of the Advanced Tire Production Center (ATPC) in its initial stages, the first new tire production facility in the Akron area for more than 70 years is ready to go.
Bridgestone invested $21 million into the ATPC, where the company will manufacture all Firestone Firehawk race tires for the NTT IndyCar Series. Bridgestone is the exclusive tire supplier for the series through 2025.
Bridgestone celebrated the grand opening of its new facility, which will employ 60 tire builders and professionals, on June 22. Overall, the company employs more than 600 in the Akron area.