This weekend, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will introduce its eagerly anticipated new hybrid technology at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course. Firestone Racing, the official tire supplier to the INDYCAR SERIES, first tested the hybrid engine at the Mid-Ohio circuit, as it is their home track. Their production facility is in Akron, approximately 69 miles from the Mid-Ohio Sportscar course.
This weekend, Firestone are bringing more than 1,500 race tires to the Honda 200 presented by the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid with the following allocation:
- Primary (black sidewall): 6 sets per entry (Rookies receive an extra set for Practice 1)
- Alternate (red sidewall): 4 sets per entry
- Rain (gray sidewall): 5 sets per entry
Cory Williams, Principal Program Engineer, on INDYCAR tires say:
Mid-Ohio is the first place Firestone tested with the hybrid engine in 2022. We’re very familiar with this track and we’re very excited to see the new hybrid IndyCar make its debut here this weekend.
Both the primary and alternate Firestone Firehawk race tires for this year’s event are the same construction and compound as the ones we had here in 2023 as those tires were designed around the hybrid and found to be appropriate for running prior to the hybrid launch. Both the primary and alternate compounds should show the same grip and wear we saw with each last year, and the drop-off gap between the two is expected to be similar as well.