Firestone Debuts Sustainability-Focused ENLITEN Technology for 2026 IndyCar and Indy NXT Seasons

Firestone Racing debuts ENLITEN™ Technology for the 2026 IndyCar season, featuring soybean oil and recycled materials. Discover the future of racing tires.

By: AXL Media

Published: Feb 26, 2026, 7:58 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Motorsport.com

The Next Chapter in Racing Sustainability

As the 2026 racing season kicks off on the streets of St. Petersburg, Bridgestone Americas has introduced a significant technological shift for its Firestone Racing division. The brand’s Firehawk tires will now feature ENLITEN™ Technology, a sustainability-focused suite of materials and design choices that will be utilized across both IndyCar and the Indy NXT feeder series. This move represents a "no-compromise" approach to environmental responsibility, using the high-stakes environment of professional racing as a "mobile lab" to prove the durability and performance of eco-friendly materials before they reach consumer passenger tires.

37,000 Tires: A Massive Engineering Feat

The scale of the 2026 rollout is immense. Firestone Race Tire Engineering (RTE) is tasked with delivering approximately 37,000 ENLITEN-equipped tires over the course of the 18-race schedule. This includes over 32,000 tires for the IndyCar Series, spanning 60 different specifications tailored for the unique demands of permanent road courses, high-speed ovals, and concrete-lined street circuits. An additional 5,000 tires across 18 specifications will support the next generation of talent in Indy NXT. This variety ensures that the new sustainable materials can handle everything from the 230-mph speeds of the Indianapolis 500 to the heavy braking zones of Toronto.

Core Components of ENLITEN Technology

The new Firehawk tires incorporate three primary sustainable elements: