Firestone sad to lose Indy Lights contract
Today is a bittersweet day for everyone at Firestone Racing. The Firestone brand has been synonymous with Indy Lights for more than two decades. We believe in the importance of a strong ladder system to develop the next generation of open-wheel stars as well as mechanics, engineers, team managers and other key personnel. We are proud to have been part of developing the careers of many Indy Lights series graduates.
We are glad to see Andersen Promotions bring its expertise and passion to reinvigorating the Indy Lights series. The change in tire supplier will not impact Firestone Racing’s commitment to continuing to deliver the highest quality product to the teams and drivers in the IZOD IndyCar Series through 2018. We look forward to welcoming future Indy Lights drivers as they make the move to the IndyCar Series.
History of Firestone Family Brands in Indy Lights
Year | Series Name | Sanctioned By | Title Sponsor | Tire Brand | # Races | Champion |
1991 | Firestone Indy Lights | CART | Yes | Firestone | 12 | Eric Bachelart |
1992 | Firestone Indy Lights | CART | Yes | Firestone | 12 | Robbie Buhl |
1993 | Firestone Indy Lights | CART | Yes | Firestone | 12 | Bryan Herta |
1994 | Firestone Indy Lights | CART | Yes | Firestone | 12 | Steve Robertson |
1995 | Firestone Indy Lights | CART | Yes | Firestone | 12 | Greg Moore |
1996 | Firestone Indy Lights | CART | Yes | Firestone | 12 | David Empringham |
1997 | Firestone Indy Lights | CART | Yes | Firestone | 13 | Tony Kanaan |
1998 | Dayton Indy Lights | CART | Yes | Dayton | 14 | Cristiano da Matta |
1999 | Dayton Indy Lights | CART | Yes | Dayton | 12 | Oriol Servia |
2000 | Dayton Indy Lights | CART | Yes | Dayton | 12 | Scott Dixon |
2001 | Dayton Indy Lights | CART | Yes | Dayton | 12 | Townsend Bell |
2002 | Infiniti Pro Series | INDYCAR | No | Firestone | 7 | A.J. Foyt IV |
2003 | Infiniti Pro Series | INDYCAR | No | Firestone | 12 | Mark Taylor |
2004 | Infiniti Pro Series | INDYCAR | No | Firestone | 12 | Thiago Medeiros |
2005 | Infiniti Pro Series | INDYCAR | No | Firestone | 14 | Wade Cunningham |
2006 | Indy Pro Series | INDYCAR | No | Firestone | 12 | Jay Howard |
2007 | Indy Pro Series | INDYCAR | No | Firestone | 16 | Alex Lloyd |
2008 | Firestone Indy Lights | INDYCAR | Yes | Firestone | 16 | Raphael Matos |
2009 | Firestone Indy Lights | INDYCAR | Yes | Firestone | 15 | J.R. Hildebrand |
2010 | Firestone Indy Lights | INDYCAR | Yes | Firestone | 13 | J.K. Vernay |
2011 | Firestone Indy Lights | INDYCAR | Yes | Firestone | 13 | Josef Newgarden |
2012 | Firestone Indy Lights | INDYCAR | Yes | Firestone | 12 | Tristan Vautier |
2013 | Firestone Indy Lights | INDYCAR | Yes | Firestone | 12 | TBD |
At the conclusion of the 2013 season, Firestone/Dayton tires will have exclusively supplied 289 Indy Lights races.