In the early 1950’s Bob Newton, supported by his wife Joyce, began a successful racing career on the small tracks of northern Indiana. Not satisfied with driving on street tires with their limited sizing options and hard tread compounds, they decided to begin producing their own race tires in an abandoned horse barn in South Bend, Indiana, selling their tires to local racers. The Hoosier name was chosen to reflect the origin of Bob’s racing roots, while the purple colour that embodies the Hoosier Tire brand was adapted from Bob’s first race car.
Today, Hoosier Racing Tire is the largest race tire manufacturer in the world, with over 1000 different types of race tires. The company has its own 300-mph test wheel, a technology centre, state-of-the-art, fully integrated production facilities, and a high-tech mixing plant. It has been integrated into the Continental Specialty Tire Business Unit and continues to strive for growth, both domestically and internationally.