Hoosier Tire

Hoosier Tire was founded in 1957 by Bob Newton and his wife Joyce Newton in South Bend, Indiana. Newton was a racer himself, competing on small asphalt oval tracks across northern Indiana, and he was frustrated by what was available to him. Street tires of the era came in limited sizes, used hard compounds that offered poor grip on race surfaces, and simply weren't designed with competition in mind. He started the business in an abandoned horse barn, retreading tires with softer rubber compounds and selling them directly to the racers he competed against.

In 1962, the Newtons partnered with Mohawk Rubber to begin producing purpose-built racing tires. When Mohawk shut down in 1978, Newton chose to build his own manufacturing facility rather than find another partner. The factory in Plymouth, Indiana became the first facility in the country built specifically and solely to produce race tires. That decision defined what Hoosier would become.

Hoosier built its core reputation in oval track racing, supplying tires to sprint car, midget, late model, and stock car competitors across the Midwest. Road racing followed, and the A7 became the dominant compound in SCCA autocross while the R7 radial established itself in club road racing, NASA events, and time attack. The combination of multiple compound options within each model, availability in virtually any racing size, and direct relationships with sanctioning bodies made Hoosier the default choice across American grassroots motorsport. The company grew to become the largest race tire manufacturer in the world.

Bob Newton passed away in 2012 at age 85. Continental AG acquired Hoosier Racing Tire in October 2016 and kept the name, the facilities, and the operational focus entirely intact. Hoosier doesn't sell through traditional retail channels. You buy Hoosier tires through racing parts dealers or at the track, which is exactly how it's always worked.