Indy 500 Winning Tire Manufacturers & Tire Participation

Through 2010

Year Winner Tire Tire Participation 1911 Ray Harroun Firestone   1912 Joe Dawson Michelin   1913 Jules Goux Firestone   1914 Rene Thomas Palmer Cord   1915 Ralph DePalma Goodrich   1916 Dario Resta Goodrich   1919 Howdy Wilcox Goodyear   1920 Gaston Cheverolet Firestone   1921 Tommy Milton Firestone   1922 Jimmy Murphy Firestone All 27 starters used Firestone tires 1923 Tommy Milton Firestone All 24 starters used Firestone tires 1924 L.L. Corum & Joe Boyer Firestone All 22 starters used Firestone tires 1925 Peter DePaolo Firestone All 22 starters used Firestone tires 1926 Frank Lockhart Firestone All 28 starters used Firestone tires 1927 George Souders Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1928 Louis Meyer Firestone All 29 starters used Firestone tires 1929 Ray Keech Firestone 32 starters used Firestone, 1 used Dunlop 1930 Billy Arnold Firestone All 38 starters used Firestone tires 1931 Louis Schneider Firestone All 40 starters used Firestone tires 1932 Fred Frame Firestone All 40 starters used Firestone tires 1933 Louis Meyer Firestone All 42 starters used Firestone tires 1934 Bill Cummings Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1935 Kelly Petillo Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1936 Louis Meyer Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1937 Wilbur Shaw Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1938 Floyd Roberts Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1939 Wilbur Shaw Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1940 Wilbur Shaw Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1941 Floyd Davis & Mauri Rose Firestone All 31 starters used Firestone tires 1946 George Robson Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1947 Mauri Rose Firestone All 30 starters used Firestone tires 1948 Mauri Rose Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1949 Bill Holland Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1950 Johnnie Parsons Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1951 Lee Wallard Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1952 Troy Ruttman Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1953 Bill Vukovich Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1954 Bill Vukovich Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1955 Bob Sweikert Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1956 Pat Flaherty Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1957 Sam Hanks Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1958 Jimmy Bryan Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1959 Rodger Ward Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1960 Jim Rathmann Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1961 A.J. Foyt Firestone 32 starters used Firestone, 1 used Dunlop 1962 Rodger Ward Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone tires 1963 Parnelli Jones Firestone All 33 starters used Firestone, some practiced with Goodyear 1964 A.J. Foyt Firestone 31 starters used Firestone, 2 used Sears Allstate; some practiced with Goodyear 1965 Jim Clark Firestone 21 starters used Firestone, 12 starters used Goodyear 1966 Graham Hill Firestone 17 starters used Firestone, 16 used Goodyear 1967 A.J. Foyt Goodyear Blue Streak 17 starters used Firestone, 16 used Goodyear 1968 Bobby Unser Goodyear Blue Streak 14 starters used Firestone, 19 used Goodyear 1969 Mario Andretti Firestone 8 starters used Firestone, 25 used Goodyear 1970 Al Unser, Sr. Firestone 12 starters used Firestone, 21 used Goodyear 1971 Al Unser, Sr. Firestone 18 starters used Firestone, 15 used Goodyear 1972 Mark Donohue Goodyear Blue Streak 14 starters used Firestone, 19 used Goodyear 1973 Gordon Johncock Goodyear Blue Streak 7 starters used Firestone, 26 used Goodyear 1974 Johnny Rutherford Goodyear Blue Streak All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1975 Bobby Unser Goodyear Blue Streak All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1976 Johnny Rutherford Goodyear Blue Streak All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1977 A.J. Foyt Goodyear Blue Streak All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1978 Al Unser, Sr. Goodyear Blue Streak All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1979 Rick Mears Goodyear Blue Streak All 35 starters used Goodyear tires 1980 Johnny Rutherford Goodyear Blue Streak All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1981 Bobby Unser Goodyear Eagle All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1982 Gordon Johncock Goodyear Eagle All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1983 Tom Sneva Goodyear Eagle All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1984 Rick Mears Goodyear Eagle All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1985 Danny Sullivan Goodyear Eagle All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1986 Bobby Rahal Goodyear Eagle All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1987 Al Unser, Sr. Goodyear Eagle radials All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1988 Rick Mears Goodyear Eagle radials All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1989 Emerson Fittipaldi Goodyear Eagle radials All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1990 Arie Luyendyk Goodyear Eagle radials All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1991 Rick Mears Goodyear Eagle radials All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1992 Al Unser, Jr. Goodyear Eagle radials All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1993 Emerson Fittipladi Goodyear Eagle radials All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1994 Al Unser, Jr. Goodyear Eagle radials All 33 starters used Goodyear tires 1995 Jacques Villenueve Goodyear Eagle radials 25 starters used Goodyear, 8 used Firestone 1996 Buddy Lazier Firestone Firehawk radials 19 starters used Goodyear, 14 used Firestone 1997 Arie Luyendyk Firestone Firehawk radials 20 starters used Goodyear, 15 used Firestone 1998 Eddie Cheever, Jr. Goodyear Eagle radials 22 starters used Goodyear, 11 used Firestone 1999 Kenny Brack Goodyear Eagle radials 18 starters used Goodyear, 15 used Firestone 2000 Juan Montoya Firestone Firehawk radials All 33 starters used Firestone tires 2001 Helio Castroneves Firestone Firehawk radials All 33 starters used Firestone tires 2002 Helio Castroneves Firestone Firehawk radials All 33 starters used Firestone tires 2003 Gil de Ferran Firestone Firehawk radials All 33 starters used Firestone tires 2004 Buddy Rice Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 radials All 33 starters used Firestone tires 2005 Dan Wheldon Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 radials All 33 starters used Firestone tires 2006 Sam Hornish, Jr. Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 radials All 33 starters used Firestone tires 2007 Dario Franchitti Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 radials All 33 starters used Firestone tires 2008 Scott Dixon Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 radials All 33 starters used Firestone tires 2009 Helio Castroneves Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 radials All 33 starters used Firestone tires 2010 Dario Franchitti Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 radials All 33 starters used Firestone tires Total victories by tire manufacturer Firestone: 61 (including 2010) Goodyear: 29 Goodrich: 2 Michelin: 1 Palmer: 1 In 1994, Firestone started a program to return to Indy car racing. Goodyear had served as exclusive tire supplier since 1974. During the 1994 CART season, a revamped Patrick Racing, with driver Scott Pruett, served as Firestone's exclusive test team. They tested at various tracks, including Indy (in June 1994) for the entire year. Starting in 1995, Firestone began providing tires for competition in the CART series and at Indianapolis. Patrick Racing was the primary team of the effort, but several other teams joined. The move brought a "tire war" back to Indy for the first time in over 20 years. Firestone nearly won their first race back at Indy. Driver Scott Goodyear, in a Firestone-shod Honda was leading near the end. He was black flagged, however, for passing the pace car, and Jacques Villeneuve (with Goodyear tires) was declared the winner. In 1996, after the Indy Racing League was formed, both Goodyear and Firestone provided tires to both CART and the IRL. In October 1999, Goodyear announced they would not return as supplier of tires for the Indy Racing League and Indianapolis 500, as well as the CART series. The move elevated Firestone as the exclusive supplier of tires for both series for several years to come. Firestone got back into victory lane at Indy in 1996, and won their 50th Indy 500 in 1997. They followed that up with their 60th Indy 500 in 2009. In the 2000s, Firestone signed a long-term contract to remain the exclusive tire supplier for the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, the Firestone Indy Lights Series, as well as the Indianapolis 500. In the late 2000s, the IndyCar Series rules allowed for 35 sets of tires for each entry. The total included all practice, time trials, and race day. In 2010, the schedule for practice and qualifying was compressed to a "two week" format. The tire allotment rules were tweaked accordingly. Teams are allowed 33 sets of tires for the month. Teams chosing the "short month" lease were initially allowed 26 sets of tires, but during practice, officials changed the rule and allowed them the full 33 sets. Cars that qualify for the Top 9 "shootout" on pole day are allowed to have a new set of tires for the pole position attempt, and if they make two attempts during the shootout, they received two sets of tires.