Firestone and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Introduce Historic New Tire Design

		BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE FIREHAWK RACE TIRE TO DEBUT AT INDY 500 The special edition Firestone Firehawk race tire is specially designed for use at the Indianapolis 500. The tires feature a new sidewall design with the Speedway’s distinctive “wing and wheel” official logo, alongside the Firestone name and logo. The Firestone Firehawk will debut during track activities surrounding the 88th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May of 2004. Firestone is the Official Tire of the Indy Racing League and the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. (PRNewsFoto)[AG] LAS VEGAS, NV USA

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The long and storied association between Firestone and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway continues to grow with the announcement of a special edition Firestone Firehawk race tire which will debut during track activities surrounding the 88th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May of 2004. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031104/DCTU041 ) Specially designed for use at the Indianapolis 500, the tires will feature a new sidewall design with the Speedway's distinctive "wing and wheel" official logo in full color, alongside the Firestone name and logo. The new design will be introduced today by Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) at its Consumer Dealer Meeting taking place in Las Vegas and will be on display in the company's booth (#41917) at the SEMA show. "We're very excited to have new technology which allows us to produce full-color logos on our tires," said Al Speyer, executive director of motorsports for BFNT. "This new design really captures the pageantry that makes the Indianapolis 500 one of the most festive events in all of sports. Firestone has played such an integral role in the history of the Speedway and the '500,' and we're proud to honor that strong relationship." Firestone's involvement with the Indianapolis 500 dates back to 1911 when Ray Harroun won the inaugural event driving Firestone tires. In all, 54 winners have crossed the finish line on Firestone tires -- more victories at Indy than all other tire manufacturers combined. In 2002 the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Firestone joined forces to pay tribute to their relationship by introducing the Firehawk Indy 500 street tire -- the first tire ever produced for street and highway use with the honor of wearing the Indy 500 name and IMS "wing and wheel" logo. The special edition 2004 Indy 500 race tire sidewalls will closely mirror the Indy 500 street tires by featuring the Firehawk and Indy 500 names in white lettering. "Firestone has been with us since the very beginning, and over the years we've built a bond with them based on loyalty and respect," said Tony George, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We're extremely honored that they have put together a new design specifically for our race. It showcases a partnership that is very important to us, and we're looking forward to seeing the next Indy 500 winner cross the finish line displaying the colors of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy 500 on the tires that have played such a large part in the history of our event." Firestone is the Official Tire of the Indy Racing League and the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Nashville-based Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC, is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures, and markets Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and associate and private brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America.