Independent tire dealers and their customers know Hoosier Racing Tire for its deep motorsports roots, and that heritage has helped boost the company’s global growth strategy with new product lines and closer connections to distribution channels beyond the racetrack.
In a recent roundtable with Tire Review, the Hoosier team – including Vice President of Sales Paul Menting, Head of R&D Mike Edmiston, and Head of Europe Martin Heckers – laid out how the brand is evolving while staying true to its Indiana-born racing DNA.
The Effects of AI and Automation on Hoosier Racing Tire
Hoosier is exploring how AI can change the way it interacts with both distributors and consumers.
“We have an ongoing project to look at AI and how it can benefit us. That’s in full swing,” Menting said. “There are some customer service enhancements on our side that can be really beneficial, even on our sales side.”
While AI is just beginning to impact Hoosier’s sales process, automation is already reshaping manufacturing.
“Building a race tire is historically a very labor-intensive process. If you would see it, it would really open your eyes,” Edmiston explained. “The reality that we face going forward is that it becomes more and more of a challenge. We’ve purchased equipment that is much more automated, which is starting to take some of that labor out. We’re shifting towards that both in tire building and curing. Our focus is to become much more highly automated as a plant.
“The use of AI is definitely on our radar, and there are opportunities in the future. I’m absolutely certain we’ll take advantage of them when they make sense.”
At the R&D level, Edmiston said simulation and digital modeling are still limited in racing applications.
“Your outputs are only as good as your inputs,” he noted. “Passenger tires lend themselves more easily to virtual development. With racing tires, especially bias-ply constructions and soft compounds, the models just aren’t accurate enough. There’s still no replacement for good old-fashioned track testing.”
The Hoosier teams says its industry advantage is its broad base of experience across racing disciplines. Photo courtesy of Hoosier Racing Tire.
Opportunities for Independent Tire Dealers
Traditionally, Hoosier has worked through its exclusive racing tire distributor network, a system in place for over 60 years. These distributors have their own product managers and sales channel managers. And, they are present at the track week in and week out.
“Our exclusive Hoosier Racing Tire distributors service all of our oval dirt and oval asphalt series in the United States,” Menting said. “But, when we talk about our new segments, like the Street segment, this is where independent tire dealers can start playing a bigger role. They wouldn’t have access to our traditional dirt oval or asphalt product lines, but they would potentially to our Street product lines and UTV.”
Menting emphasized that Hoosier’s credibility in motorsports strengthens the value of its expansion.
“Our core racing DNA and the success we’ve had there can lend to the value of Hoosier itself,” he said. “That translates very well into other product lines and into different distribution channels.”
For dealers, it’s good to be aware that Hoosier is positioning itself beyond the “racing brand” moniker (although that heritage certainly isn’t going anywhere). It is also working to become a partner in performance segments, thus reaching new customers.
Product Innovation Expands Hoosier Racing Tire’s Reach
Menting said innovation has been central to Hoosier since its founding in Indiana over six decades ago. The TrackAttack Pro, a 200 UTQG street-legal track tire, has been the brand’s fastest-growing U.S. segment in 2025.
“This was a totally new product line for us that grew our street program exponentially,” Menting said.
A full UTV line is also scheduled to launch in 2026, moving Hoosier further into the off-road market. Unlike its traditional presence in dirt oval or asphalt circuits, UTV represents a brand-new playground for the manufacturer.
“That’s a different marketplace for us,” Menting explained. “With our ownership from Continental and the resources that come with that, we’re able to pursue opportunities that would’ve been difficult in the past.”
Karting has also rebounded in 2025, particularly through youth categories like quarter midgets.
“Karting had significant growth this year in North America,” Menting said. “It’s very important to us, especially when we talk about the youth movement in racing. We want that family to put Hoosier on, for Hoosier to be their first experience in racing, and sometimes that carries them through to other categories.”
Edmiston added that Hoosier’s advantage is its broad base of experience across racing disciplines. Technologies developed in one racing category often transfer to another.
“You wouldn’t think what we learn in go-karts would apply to circuit racing in a Porsche or a sprint car, but sometimes components and compounds do translate,” Edmiston said. “That’s an advantage we have over companies focused only on one segment.”
Global Growth and European Presence
Europe has become a critical focus for Hoosier, where the company is expanding beyond niche American categories like drag racing and dirt oval. Heckers said trackside service and spec tire contracts are key to raising visibility in a competitive market.
“When it comes to racing tires, we are providing a package. We aren’t just providing the tires and walking away. It’s the technical support that makes the customer ultimately fast and competitive,” Heckers said. “That’s a big part of our DNA. We take what’s common in top-level motorsport, like service, data collection, mounting and balancing, logistics, and deliver it for professional amateurs as well. That’s very appreciated here.”
Hoosier’s role as the spec tire in FIA World Rallycross, EuroNASCAR, sidecars, and other categories has raised its profile significantly, Heckers said.
“We are quite visible these days in the categories that matter to us,” Heckers said. “That helps demonstrate performance, but it also makes sure people take notice of Hoosier beyond the categories we’ve always been known for in the U.S.”
Spec tire contracts also present unique challenges, but Heckers said Hoosier handles them regularly.
“In reality, promoters are interested in a tire that serves all functions – hot and cold, multiple cars, different drivers,” Heckers explained. “A single tire has to perform in Valencia at 40 degrees, in the UK at 8 degrees, for a 19-year-old hotshot and a 50-year-old veteran. That’s the work we’re doing, and it requires extensive data collection and testing under all those circumstances. Then at the end of a season, we bring those learnings together and deliver a new spec that enhances customer performance the following year.”
This iterative process, Heckers said, is critical to building credibility with European governing bodies, promoters, teams, and drivers.
Hoosier’s role as the spec tire in FIA World Rallycross, EuroNASCAR, sidecars, and other categories has raised its profile recently. Photo courtesy of Hoosier Racing Tire.
Racing DNA Remains the Foundation of Hoosier Racing Tire
Despite the expansion, Menting said Hoosier’s culture remains true to its Indiana racing roots.
“A passion for motorsports, a willingness to compete at every level, and a dedication to producing the safest, most reliable product. Those are in our DNA,” he said. “Even with the changes, those pillars continue to be our foundation at Hoosier.”
He pointed back to the business prowess of Bob Newton, who founded the company.
“Bob Newton was laser-focused on what he wanted to accomplish, very oriented toward performance and motorsports,” Edmiston added. “That culture still exists today. Everyone on the team, whether in manufacturing, R&D, engineering, or compounding, knows the task is to perform at the very highest level.”
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