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The
history of Hoosier Tire is one of an American Dream come true
for two young, Indiana entrepreneurs who turned a personal
vision into a reality.
It all began back in the early 50's when Robert "Bob"
Newton, along with his supportive wife Joyce, began a successful
racing career on the small asphalt tracks of northern Indiana.
Bob, like many of his fellow drivers, was not satisfied with
driving on street tires with their limited sizing options
and uniformly hard tread compounds. It was during these early
days of "eating bologna sandwiches and sleeping on a
creeper under his racer" that Bob had a vision to produce
his own tires specifically designed for racing.
So, in 1957, Bob and Joyce decided to begin producing their
own race tires by re-treading street tires with softer compounds.
They began their business in an old abandoned horse barn in
South Bend, Indiana, selling their tires to local racers.
The "Hoosier" name was chosen for their company
to reflect the origin of Bob's racing roots on the short tracks
of the Midwest. The company color of purple came from Bob's
#4 race car.
While the company had just two employees at first, it wasn't
long before the business began to grow. Soon family members,
friends and neighbors were being recruited to re-tread tires.
As the fledgling company began to master the available tire-making
technologies, they set their sights on producing their first
race tire specifically designed for racing. And so, in 1962,
Bob Newton did just that through an arrangement with the Mohawk
Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio. For the next 16 years, Bob
commuted from northern Indiana to Akron to design, engineer,
compound and oversee the production of his tires.
Then, on Thanksgiving weekend in 1978, the Newtons were delivered
news that could have ended the ever-expanding business that
their small work force had worked so hard to develop. Mohawk
was closing the Akron plant and, as a result, was about to
end their ability to produce new race tires. Faced with this
potentially devastating news, Bob and Joyce made a decision
that has changed the face of racing forever. With their long
association with the local bank, they were able to mortgage
their home and Hoosier Tire to raise the capital needed to
build the world's first and only factory solely devoted to
the production of racing tires. Located in Plymouth, Indiana,
just down the road from the corporate office in Lakeville,
the factory began production in 1979 with just a handful of
employees under the name "R & J Mfg. Corp."
(for Robert and Joyce).
During the early years of R & J, the secret rubber formulas
required to produce Hoosier tires were still being produced
by outside suppliers. Finally, in 1985, as the business continued
to grow, the Newtons were determined to eliminate the need
to rely on outside rubber suppliers by developing the company's
own in-house rubber production capabilities. So, it was back
to the bank to obtain financing for the first million dollar
mixing plant to produce rubber compounds strictly for racing
tires. The equipment purchased included the latest computer
controlled "Banbury" to mix the complicated racing
compounds as well as the components for an advanced testing
and technology center.
The Hoosier name, while well known in the racing community
by the late '80s, was not yet a nationally or internationally
recognized name. Then, in 1988, the company went Winston Cup
racing, taking on the "Goliath" of the tire business.
Hoosier, in its first year of competition in the series, went
on to capture 9 victories and worldwide fame. The following
year, Hoosier tires were on the winning car in the grand-daddy
of all races, the Daytona 500. While this success was on a
bias-ply tire, work had already begun at Hoosier on producing
a radial tire that would work in racing applications.
In 1991, after three years of research and development, Hoosier
introduced its own radial race tire into the Busch Grand National
series with great success. That same year, Bob took his vision
of complete in-house control of the manufacturing processes
needed to produce Hoosier tires one step further. The company
purchased a multi-million dollar, one-of-a-kind, new four-roll
"Z" calender to go into an equally new state-of-the-art
calendering facility next to the existing mixing plant. This
innovation allowed Hoosier to apply rubber directly onto its
own specially woven fabrics while maintaining the very tight
tolerances that their engineers needed to build tires that
would perform under the extreme speeds and high heat of racing.
In 1992, Hoosier took another bold step and decided to build
its second tire building plant in preparation for the company's
return to NASCAR's Winston Cup series. This tire plant was
solely devoted to the manufacture of tubeless radial race
tires constructed with inner safety shields and designed to
run on super speedway tracks at speeds in excess of 200 mph.
In 1994, after three successful seasons in the Busch series,
the company made the move up to the premier NASCAR Winston
Cup series where it went on to enjoy its most successful season
to that time. In that year, the talented Geoff Bodine claimed
victory on Hoosier's innovative radial race tires four times
in the #7 Exide Battery / Montgomery Ward "Auto Express"
Ford.
The following year, Hoosier attempted to have NASCAR waive
its "tire count rule" which required all participating
tire manufacturers to bring enough tires to every race to
supply the needs of all of the cars in the field. With this
rule in place, Hoosier was required to produce roughly 2000
tires a week to sell only a few hundred during each event.
This rule eventually proved too costly for the company to
endure, so a financial decision was made to exit the top two
NASCAR series, much to the displeasure of many racing fans.
Despite this setback, Hoosier's overall success and growth
in the industry continued.
In 1995, Hoosier was chosen as the sole supplier for all series
events for the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). This
allowed Hoosier to continue developing tires for super speedway
tracks. Also, the funding which had been used in the Winston
Cup and Busch series was now available to assist an explosive
growth plan which the company initiated at this time. Over
the next several years, additional professional staff were
added, including more engineers, compounders, product managers
and track support personnel. The company financed further
plant expansions and added more equipment. More production
personnel and administrative staff were hired. All of this
allowed the company to continue participating in its existing
racing venues even as it penetrated additional markets while
still assuring all of its customers a reliable supply of high
quality racing tires.
In 1998, Bob and Joyce made the decision to re-name "R
& J Mfg. Corp.," the manufacturing side of their
growing company, as "Hoosier Tire & Rubber Corp."
This removed the shroud of secrecy which the company had maintained
within the community and industry concerning its manufacturing
base.
In 1999, 15-time Pennzoil World of Outlaws champion Steve
Kinser signed a 2-year agreement to exclusively run Hoosier
tires in 2000 and 2001. "The King of the Outlaws"
went on to capture an unprecedented 16th series championship
his first year running the Hoosier brand. This also allowed
Hoosier to lay claim to their first Pennzoil World of Outlaws
championship title in the history of the company. The success
of Kinser and Hoosier during the 2000 campaign was recognized
by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Museum with Steve
Kinser being awarded the "Driver of the Year" award
while Hoosier President and CEO, Bob Newton, was awarded the
"Builder/Manufacturer of the Year" award.
The turn of the century also saw Hoosier Tire & Rubber
Corp. complete a massive multi-year plant consolidation and
upgrade program which brought all operations together into
one sprawling complex. Through the dedication and hard work
of countless people within the Hoosier organization, the 3-year
project was completed in just 18 months.
Today, Hoosier is the largest race tire manufacturer in the
world, and all Hoosier race tires are still proudly "Made
in the USA." The company continues to be privately owned
and operated by the Newton family, and founders Bob and Joyce
remain actively involved in the day-to-day operations of Hoosier
(as do many Newton family members). Hoosier has grown to be
one of the largest employers in Plymouth, Indiana, and produces
over 1000 different types of race tires. The company has its
own 300-mph test wheel; a technology center; state-of-the-art,
fully-integrated production facilities; and a model sales
and distribution network in Lakeville, Indiana, which others
seek to emulate.
The pride that exists among those associated with Hoosier
"family" continues to be the focal point of the
success the company has enjoyed over the years. Bob and Joyce,
as well as others involved in the racing industry, marvel
at the success and growth of the original business they started
over 50 years ago. At Hoosier, we know that if you build a
company with talented, hardworking people who care, and produce
a product that performs at an affordable price, you will satisfy
the needs of your customers and both you and they will be
winners. This philosophy has been, and will continue to be,
the secret behind Hoosier's success in building "Tires
Designed for Champions."
Any
questions about kits, parts, installations or services are
welcome. Contact Bishop by phone at 866-867-8324 or
e-mail bishop@bishopsales.com
and we will respond promptly. If you're in the neighborhood,
then drop by the shop at 1130 West 15th Street North Vancouver
BC and we will gladly give you a tour of our facilities, but
beware – there may be a Monster and ferocious horsepower
beasts in our shop when you visit! We really love to share
the fun with other performance enthusiasts who want to take
their cars to the next level of performance, appearance and
handling!
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HOOSIER
HISTORY
