History
From the Beginning
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 tyres 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 tyres specifically designed for racing.
So, in 1957, Bob and Joyce decided to begin producing their own race tyres
by re-treading street tyres with softer compounds. They began their business
in an old abandoned horse barn in South Bend, Indiana, selling their tyres
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 tyres. As the fledgling company began to master
the available tyre-making technologies, they set their sights on producing
their first race tyre 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
tyres.
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 tyres. 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 tyres. 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 tyres were still being produced by outside suppliers.
Finally, in 1985, as the business continued to grow, the Newtons 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 tyres. 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 tyre business. Hoosier, in its first year of competition in the series,
went on to capture 9 victories and worldwide fame. The following year, Hoosier
tyres were on the winning car in the grand-daddy of all races, the Daytona
500. While this success was on a bias-ply tyre, work had already begun at
Hoosier on producing a radial tyre that would work in racing applications.
In 1991, after three years of research and development, Hoosier introduced
its own radial race tyre 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 tyres 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 tyres 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
tyre building plant in preparation for the company's return to NASCAR's Winston
Cup series. This tyre plant was solely devoted to the manufacture of tubeless
radial race tyres 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 tyres four times in the #7 Exide Battery
/ Montgomery Ward "Auto Express" Ford.
The following year, Hoosier attempted to have NASCAR waive its "tyre count
rule" which required all participating tyre manufacturers to bring enough
tyres 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 tyres
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 tyres 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 tyres.
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 tyres 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 tyre manufacturer in the world, and all
Hoosier race tyres 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
tyres. 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 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 40 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."