In a merger, IndyCars may use Firestone brand

If the IRL and Champ Car merge, which tires would they use? Firestone (IRL) or Bridgestone (Champ Car), which are essentially the same tire with different badging as both brands are owned by Japanese giant Bridgestone.

However, in a possible hint that Bridgestone will decide to only sell Firestones in the USA and drop the Bridgestone name – In a recent filing with the SEC, the Japanese company reported the possibility of booking an extraordinary $170-million loss for closure of its Oklahoma City factory – the only such facility for Bridgestone in the USA.

Now that the Firestone name has been restored since the Ford Explorer debacle, perhaps the company has decided they can now drop the Bridgestone brand in the USA, which only serves to take away sales from Firestone. We shall see…..