INDIANAPOLIS — In honor of Earth Day, Penske Entertainment announced a lineup of environmental impact initiatives Friday afternoon to try to reduce the carbon footprint ahead of the 2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
"This will be the most sustainable Indy 500 in our 100-plus year history," Penske Entertainment Corp. President & CEO Mark Miles said. "Moreover, through excellent coordination and teamwork with partners who are true innovators in this field, we're moving INDYCAR toward industry leadership when it comes to environmental awareness and impact."
Firestone will debut the new and eco-friendly Firestone Firehawk guayule race tire during Miller Lite Carb Day’s INDYCAR Pit Stop Challenge on Friday, May 27. The tire is partially composed of a new sustainable natural rubber derived from the guayule shrub, which requires less reharvesting than traditional sources of rubber.
The tire will make its competition debut as the alternate race tire in August at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.
Also, all race tires being supplied for Indy 500 practice, qualification and Race Day will be delivered to the Racing Capital of the World from its central Indiana warehouse using the Freightliner eCascadia from Penske Truck Leasing's fleet of electric vehicles. A 150kW, high-power electric charger is being installed on the IMS grounds to assist in the effort.
Like in 2021, all electricity consumed throughout IMS in May will continue being purchased through 100% renewable energy credits.
IMS is teaming up with Shell and climate technology company CHOOSE to implement a new customer program that will allow fans to offset their travel footprint through a nominal contribution to the GreenTrees reforestation project.
Click here to read more initiatives planned for the Month of May.