AKRON, Ohio (February 4, 2005) – Former Indy Racing League (IRL) driver and current team co-owner Robbie Buhl visited Bridgestone Firestone’s Akron Technical Center today to participate in a ceremony honoring employees of the center’s Advanced Technology Workshop (ATW), which is responsible for the manufacture of tires used in IRL competition.

Buhl was joined by Al Speyer, executive director of motorsports for Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC, and by Hank Hara, Executive Vice President, Tire Development & Technology.

Firestone is entering its tenth season as a tire supplier to the Indy Racing League. Since 2000, Firestone has been the league’s sole tire supplier and in 2002 was named official tire of the IRL and the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Throughout that time, the employees of the Akron Technical Center and the Advanced Technology Workshop have been tasked with the research, design and manufacturing process for Firestone tires used in IRL competition.

During the presentation today, Speyer presented a trophy to ATW employees to commemorate their hard work and dedication in making the Firestone Racing program a success. The trophy, a replica of one presented to IRL CEO Tony George last season, commemorates the 100th event of the IRL IndyCar Series, which took place last year at Nazareth Speedway. Its wood base is engraved with the names of every race winner in the league’s first 100 races.

“Our racing program has a lot of moving parts and requires a lot of coordination between many Firestone teammates,” said Speyer. “But the foundation of everything we do is the ATW employees. They are the ones who put together each IRL tire and their attention to detail and commitment to excellence has made our program the success it is today.”

Buhl, a longtime veteran of the open-wheel racing industry, has first-hand knowledge of the quality of work carried out by ATW employees. He won an Indy Lights championship in 1992 on Firestone tires and competed for nine seasons in the IRL IndyCar Series in a Firestone-equipped car. After retiring from the driver’s seat in 2004, Buhl now commits himself full-time to his role as a co-owner of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

"I'm glad to be here on behalf of the IRL drivers and team owners, to say how much we appreciate ATW's dedication and contribution to our sport," said Buhl. "I was actually involved with Firestone's development work and its reentry back into open wheel racing in 1991 with Indy Lights. From that point to where they are now, they can all be very proud of producing such an excellent tire. It's a great product from a performance standpoint and remarkably consistent week in and week out. That constant performance is something that drivers today take for granted, and each one of these employees makes that confidence possible. We've driven a lot of miles on Firestones, and we’re truly thankful for that reliability."

Off the track, Buhl has spent thousands of hours as the national spokesperson for “Racing for Kids,” a national youth charitable foundation. On behalf of “Racing for Kids,” Robbie has visited more than 14,000 children in over 240 hospitals worldwide, and raised more than $3.0 million for local children’s health initiatives.

In honor of Buhl’s longtime support of the Firestone Racing program, a contribution to “Racing for Kids” was presented to him on behalf of ATW employees during today’s ceremony.