There is nothing like the roar of a race track and no matter what kind of cars are racing, one of the key components to a win is the car's tires.
Tires are most than just a round piece of rubber and no one knows that more than Firestone Racing's, Race Tire Development Team.
Heading the team is Cara Adams, Chief Engineer of Bridgestone Americas Motorsports. She and her team work out of Bridgestone America's Tech Center in Akron, designing and making tires for race cars and for the cars you and I drive.
Cara's team travels the country with the Indy car drivers. We caught up with them during a practice round of the Honda Indy 200 at the Mid Ohio Race Track in Lexington.
These are mechanical engineers, chemists, chemical engineers, and technicians, all who play a role developing tires.
"We do a lot of computer modeling and testing before we even get to the race track," Cara says.
The tires are designed for optimal performance which starts with making sure the tire pressure is spot on. That's a key component for speed and fuel economy. The tires are leased to drivers so technology secrets don't leak out and that also gives the team a chance to analyze their work when the race is over.
"Once we get the tires back to Akron, we're looking at the usage of the structure, we also look at how much the tire gauge was used, and we are able to use that and some chemical analysis to figure out what we are going to do for the next year," Cara adds.
Cara calls this her dream job.
"One of my favorite parts of my job is being able to talk to young kids who are excited about racing, about engineering, or just excited about science," she says. "My advice to them is to go after your dreams and don't let people tell you no."
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