Bridgestone Did One Lap Of America, Here's How It Went

Photo: Bridgestone Americas

This year’s edition of Brock Yates’ One Lap of America finished last Saturday. Bridgestone decided to enter two cars into the long-running motorsport event to celebrate the 45th anniversary of its Potenza tire line.

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Brock Yates created One Lap of America in 1984 as the law-abiding spiritual successor to the Cannonball Run. The coast-to-coast dash was replaced with a looping route not too dissimilar to the Tour de France, starting and ending at Tire Rack in South Bend, Indiana. The route features time trials at several tracks across the country linked together with monitored driving on public highways. Support vehicles are strictly prohibited, so each crew is on their own for the entire duration.

Cara Krstolic (left) and Christina Neilsen (right)Photo: Bridgestone Americas

Bridgestone entered an Acura Integra Type S and a Honda Civic Type R. Cara Krstolic and two-time IMSA GTD champion Christina Nielsen drove the Integra. Todd Chapman and automotive influencer Dustin Williams drove the Civic. Krstolic and Chapman work for Bridgestone Americas but have plenty of experience in racing. Chapman, a senior product manager, has raced in grassroots events for almost 20 years. Krstolic is the executive director of race tire engineering and production. Many racing fans are familiar with her through her role as Firestone’s chief engineer in the IndyCar Series. Krstolic said in a release:

“Motorsports have been fundamental to Bridgestone’s identity for more than 60 years, and racing is a true passion for us as a company to enhance the joy of the sport. One Lap of America offers a thrilling platform to celebrate and showcase our high-performance Potenza lineup’s enduring legacy of performance and reliability. We will continue to use racing as a proving ground for our R&D efforts. What really matters is that the new solutions we deliver on track today will transform premium mobility on the road tomorrow.”

Both cars completed the week-long odyssey with respectable midfield finishes for the rookies. The Civic finished 27th out of 77 entries, and the Integra finished 45th. The winning car was a 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport entered by Goodyear.