Kratos, Champion Tire & Wheel Launch Industry-First Automated Truck Platoon to Support NASCAR Brickyard 400 Logistics
SAN DIEGO, July 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS), a Technology Company in the Defense, National Security and Global Markets, today announced its collaboration with Champion Tire & Wheel to deploy an automated truck platoon to the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This milestone marks the first-ever use of driverless trucking technology in motorsports logistics supporting NASCAR teams with automated delivery of wheels, tires, and pit gear.
Kratos, Champion Tire & Wheel's Industry-First Automated Truck Platoon Successfully
Deploys to Support the NASCAR Brickyard 400
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4ad87a75-19d8-4a2f-af48-d2f3fd8226fc
Two tractor-trailers, outfitted with premium Goodyear commercial truck tires, will travel along the I-70 corridor between Ohio and Indiana in the automated platoon configuration, with one human-driven lead truck paired to an automated follower. Equipped with advanced Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications, onboard sensors, and automated control systems, the automated follower truck maintains coordinated speed, braking, and steering with the lead. Originally developed for defense applications, Kratos' dual-use technologies demonstrate a transformative approach to fleet logistics using automation to address challenges facing commercial logistics, agriculture, energy, and mining sectors vital to national security.
"Deploying automation in a fast-moving, time-critical logistics environment like NASCAR gave us a unique opportunity to show how seamlessly Kratos' technology fits into real-world operations," said Maynard Factor, VP of Business Development at Kratos. "Even outside of core industries, we demonstrated that commercial fleets can adopt Kratos' autonomous systems without overhauling their workflows or disrupting day-to-day business proving how practical and scalable this technology is."
Champion Tire & Wheel, a longtime innovator in motorsports logistics, became the first to use automated platooning to deliver equipment to a global racing event. Operating within the NASCAR supply chain, this deployment underscores how automation can strengthen business continuity and drive efficiency across commercial logistics environments.
"This technology provides us options to better manage spikes in the schedule where distance and timing are a challenge," said Kevin Mahl, President & CEO of Champion Tire & Wheel. "By pairing a human-driven lead truck with an autonomous follower, we can keep the fleet moving efficiently to the next race venue. With Kratos autonomous systems as a tool to use when needed, we're able to move more equipment, more efficiently, and give ourselves more flexibility in our logistics planning."
With a legacy of delivering high-performance tires and trusted fleet solutions, Goodyear joined the collaboration to demonstrate how advanced tire and vehicle systems can enable next-generation logistics. Goodyear's long-standing presence at the Brickyard 400—dating back to 1994—underscores a dedication to precision and performance across every terrain.
"Goodyear has long stood at the intersection of driving performance and vehicle intelligence—from the racetrack to autonomous innovation," said Rich Cottrell, Senior Director, Commercial Marketing, Goodyear. "This deployment connects Goodyear's racing legacy with our premium commercial tire technology and fleet solutions—helping advance performance and uptime for modern logistics. We're proud to support this milestone with Kratos and Champion Tire & Wheel."
The Brickyard 400 deployment also builds on the I-70 Truck Automation Corridor (TAC) program, an active multi-state effort to accelerate the safe integration of automated trucking along key Midwest freight corridors. Led by DriveOhio (Ohio Department of Transportation), the Indiana Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other stakeholders, the I-70 TAC program uses Kratos' auto-platooning systems deployed with EASE Logistics to support freight movements along I-70 between Columbus, OH, and Indianapolis, IN with safety riders in each vehicle.
The Kratos dual-use technology strategy of leveraging defense-developed technology for commercial applications maximizes the value of internal research and development investments across sectors. By demonstrating this technology in motorsports logistics, Kratos continues to drive innovation that delivers immediate, real-world impact.
About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) is a technology, products, system and software company addressing the defense, national security, and commercial markets. Kratos makes true internally funded research, development, capital and other investments, to rapidly develop, produce and field solutions that address our customers' mission critical needs and requirements. At Kratos, affordability is a technology, and we seek to utilize proven, leading-edge approaches and technology, not unproven bleeding edge approaches or technology, with Kratos' approach designed to reduce cost, schedule and risk, enabling us to be first to market with cost effective solutions. We believe that Kratos is known as an innovative disruptive change agent in the industry, a company that is an expert in designing products and systems up front for successful rapid, large quantity, low-cost future manufacturing which is a value add competitive differentiator for our large traditional prime system integrator partners and also to our government and commercial customers. Kratos intends to pursue program and contract opportunities as the prime or lead contractor when we believe that our probability of win (PWin) is high and any investment required by Kratos is within our capital resource comfort level. We intend to partner and team with a large, traditional system integrator when our assessment of PWin is greater or required investment is beyond Kratos' comfort level. Kratos' primary business areas include virtualized ground systems for satellites and space vehicles including software for command & control (C2) and telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C), jet powered unmanned aerial drone systems, hypersonic vehicles and rocket systems, propulsion systems for drones, missiles, loitering munitions, supersonic systems, space craft and launch systems, C5ISR and microwave electronic products for missile, radar, missile defense, space, satellite, counter UAS, directed energy, communication and other systems, and virtual & augmented reality training systems for the warfighter.
About Champion Tire & Wheel
Champion Tire & Wheel is the leader in race tire and wheel logistics, serving NASCAR teams across the U.S. with precision handling, transportation, and support services. Champion's innovative tracking systems, inspection technology, and logistics operations help ensure teams receive race-ready equipment wherever the schedule takes them.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements relate to a variety of matters including, without limitation, Kratos' expectations regarding the use of the proceeds from the public offering, the pipeline for opportunities, and Kratos' success with respect to such opportunities, as well as other statements that are not purely statements of historical fact. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Kratos and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Kratos undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although Kratos believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements including, but not limited to: risks and uncertainties related to market conditions as well as general economic factors. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Kratos in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kratos for the year ended December 29, 2024 and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Kratos.
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