Tire Rack was a privately owned customer-direct

tire A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineering), t ...

, wheels, car accessories distributor company headquartered in

South Bend South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

until it was acquired by

Discount Tire Discount Tire Company is an independent tire and wheel retailer. Discount Tire operates in most of the lower 48 states in the United States, and is the largest independent tire and wheel retailer in the world. The company is headquartered in S ...

in 2021 and continued to operate Tire Rack as a separate business and brand name.

History

In 1979, automotive parts and service business owner Peter "Pete" Veldman came up with his business idea for the Tire Rack after his son-in-law Mike Joines was frustrated when he couldn't find tires for his Opel Manta sports coupe. Mike recommended that they start a mail-order tire company that stocked a few of every tire. Although Pete convinced Mike to help him open a retail store instead, they had so many phone orders that they eventually shut down the retail location and opened more phone lines. Three years after opening the store, Tire Rack got into the

mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing a ...

business and by 1990 the store was shut down. In 1995, Tire Rack began its website where it posted reviews of tires it sold. In 1998, Tire Rack began online sales. Since 1995, Tire Rack has been the title sponsor of the National

Sports Car Club of America The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...

(SCCA) Solo Program, a club that allows driving enthusiasts to compete at a local level. By 2005, Tire Rack had grown into a nationwide company that distributes more than 2 million tires annually. The company now offers 24 tire brands and has ten warehouses in nine states. Customers who pick up orders from a warehouse location are offered a discount. After 26 years of being a privately-owned family company, Los Angeles-based investment group Leonard Green & Partners took a 49% stake in the company with the Veldman family controlling the majority 51%. Pete Veldman passed away on March 14, 2014 at the age of 87. Pete's son-in-law Mike Joines succeeded him as president. On December 4, 2021,

acquired Tire Rack for an undisclosed amount.

References

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External links

Tirerack.com (Official Website)

DiscountTire.com (Official Website)
American companies established in 1979 Retail companies established in 1979 Online automotive companies of the United States Automotive part retailers of the United States 1979 establishments in Indiana