Just imagine if Indianapolis businessman Carl Fisher had gone with his first inclination in 1908 for the site of a test track for the young automobile industry. Here’s what the public address announcer might bellow next Sunday:
Welcome to French Lick Motor Speedway, home of the French Lick 500!
Or not. “It may not have taken off,” Indianapolis 500 historian Donald Davidson said.
At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the centennial celebration has just begun. It will be a three-year festival of sorts. Even though the track opened in 1909, the first 500-mile race wasn’t until 1911.
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From the start at the 2 1/2 -mile track, cars were going a stunning 80 mph or faster—eventually, it would attract crowds. Fisher knew it, and the rolling terrain around French Lick, in southern Indiana, not only was unsuitable, it was in the middle of nowhere.
“They might have built a great place that just died on the vine because it was hard to get to,” Davidson said.
What’s important to history is that they didn’t. Fisher and his Indianapolis business partners James Allison, Arthur Newby and Frank Wheeler bought 328 acres of flat farmland about 5 miles from the state capitol. They proceeded to build what became the world’s first great superspeedway.
It made sense, even to Richard Petty, the winningest driver in NASCAR history.
“You go back and read the history, and there was, what, over 200 automakers here in Indiana then; it was the capital of making cars,” Petty said. “So somebody comes up with the idea, ‘Hey, if we’re going to do that, why not make a track or something so these guys can test on?’ Columbus Dispatch
The IMS is a facility steeped in tradition, from the “Yard of Bricks,” a row of original bricks left exposed to serve as the start/finish line to the celebratory drinking of milk by the winner, a practice that originated in 1936 after winner Louis Meyer enjoyed a bottle of buttermilk in Victory Lane.
Although the race is a one-day event, the month of May becomes a flurry of activity at IMS. This year’s activities began May 1 with a hot-air balloon glow to honor that first competitive balloon event at the site 100 years ago.
Even if you don’t plan to be a spectator in the stands at this year’s Indy 500, the facility is open 364 days a year to visitors. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum gives an extensive overview of the IMS with approximately 75 vehicles that have played a part in the history of the magnificent venue.
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Fun Facts about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Ray Harroun won the first Indianapolis 500 driving a racing version of the locally produced Marmon passenger car called the “Wasp.” He devised a rod with a mirror attached that was placed on his car for the race and it is believed to be the first rearview mirror ever used on an automobile.
There are 200 laps in the Indianapolis 500. Each lap around the track is 2.5 miles. The four turns on the oval are banked at exactly 9 degrees.
The Borg-Warner Trophy, introduced in 1936, is 64 3/4 inches tall and 110 with the base.
The Indianapolis 500 was put on hold during the world wars. Racing did not take place in 1917 or 1918 or from 1942 -1945.
There have been three four-time winners of the Indianapolis 500: A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977), Al Unser(1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) and Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991).
The youngest winner of the Indianapolis 500 was Troy Ruttman, who won the 36th race in 1952 at 22 years old.
The oldest winner of the race was Al Unser, who was 47 years old when he won the 71st Indy 500 in 1987.
Janet Guthrie was the first female to race in the Indianapolis 500 in 1977. Four more females have raced since then.
Eight times the race has been won by a rookie driver.
Five drivers have won back-to-back races: Wilbur Shaw (1939-40), Mauri Rose (1947-48), Bill Vukovich (1953-54), Al
Unser (1970-71) and Helio Castroneves (2001-02).
1936 was a significant year for the Indy 500. Louis Myer is the first driver to ever become a three-time winner. He is also part of three Brickyard traditions: he was the first winner to be presented with the keys to the Pace Car, it is the first year for the Borg-Warner Trophy and he is photographed drinking buttermilk after the race, which began the tradition of handing milk to the winners.
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At 220 miles per hour, Indy Car Series cars travel slightly more than the length of a football field every second.
A front tire for the Indy Car Series weighs approximately 18 pounds.
The draft (or “hole” created by an Indy Car Series car extends 25 feet behind the car.
Nine different flags with different meanings are used during racing.
The IMS has a seating capacity of 250,000 permanent seats and is the largest spectator sporting facility in the world.
In 1929, a golf course was added to the speedway. The current Brickyard Crossing Golf Course sits on the same land outside the oval backstretch and inside the oval’s field. Times
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