The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home to the Indianapolis 500, holds a unique place in the history of automotive racing.
Speedway Constructed in 1909
Located six miles west of downtown Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was constructed in 1909. It was the brainchild of Carl G. Fisher, who envisioned a proving ground for the budding automobile industry. It is the third-oldest permanent automobile racetrack in the world, behind Brooklands (Surrey, England) and the Milwaukee Mile, and the first to be called a ‘speedway’. With a permanent seating capacity of 257,325, it is the highest-capacity sports venue in the world.
The track is a 2.5-mile rectangular oval with dimensions that have remained essentially unchanged since its construction. It has two .625-mile straightaways, four geometrically identical .250-mile turns, connected by two .125-mile short straightaways, termed “short chutes”, between turns 1 and 2, and between turns 3 and 4. The turns have 9°12′ banking, considered relatively flat by American standards.
The first Indianapolis 500 race was run on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1911.
National Landmark
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It is the only such site to be affiliated with automotive racing history.
The track is among the most visited attractions in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, with one million guests annually. Nicknamed “The Brickyard”, it holds the title as the “Racing Capital of the World”. The garage area is known as Gasoline Alley, although Indy 500 race cars currently use ethanol. On the grounds of the Speedway is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which opened in 1956, and houses the Hall of Fame.
Owners Over the Years
Carl G. Fisher, along with other investors, comprised the founding ownership group. World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker was the track’s second owner (1927–1945), and incidentally he also drove in the Indianapolis 500 four times. Tony Hulman purchased the track from Eddie Rickenbacker following World War II, and the Hulman/George family owned the track for three generations (1945–2019). Today the Speedway is owned by Roger Penske following his 2019 purchase from the Hulmans.
For more history on this iconic site visit Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Photo Attribution
IMS logo:
VulcanSphere Fair use, https:// en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37540940
IMS Poster:
Otis Lithograph Co. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27780567