INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: AN AMERICAN ICON
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an American icon and the world's greatest racecourse. With more than 250,000 permanent seats, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is also the world's largest seating facility.
Since its opening, the Speedway has been a proving ground for automobiles and an important factor in the development of the present-day automobile. The Speedway also has been the scene of 87 Indianapolis 500-Mile races, 10 Brickyard 400 NASCAR events and four United States Grand Prix Formula One events, playing host to some of the biggest names in auto racing history. The Indianapolis 500 is the largest attended single-day sporting event in the world.
Below is a chronological timeline of some of the many highlights in the Speedway's rich 95-year history.
1909: The founders, Carl G. Fisher, James A. Allison, Arthur C. Newby and Frank H. Wheeler, pooled their ideas and resources to build the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which would become the world's greatest racecourse. Fisher's vision was to build an automobile testing ground to support Indiana's growing automotive industry.
June 5, 1909: The first competitive event to take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was actually a gas-filled balloon race. In the handicap division, Charles Walsh's "Hoosier" was declared winner as his balloon floated to Westmoreland, Tenn.
Aug. 14, 1909: The first motorized races - using motorcycles - took place on the recently completed IMS oval, which had a racing surface composed of crushed stone sprayed with tar. A.G. Chapple won the first race, a five-mile handicapped race with seven competitors, on an Indian motorcycle. The two-day event was originally scheduled to begin on Friday, Aug. 13 but was rained out. Because competitors would not compete on Sundays in that era, the final day of competition was rescheduled for Monday the 15th, but the day's activities were canceled due to track surface conditions.
Aug. 19, 1909: The Speedway opened for three days of auto racing, the first automobile races in track history. The first auto race was a two-lap, 5-mile standing start "dash" won by Louis Schwitzer. Accidents in the initial events, however, convinced the management that a paved surface was necessary for the safety of drivers.
Late 1909: In a span of 63 days, 3.2 million paving bricks, each weighing 9.5 pounds, were laid on top of the crushed rock and tar surface to upgrade the Speedway. The job was completed in time for another series of races scheduled for Dec. 18, but sub-freezing weather forced cancellation of the event.
1910: Various racing programs were held at the Speedway during May, July and September of 1910. The Speedway became one of the only racetracks to have permanent garages, located inside of Turn 1. The Speedway also played a role in the early history of flight by hosting the first National Aviation Meet on June 13-18.
May 30, 1911: The first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, initially named the "International Sweepstakes," was won by Ray Harroun at an average speed of 74.602 mph. Except during America's involvement in World Wars I and II, the Indianapolis 500 has been an annual event ever since. Many historians believe that this race marked the first use of a pace car to start a race. It is also believed that Harroun's Marmon "Wasp" was the first automobile to use a rearview mirror.
1912: The Indianapolis 500 became the highest paying sporting event in the world when Carl Fisher increased the total purse to $50,000 and first prize to $20,000.
1913: A four-tier tower of the Japanese pagoda design was erected. It was razed using fire in 1925 to make way for a new and improved Pagoda of similar design.
1920: The four-lap qualification format was introduced. Driver Art Klein was the first to post a "time trial" under this format.
1923: Tommy Milton became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 two times (his first win was in 1921). With the exception of one car, this was also the first time the entire field used single-seat cars during the "500."
1925: Peter DePaolo won the Indianapolis 500 and became the first driver to average faster than 100 mph. It was also the first time substantial radio broadcasts took place at the track - WFBM of Indianapolis and WGN from Chicago.
1926: The original Pagoda, which was razed with fire after the 1925 Indianapolis 500, was replaced with a similar yet slightly larger version in time for the 1926 race. As speeds increased, officials felt the original Pagoda was built too close to the track, and thus the new Pagoda was built considerably further back from the main straightaway.
1927: Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and his associates purchased the Speedway for $750,000.
1929: A golf course was added to the Speedway's landscape.
1935: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the first track in the world to install safety-warning lights. Also in 1935, helmet use became mandatory at the Speedway, a first for motor racing worldwide.
1936: Louis Meyer became the first driver to win three Indianapolis 500-Mile races. He also requested a bottle of buttermilk in Victory Lane, creating the inspiration for the winner drinking milk, an annual tradition since 1956. Before the race, patches of asphalt had been applied to the rougher portions of the bricks in the turns.
1937: All turns were resurfaced with asphalt before the race, and magnaflux inspection of key safety-related metal parts was made mandatory.
1938: Asphalt was laid on the entire surface except the middle section of both straightaways.
1939: The entire track, except the middle portion of the main straightaway, was resurfaced with asphalt.
1940: Wilbur Shaw became the first driver to win back-to-back Indianapolis 500-Mile Races. Only four other drivers have accomplished this feat: Mauri Rose (1947-48), Bill Vukovich (1953-54), Al Unser (1970-71) and Helio Castroneves (2001-02).
Nov. 14, 1945: Tony Hulman of Terre Haute, Ind., obtained control of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, purchasing it from Eddie Rickenbacker for $750,000. Hulman would help elevate the Indianapolis 500 and the month of May to a new level. Wilbur Shaw was named president and general manager. Shaw would later popularize the tradition of announcing, "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines" in the early 1950s.
Mid-to-late 1940s: The facilities were in deplorable condition after four years of deterioration during World War II, so a long-range program of improvements was launched immediately. The old wooden grandstands were replaced with steel and concrete structures as rapidly as possible in following years.
1949: Television cameras made their first appearance at the track on the morning of the 1949 race. WFBM Channel 6 went on the air with a documentary about the race entitled "The Crucible of Speed" and then televised the entire Indianapolis 500 live. This marked the first-ever television broadcast in the city of Indianapolis. One of the cameras was positioned on top of the first double-decker grandstand in Turn 1.
1954: Tony Hulman became the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after the tragic death of Wilbur Shaw in a plane crash on Oct. 30, 1954.
1956: The first Hall of Fame Museum/office building at the main entrance to the grounds was completed.
1957: A new Master Race Control Tower (replacing the 1926 Pagoda), Tower Terrace and Pit Area were built for the 1957 Indianapolis 500 - along with a new tunnel under the backstretch. Other improvements followed quickly.
1961: A.J. Foyt won his first of four Indianapolis 500s after he took the lead from Eddie Sachs on Lap 197. In October, the remaining bricks on the front straightaway were covered with asphalt. A 36-inch strip of the original bricks ("Yard of Bricks") was kept intact at the start/finish line, where it remains today.
1965: The Indianapolis 500 was televised nationally on a tape-delayed basis for the first time on ABC.
1967: For the first time, a turbine-powered car competed in the Indianapolis 500. Parnelli Jones drove Andy Granatelli's No. 40 STP turbo car.
April 5, 1976: The new, multi-million dollar Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum was opened to the public, featuring approximately 75 classic automobiles, motorcycles and racing cars. The museum is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Summer 1976: The entire track was resurfaced with asphalt, marking the first complete repaving since paving bricks were laid in late 1909.
May 14, 1977: Pole-sitter Tom Sneva turned the first official 200-mph laps at the Speedway.
May 22, 1977: On the final day of qualifying in 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first female to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.
1977: A.J. Foyt became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times (1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977). Two other drivers would accomplish this feat in the years to come: Al Unser in 1987 (also won in 1970, 1971 and 1978) and Rick Mears in 1991 (also won in 1979, 1984 and 1988).
Oct. 27, 1977: Tony Hulman passed away after 32 years of presiding over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His family took on the responsibility of preserving his vision and the heritage of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hulman's wife, Mary Fendrich Hulman, became chairman of the board while longtime family friend Joseph R. Cloutier was named president.
May 27, 1979: The "pack up" rule was employed as a safety measure during caution periods, and for the first time in history the Pace Car appeared on the track during the Indianapolis 500.
October 1979: The board of directors elected John R. Cooper to a director's position, and named him president and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation.
Spring 1982: Cooper resigned as president and CEO and was subsequently elected chairman of ACCUS-FIA, Inc. Cloutier was again named IMS president.
Spring 1986: A new garage area complex was built, which includes 96 individual garages for race teams and new accessory rooms accommodating up to 25 participating companies.
1986: Bobby Rahal became the first driver to complete the Indianapolis 500 in less than three hours. The Indianapolis 500 was broadcast live on ABC for the first time.
May 1988: Mary Fendrich Hulman was named chairman of the board emeritus and her daughter, Mari Hulman George, was named chairman of the board.
1988: Following the "500," won by Rick Mears, the entire track and pit area were resurfaced.
1989: The winner's share of the Indianapolis 500 exceeded $1 million for the first time, which was won by Emerson Fittipaldi. Grandstand A was remodeled.
December 1989-January 1990: IMS President Joseph Cloutier passed away on Dec. 11, 1989. Anton (Tony) H. George, grandson of Tony Hulman, was named president of the Speedway on Jan. 8, 1990.
1990: Arie Luyendyk set the official race record of 185.981 mph for the full 500 miles.
Spring 1992: A newly designed, energy-absorbing crash pad was installed at the pit entrance on the north end of the inside pit wall.
1992: Al Unser Jr. beat Scott Goodyear in the closest race in Indianapolis 500 history. The margin of victory was 0.043 of a second.
1993: Brickyard Crossing, an 18-hole championship-caliber golf course, opened to the public. Four of the holes are located within the infield at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
1994: Victory Lane was transformed into a circular, rotating lift in the Tower Terrace horseshoe, and a new, 97-foot-tall scoring pylon with modern electronics replaced the pylon that marked the main straightaway since 1959. In addition to track renovations, the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway Administrative Office was completed at the corner of 16th St. and Georgetown Rd. (outside Turn 1) and now houses most Indianapolis Motor Speedway offices.
March 11, 1994: Tony George, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, announced plans for a new racing series, the Indy Racing League, to begin in 1996 that includes the Indianapolis 500.
Aug. 6, 1994: The inaugural NASCAR Brickyard 400 race was won by Jeff Gordon.
September 1994: The first Comfort Classic at the Brickyard, featuring the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour), took place.
Fall 1995: The entire track, except the new pit lane and warm-up lanes, was repaved with a specially designed racetrack asphalt mix featuring very small rocks. The top 5 inches of the track were milled and replaced with the new asphalt. Concrete walls and catch fencing were installed along the inside of the back straightaway.
Early 1996: Oldsmobile announced its production of a V8 4.0-liter racing engine for the 1997 Indy Racing League season. Nissan announced its participation with the "Infiniti Indy," a racing version of the engine in the Infiniti Q45 luxury performance sedan. These engines were used in the 1997 Indianapolis 500.
1996: Arie Luyendyk established the one-lap qualifying record of 237.498 mph and the four-lap record of 236.986. Buddy Lazier won the race and became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 under the Indy Racing League flag.
Sept. 7, 1997: Plans were announced to build a new Control Tower that resembles the historic Pagoda structures that stood at the track from 1913-1956. The Bombardier Pagoda was completed in time for the 2000 Indianapolis 500.
May 24, 1998: The 82nd running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race was dedicated to the memory of Mary Fendrich Hulman, chairman emeritus of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, who passed away on April 10, 1998 at age 93. Race fans everywhere will remember Hulman as the gentle woman who, in a strong voice, gave the command for drivers to start their engines to begin the world's most famous automobile race from 1978-80 and 1982-96. Eddie Cheever Jr. went on to win his first Indianapolis 500.
July 31, 1998: Mark Martin won the inaugural 40-lap "IROC at Indy" International Race of Champions event. Jeff Gordon won his second Brickyard 400 the next day.
Dec. 2, 1998: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced plans to hold the United States Grand Prix Formula One race at the Speedway starting in 2000. Work began to prepare the track for the race, including the development of a 2.606-mile road course and 36 pit-side garages for the Formula One teams.
May 30, 1999: Kenny Brack won the 83rd running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, which marked the 90th Anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Brack drove for four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt. During the Indianapolis 500 weekend, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway played host to the largest group of Congressional Medal of Honor recipients in history.
Spring 2000: Construction continued on the new Bombardier Pagoda control tower, pit-side garages and 2.606-mile road course in preparation for the inaugural United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis on Sept. 24, 2000. It is the most ambitious construction project in Speedway history.
May 28, 2000: Juan Pablo Montoya became the first rookie to win the Indianapolis 500 since Graham Hill in 1966. Montoya, who qualified second for the race, set several rookie records during the month, most notably the most laps led in the race with 167.
Sept 24, 2000: Michael Schumacher won the inaugural United States Grand Prix Formula One race at Indianapolis before a sellout crowd estimated at 225,000. Schumacher's Ferrari teammate, Rubens Barrichello, finished second and Heinz-Harald Frentzen was third in the Jordan Grand Prix entry.
May 27, 2001: Helio Castroneves won the 85th Indianapolis 500, marking the first time since 1926-27 that rookies had won consecutive races.
Aug. 5, 2001: Jeff Gordon won the eighth Brickyard 400, becoming the first three-time winner of that prestigious event.
Jan. 8, 2002: The Olympic Torch Relay came to the Speedway on the way to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Indy Racing League drivers Sam Hornish Jr. and Helio Castroneves each drove one lap with the flame in the back of a Chevy Avalanche, while Speedway president Tony George and IRL driver/team owner Eddie Cheever Jr. each ran with the flame. Indy 500 veterans and NASCAR drivers John Andretti and Tony Stewart each ran with the flame on 16th St. and Georgetown Road.
March 2002: The Speedway's asphalt oval surface was made smoother in a process called "diamond-grinding." The process grinds and eliminates bumps in the asphalt, smoothing the track. This was the first time that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's surface was ground to smooth the surface.
May 1, 2002: The Speedway announced that the groundbreaking SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) Barrier was in place in all four of the Speedway oval's corners for the beginning of practice for the 86th Indianapolis 500. Under development by the Indy Racing League and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility since 1998, the SAFER Barrier is designed for multiple impacts by Indy Racing League cars and stock cars during an event. NASCAR joined in the development of the project in September 2000. The barrier is also used during the Brickyard 400 and USGP.
May 26, 2002: Helio Castroneves won the 86th Indianapolis 500, becoming the first driver to win back-to-back Indy 500's since Al Unser in 1970 and 1971. Castroneves is the first driver to win the "500" in each of his first two starts.
Aug. 4, 2002: Bill Elliott, 46, won the ninth Brickyard 400, becoming the oldest driver to win the race. Indiana native Tony Stewart started from the pole for the race and led the first lap, becoming the first driver to accomplish both feats in the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400.
Aug. 8, 2002: The new Indiana quarter, which features a modern Indy-style race car, was released to the public during a ceremony at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Sept. 29, 2002: Rubens Barrichello, driving for Ferrari, edged teammate Michael Schumacher by .011 of a second - the second-closest finish in Formula One history - to win the United States Grand Prix.
March 12, 2003: Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials announced that the Freedom 100 IRL Infiniti Pro Series race would take place on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 17 at the Speedway. The 40-lap race marked the first time in history another automobile race shared the famed 2.5-mile oval with the Indianapolis 500 during the month of May.
May 18, 2003: Ed Carpenter won the inaugural Freedom 100, leading 39 of 40 laps. The finish of the race, scheduled for May 17, was delayed one day after rain halted activity on Lap 13.
May 25, 2003: Gil de Ferran won the 87th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race by .2990 of a second - the third-closest finish in "500" history - over his Marlboro Team Penske teammate, Helio Castroneves. De Ferran's first Indy win marked the record 13th victory for team owner Roger Penske. With Tony Kanaan finishing third only 1.2475 seconds behind de Ferran, the race also featured the closest 1-2-3 finish in "500" history.
Aug. 4, 2003: Kevin Harvick won the 10th Brickyard 400 by 2.758 seconds over Matt Kenseth, becoming the first driver to win the race from the pole.
Sept. 28, 2003: Michael Schumacher won the fourth United States Grand Prix by 18.258 seconds over Kimi Raikkonen.
May 30, 2004: Buddy Rice won a rain-shortened 88 th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race for team owners Bobby Rahal, the 1986 '500' winner, and late-night talk show host Dave Letterman, an Indianapolis native. The race marked the 40 th anniversary of ABC television network's coverage of the Indianapolis 500.
Aug. 8, 2004: Jeff Gordon becomes the first four-time winner of the Brickyard 400. He set the race record for most laps led, with 124.
Late Summer-Fall 2004: The 2.5-mile oval surface, pit lane and warm-up lanes were repaved. Crews removed the famous 'Yard of Bricks' beginning Aug. 9, milling of the old asphalt surface began Aug. 16, and the final layer of new asphalt was laid in early November.
March 2005: The new “Version 2” SAFER Barrier was installed in each of the four corners of the Speedway oval.
April 28, 2005: The Allstate Corporation, the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, became the title sponsor of the prestigious Brickyard 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at IMS. The race was renamed the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard as a result of the historic partnership.
May 29, 2005: Dan Wheldon became the first Englishman since Graham Hill in 1966 to win the Indianapolis 500, while Danica Patrick stole the headlines by becoming the highest-finishing woman in the history of the Indianapolis 500 by finishing fourth, earning Chase Rookie of the Year honors for her performance. She is also the first woman to lead a lap in the prestigious race.
Aug. 7, 2005: Tony Stewart, a native and resident of Columbus, Ind., scored an emotional win at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, becoming the first Indiana-born driver to win the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, and the first driver from Indiana to win a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since Shelbyville native Wilbur Shaw won the 1940 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.
May 28, 2006: Sam Hornish Jr. earned his first Indianapolis 500 victory – and the record 14th Indy win for team owner Roger Penske – in dramatic fashion by passing rookie Marco Andretti on the last lap, just before the finish line. Hornish’s margin of victory was .0635 of a second, the second-closest finish in “500” history. Hornish’s pass of Andretti marked the first time in race history that the winner took the lead on the final lap.
July 2, 2006: Michael Schumacher won the United States Grand Prix for a fifth time, becoming the first five-time winner of a major event at IMS.
Aug. 6, 2006: Jimmie Johnson won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, his first victory at IMS and a record fifth in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competition at the track for team owner Rick Hendrick.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Q. When did the Speedway first open?
A. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened in 1909 as a 2.5-mile oval track after investment and leadership by founders Carl G. Fisher, James A. Allison, Arthur C. Newby and Frank H. Wheeler.
Q. What is the seating capacity of the Speedway?
A. The Speedway is the largest spectator sporting facility in the world, with more than 250,000 permanent seats.
Q. How big is the Speedway property?
A. The Speedway property encompasses 1,025 acres in northwest Indianapolis, including the track, Administration Building, Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, Brickyard Crossing Golf Resort and Inn and various parking areas.
Q. Who owns the track?
A. The Hulman-George family of Indianapolis and its company, Hulman & Co., headquartered in Terre Haute, Ind.
Q. Who is the president of the track?
A. Joie Chitwood was named president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in December 2004 by Tony George, who remains chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its parent, Hulman & Company.
Q. How long is the oval track at the Speedway?
A. 2.5 miles. The track has four distinct turns and straightaways, a layout unchanged since the facility opened in 1909. The front and back straightaways are 5/8 of a mile each, with the "short chute" straightaways between Turns 1 and 2 and Turns 3 and 4 at 1/8 of a mile each. Each of the four turns is 1/4 of a mile long.
Q. What is the banking of the turns?
A. Each of the four turns on the oval is banked exactly at 9 degrees, 12 minutes, the same dimensions as when the track opened in 1909.
Q. Where did the term "The Brickyard" come from?
A. In late 1909, the entire 2.5-mile crushed stone-and-tar oval was surfaced with 3.2 million paving bricks, creating the term "The Brickyard."
Q. When did the bricks disappear from the track?
A. Parts of the track were resurfaced with asphalt starting in 1936. In October 1961, the remaining bricks on the front straightaway were covered with asphalt except for a 3-foot strip, the famous "Yard of Bricks," at the start-finish line. Many of the original bricks remain under the asphalt surface around the oval.
Q. How do I buy tickets for Speedway events?
A. Tickets can be purchased any of three ways: In person, by phone or online.
Visit the Ticket Office on the ground floor of the Administration Building at 16th Street and Georgetown Road in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. local time Monday through Friday. The Ticket Office also is open on weekends during events.
Tickets also can be ordered by phone at (317) 492-6700. Tickets also can be purchased securely online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
Q. Where can I get directions to the track?
A. A multitude of information for visitors, including directions to the track, is located at the Speedway's Web site, www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com. Click on the Visitor Information link on the home page or click here to access that section directly.
Q. Where can I find information about hotels, camping and parking for events?
A. The Visitor Information section of www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
Q. Is there a museum that features the history of the track and its events?
A. Yes. The Speedway Hall of Fame Museum is located on the grounds of the facility, in the infield between Turns 1 and 2 of the oval. It is the large, white building that fans see as they exit the tunnel while entering the facility at the main entrance, Gate 2.
The Speedway Hall of Fame Museum is recognized as one of the most highly visible museums in the world devoted to automobiles and auto racing. In 1987, the museum and Speedway grounds were honored with the designation of National Historic Landmark.
Approximately 75 vehicles are on display at all times, including race cars from the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and United States Grand Prix, and a variety of vintage and current race cars. An extensive trophy collection, including the famed Borg-Warner Trophy presented annually to the Indianapolis 500 winner, is on display. The Museum also offers visitors the 48-seat Tony Hulman Theater, featuring a 20-minute presentation of rare historic footage and Indianapolis 500 highlights.
The Museum is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. local time every day except for Christmas Day, with extended hours during May. The cost is $3 for adults, $1 for children age 6-15 and free for children 5 and younger. Call (317) 492-6784 for more information or visit www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
Q. Are track tours available?
A. Yes. Tour buses take visitors around the 2.5-mile oval whenever the track is not otherwise in use or closed because of inclement weather conditions, with stops along the way for narration about interesting and historical aspects of the facility.
Track tours take place from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. local time every day except for Christmas Day, with extended hours to coincide with gate times on event days. The cost is $3 for adults, $1 for children age 6-15 and free for children 5 and younger. Call (317) 492-6784 for more information or visit www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
A special "Grounds Tour," which provides an even more in-depth look at the Speedway and its facilities, is available certain weekends of the year for fans. Call (317) 492-6784 or visit www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com for dates and ticket information.
Q. Was the Indianapolis 500 the first race at the Speedway?
A. No. The first competitive event to take place at the facility actually was a gas-filled balloon race June 5, 1909. The first land-based vehicle race was a motorcycle event Aug. 14, 1909. The first automobile race at the Speedway took place Aug. 19, 1909.
The first Indianapolis 500 took place May 30, 1911.
Q. What other races have taken place at the Speedway besides the Indy 500?
A. Automobile and motorcycle races took place at the track in 1909 and 1910, before the Indianapolis 500 became the annual event at the facility in 1911, interrupted only by world wars in 1917-18 and 1942-45. The Freedom 100 for the Indy Pro Series debuted as part of the Indianapolis 500 schedule in 2003.
Stock cars first raced at the Speedway in the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, a NASCAR event which has taken place annually since then. The International Race of Champions series competed annually at the Speedway from 1998-2003 during Brickyard 400 weekend.
Formula One first came to the Speedway in 2000 after a 2.605-mile road circuit incorporating part of the world-famous oval was built. The United States Grand Prix has taken place annually since then, with Porsche Supercup series races serving as a support event every year, Ferrari Challenge serving as a support event from 2000-02, Formula BMW USA serving as a support event in 2004-06 and Indy Pro Series sedrving as a support event in 2005-06.
Q. Does the Speedway have a golf course?
A. Yes. An golf course was added to the Speedway in 1929. Renowned golf architect Pete Dye was commissioned to redesign the course in 1991, and the renamed Brickyard Crossing officially opened to the public in 1993. Four holes are located inside the infield of the oval, with 14 outside the back straightaway. A Senior PGA Tour (now Champion's Tour) event, the Comfort Classic, took place at Brickyard Crossing from 1994-2000. The course has a full staff and pro shop.
Q. Is Brickyard Crossing a public or private course?
A. Public. Tee times can be obtained 14 days in advance and must be guaranteed with a major credit card. Call (317) 492-6570 for tee times and greens fees information. Special package rates are available for customers who stay at the hotel overnight.
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY FAST FACTS
Mailing:
P.O. Box 24152
Speedway, IN 46224
Contact numbers:
Phone: (317) 492-8500
Fax: (317) 492-6759
Tickets: (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY
Credentials:
Send requests on letterhead
signed by the assigning editor to:
IMS Media Credentials
P.O. Box 24906
Speedway, IN 46224
Phone: (317) 492-6500
E-mail, Web:
imspr@brickyard.com
http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com
|
Shipping:
4790 W. 16th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46222
Media contact:
Ron Green, rgreen@brickyard.com
Phone: (317) 492-6780
Fax: (317) 492-6482
Media center phone:
(317) 492-4555
Media center fax:
(317) 492-4551
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TRACK FACTS
Oval track dimensions: 2.5-mile oval superspeedway
Frontstraight: 5/8-mile
Backstraight: 5/8-mile
Turns: 1/4-mile each
Short chutes: 1/8-mile each
Width: Straightaways: 50 feet
Turns: 60 feet
Banking: Straightaways: 0 degrees
Turns: 9 degrees, 12 minutes
Seating: More than 250,000 permanent seats (world's largest sporting facility)
Promoter: Owned by the Hulman-George family, Hulman & Co., Terre Haute, Ind.
Track history:
- Facility built in 1909.
- First Indianapolis 500 run in 1911, won by Ray Harroun.
- Traditionally run on Memorial Day Weekend since 1911 except world war years, 1917-18; 1942-45.
- Track once paved with 3.2 million paving bricks, nicknamed the "Brickyard." The "Yard of Bricks" remains at the start/finish line as tribute to old surface.
- The Speedway's Hall of Fame Museum is one of racing's most famous museums.
- With the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, NASCAR stock cars became the first type of car other than Indy-style cars to race at the Speedway since 1911.
- The Speedway's 2.605-mile road course debuted during the United States Grand Prix Formula One race in September 2000.
HALL OF FAME MUSEUM
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, located 5 miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis, is recognized as one of the most highly visible museums in the world devoted to automobiles and auto racing. In 1987, the museum and Speedway grounds were honored with the designation of National Historic Landmark.
The late Tony Hulman and Karl Kizer, the museum's first director, established the original Hall of Fame Museum in 1956. Located at the southwest corner of the Speedway's property where the Speedway's Administration Building now stands, the building was large enough only to display a few vintage race cars. Before long, it was obvious something more substantial was needed.
During 1975, Hulman built a larger, more modern museum within the Speedway oval, its opening coinciding with the United States Bicentennial celebration in 1976.
Constructed of pre-cast cement and Wyoming quartz, the facility encompasses 96,000 square feet of museum and administrative office space. Museum display space measures approximately 30,000 square feet. A glass canopy above the main display floor provides year-round natural light. The building also houses two Speedway gift shops, the track's photography department and other offices.
An air-conditioned snack shop and departure area for bus tours of the historic 2.5-mile oval is located near the museum's front doors.
Approximately 75 vehicles are on display at all times, and among the featured attractions are:
- The Louis Chevrolet Memorial, featuring a bronze bust of Chevrolet with four bronze panels about his automotive accomplishments.
- The Marmon "Wasp," which won the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 with Ray Harroun at the wheel, and was featured on a postage stamp in the U.S. Postal Service's Transportation Series.
- More than 30 Indianapolis 500-winning cars.
- A special collection of artifacts from the estate of Wilbur Shaw, a three-time "500" winner and former IMS president and general manager.
- The four cars driven to victory by A.J. Foyt, including his 1977 machine that represents his record-setting fourth Indy 500 win.
- The Duesenberg #12 Murphy Special, the only car ever to win both the Indianapolis 500 (1922) and the French Grand Prix at Le Mans (1921).
- Dave Evans' #8 Cummins Diesel Special, the first car to complete the Indianapolis 500 without a pit stop in 1931.
- The 1965 Le Mans-winning Ferrari 250 LM.
- A 1954/55 Mercedes-Benz W196 streamlined Formula One car.
- The 1957 SSI Corvette.
- A 1998 Stewart-Ford SF-2 Formula One car.
- A rare 1935 Duesenberg Model JN four-door convertible passenger car, of which only three were built.
- An equally rare 1925 McFarlan passenger roadster.
The Hall of Fame Museum displays the equipment and methods used for timing and scoring the Indianapolis 500 from the first race to the 21st century.
An extensive trophy collection, including the famed Borg-Warner Trophy, which honors the winner of each Indianapolis 500, is also on display along with auto racing trophies, honors and awards from around the world.
For a more visual taste of the Indianapolis 500, the museum offers visitors the 48-seat Tony Hulman Theatre, featuring a 20-minute presentation of historic footage and Indy 500 highlights.
Track tours are available rear-round (except in the event of inclement weather, and on event and private testing days), and the museum also offers a very popular and more thorough behind-the-scenes "Grounds Tour" on select weekends throughout the year.
The Hall of Fame Museum is open 364 days a year (closed Christmas Day) from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and features extended hours to reflect open gate times during May activities. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for ages 6-15, and children under age 6 are admitted free. For more information, contact the museum at (317) 492-6784.
