Touring the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: auto racing's greatest shrine, a National Historic Landmark, mirrors life in the fast lane - Midwest Focus

Travel America, March-April, 2004 by Randy Mink

SAY INDIANAPOLIS, AND THE world's most famous auto race instantly comes to mind. The Indianapolis 500, a Memorial Day weekend tradition, is the best-attended, single-day sporting event anywhere, drawing more than 350,000 spectators to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, "Racing Capital of the World."

On a typical day, visitors will not hear cheering crowds or roaring engines, but a mini-bus tour of the track and visit to the Hall of Fame Museum imparts a sense of the triumphs, heartbreaks, and history associated with racing's most hallowed ground. Last summer my son and I did even better--we took a behind-the-scenes "Grounds Tour" that granted access to places where most employees are not allowed. These special tours are given several times a year on weekends.

Every day, though, diehard race fans and casual tourists may opt for the standard tour around the 2.5-mile track before or after a visit to the Hall of Fame, located within the rectangular oval. The museum displays more than 75 lady racing cars, many of them Indianapolis 500 winners.

The well-preserved 1911 Marmon Wasp, the first winner, was driven by Ray Harroun at an average speed of 74.602 m.p.h. The Wasp is believed to have been the first car to use a rear view mirror. (The record average speed, 185.981 m.p.h., was set in 1990 by Arie Luyendyk, but track speeds have exceeded 200 m.p.h.).

Also displayed are A.J. Foyt Jr.'s four winning cars. Trophies, art, vintage photos, race cars from around the world, and antique passenger cars round out the collection. Visitors are free to photograph the cars and pose in one of the racing models. A 20-minute movie chronicles the track's past.

The Hall of Fame's two gift shops abound with racing souvenirs, from T-shirts and caps to posters, videos, car-model collectibles, and checkered flags. In the second-floor photo shop, choose from millions of shots (8" x 10" prints, slides, digital images) depicting race action, famous drivers, celebrities, and great moments on the track.

The speedway was opened in 1909 as an automotive testing and competition facility at a time when the fledgling automobile industry was thriving in Indiana. The first series of races caused the track's original crushed-stone-and-tar surface to break up, but it was immediately repaved with 3.2 million bricks and has been known ever since as the "Brickyard."

Most of the original bricks have been paved over with asphalt. The only bricks visible today are at the start/finish line, where Indy winners traditionally kneel and kiss the ground. (Most of us on the "Grounds Tour," taking advantage of our off-the-bus privileges, stooped for the obligatory photo op, pressing our lips to the bricks.) Another tradition: The victorious driver usually drinks milk.

The 500-mile race distance was chosen in 1911 because it was a distance that could be safely completed between mid-morning and late afternoon. Ray Harroun's elapsed time of six hours and 42 minutes certainly fell within their calculations.

The 88th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for May 30 this year. It has been held over the Memorial Day holiday each year since 1911 except during the World War's (1917-18, 1942-45). The 500 was the only race at the speedway until 1994, when the annual Brickyard 400 for NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock cars made its debut. Set for August 8 this year, the Brickyard 400 has become the sporting world's second best-attended, single-day event. The track completed the Triple Crown of auto racing with the inaugural United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis (the best-attended Formula One race) in 2000; the fifth Grand Prix is scheduled for June 20.

The speedway boasts permanent seating (mostly metal grandstands that wrap around much of the track) for more than 250,000; the infield accommodates thousands more. Counting support staff and media, total attendance approaches half a million at the Indianapolis 500. Some 250 doctors, nurses, and technicians are on hand to provide medical care for the huge throng.

Aside from the three races, the track is silent, except when used for automotive testing, pursuit training for local police, and pre-race qualifying rounds.

Privately owned and funded, the speedway has been in the hands of the Hulman-George family since 1945.

The special "Grounds Tour," lasting almost two hours, starts with the same audio narration heard on the standard track tours. Our bonus was the privilege of getting out to take pictures at the start/finish line, media center, and victory podium. We also toured the timing and scoring room and luxury suites inside the 13-story glass "pagoda," which can be seen miles away. On the way back to the Hall of Fame, the bus cruised along Gasoline Alley, the garage area.

We were especially impressed with the speedway's vastness and endless stands. The museum and its parking lot take up just a tiny portion of the complex. Also surprising were the four holes of golf right on the track's infield, part of the 18-hole course of Brickyard Crossing Golf Resort and Inn; the other 14 holes are immediately east of the backstretch.