It’s May in Indianapolis, and that means one thing — racing! As the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gears up to host the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend, here are a few fun facts you may or may not know about the famed oval and the big race:
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway initially started taking shape in 1909, although the very first Indianapolis 500 wasn’t held until May 30, 1911 with Ray Harroun’s Marmon Wasp winning the race with an average speed of 74.602 miles per hour.
The 253-acre area within the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval track is large enough to simultaneously contain Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Roman Colosseum, the White House, Liberty Island, the Taj Mahal and Vatican City with room to spare.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway boasts a permanent seating capacity of 232,000. Temporary seating and infield attendance bring in-person Indianapolis 500 attendance to around 400,000. Add in a global television and streaming viewership of millions, and it’s easy to see why the Indy 500 is considered to be the largest single-day sporting event in the world.
Originally commissioned in 1935, the Borg-Warner Trophy remains on permanent display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and makes traveling appearances at other events around town. It’s estimated value? $3.5 million.
When it was first built, the IMS track was constructed of 3 million bricks. Although the surface materials have been upgraded through the years, one yard has been preserved, representing the track’s prestigious start/finish line — hence the “Brickyard” nickname. Kissing the bricks is a popular photo opportunity for drivers and visitors.
In addition to serving as the home of the Indianapolis 500, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has also hosted the NASCAR Brickyard 400, the Formula 1 Grand Prix, MotoGP races, holiday light shows, concerts and a variety of other events. The Rolling Stones kicked off their 2015 North American tour by playing at the track on July 4.
With four victories each to date, the winningest Indy 500 drivers are A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves. Helio also claims the fastest average winning speed of 190.690 miles per hour in 2021.
The tradition of drinking milk at the end of the race began when Louis Meyer requested a bottle of buttermilk to cool off after winning the 1936 Indianapolis 500. Now, the milk preference of each driver is recorded prior to the race so that whoever wins will have his or her own personal bottle on hand.
For more info about racing #INIndiana, visit www.visitindiana.com/motorsports
