subject: Indianapolis 500 - The Race Of The Season [print this page] The Indianapolis 500-Miles Race is the brainchild of the flamboyant automotive pioneer Carl Fisher. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex was constructed in 1909 as a gravel and tar track. Some small events were hosted on it before the promoters decided that it will be used for just one major event.
The track being graveled and tarred had its fair share of accidents leading to deaths of both participants and spectators. The whole track was paved with nearly 3.2 million bricks and the 500 mile (805 kilometers) track acquired a privileged status rapidly.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grounds are spread over an area of 1025 acres which includes the Track, Brickyard Crossing Golf Course and all the parking lots. The racing field also has 26 bridges and six tunnels for the racers. There are 17 grandstands and if they were laid ene to end in a straight line, they would stretch to 99.5 miles.
The Indy 500 as it is more fondly known is considered to be the Greatest Spectacle in Racing and is one of the three most famous and significant motorsports events in the world. It is usually said that nearly 250, 000 people attend the race and the infield seating which raises the capacity to an approximate 400,000. The car racing event has been organized consistently each year since 1911 barring the period of the two World Wars.
Ray Harroun was the winner of the First 500-Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and carried home a prize money worth of fourteen thousand dollars. The prize money had topped the three million mark in 2009. For the first several decades, the race did not entertain female participants and as such the female reporters were not allowed to enter the pit area till 1971. Till date there have been seven female participants for this race.
The Borg-Warner Trophy symbolizes the winner's determination, grit and the skill on the track. It was first presented in 1936 and since then has seen a lot of winning hands.
There are some very interesting and funny facts related to the Indy 500 and IMS:
* The First Indianapolis 500 was the first long distance auto race on a closed course or track. Forty cars started at the race and till date the record stands for 26 of them finishing the race.
* Ray Harroun won the race in 6 hours, 42 minutes and 8 seconds.
* Since 1940s peanuts are considered bad luck in this racing circuit as peanut shells were found in the seat of a crashed car.
* Green cars are also considered taboo and one cannot really see many green cars on the track.
* It is considered bad luck to enter and exit from the same side.
* The first event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a helium gas-filled balloon competition on Saturday, June 5, 1909, more than two months before the oval was completed.
