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It’s
the desire of every human being to outdo others and race ahead
to the zenith in every sphere of life. From the bullock cart
races in India to the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, (or
Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500), it’s the same spirit, albeit
the technology has had a complete metamorphosis and the stakes
have increased astronomically. In the sphere of car racing,
Indy 500 is one of the oldest and the most rewarding races in
the world. Indy 500 participants achieve unimaginable speeds
and the winners are likewise rewarded with multi-million
dollar prizes.
The
Indianapolis Motor Speedway was founded by Carl Fisher in
1906. 40 cars took part in the first Indianapolis 500 Mile
Race held in 1911 in which Ray Harroun won the race in 6 hours
and 42 minutes achieving an average speed of 74.59 mph. He was
an America n and he was driving an American car. Not to be left
behind, the European auto manufacturers like Fiat and Peugeot
took up the challenge and produced suitable racing vehicles
and won the event from 1913 to 1919. In 1913, Jules Goux was
the first European to win this race.
Except
for the suspension of racing during the two world war periods,
Indy 500 U.S. automobile races have been held annually from
1911. Anton Hulman Jr. bought this track in 1945 and
transformed it into the "Greatest Spectacle in
Racing" by spending millions of dollars in improving the
facilities.
This
sporting event is always held on the weekend of the American
Memorial Day holiday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; a
sub-urban enclave of Indianapolis, Indiana and it attracts
many hundreds and thousands spectators making it the
best-attended sporting event in the world.
Nearly
3.2 million bricks were used for the original track of the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex, which was built in 1909.
From the 1930s till 1961, the track surface was converted from
brick to asphalt, although the original bricks were conserved
beneath the asphalt. Moreover,
a 36-inch strip of bricks has been preserved as a memento of
the original start/finish line. Care has been taken to
maintain the track's original shape and configuration. Every
ten years the track is resurfaced except for the 36-inch
original strip.
The
2.5 mile oval racetrack encompassing a 224-acre 90.7 hectare)
infield, which was founded about 90 years ago by Carl G.
Fisher, James A. Allison, Arthur C. Newby and Frank H.
Wheeler, has more than 250,000 perma nent seats. Moreover many
thousand spectators can occupy the infield. Although an
18-hole championship golf course has been added inside and
outside the track, the speedway is basically the same as it
was established originally.
Indy
500 has made Indiana very famous and the favorite destination
of hundreds of thousands of people from all over America and
the whole world. From paltry prize money of $27,550 in 1911 to
a whopping $9,047,150 in 1999, Indy 500 has surely come a long
way. It celebrated its 60th consecutive year of
racing event without any break, in May 2005. |
