How it all began - the first car race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The first motor car race to be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway took place on Aug. 19, 1909.
However, it was not the first race to be held there.
A balloon competition lifted off from the speedway on June 5, 1909, drawing a reported crowd of 40,000 people. Two months later, the first set of motor races took place at the speedway, with seven motorcycle races taking place on Aug. 14. While it was scheduled to be a two-day event, the races were called after the first day of action due to the crushed rock and tar surface breaking up.
The problems were not solved by the time the car contests took place just five days later. While Louis Schwitzner took the first win at 57.4 mph on Aug. 19, the deteriorating track conditions led to an accident that killed driver Wilfred Bourque and his riding mechanic Harry Halcomb. The races were called for the rest of the day but resumed on the following two days, with accidents leading to more fatalities including those of two spectators.
As a result, racing was suspended at the track until December, at which point the speedway had been repaved with 3.2 million bricks.
The first Indianapolis 500 took place at the Brickyard on May 30, 1911. Over time, the 2.5-mile speedway has became mostly paved, with just a three-foot line of bricks left at the start/finish line, paying homage to the track’s history.
Earlier this year, the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 was held, with Alexander Rossi taking home the victory.
