Indianapolis 500

3.2 million bricks silenced the chaos that crushed stone and tar had started.

Indianapolis businessman Carl G. Fisher, along with partners James Allison, Arthur Newby, and Frank Wheeler, opened the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August 1909. The original surface was crushed stone and tar, which proved dangerously unsuitable. After a series of fatal accidents during the inaugural motorcycle and automobile races, the entire 2.5-mile oval was paved with 3.2 million bricks, earning it the nickname "The Brickyard."

Harroun skipped the co-pilot and bolted on a mirror instead; a solo gamble that won the inaugural race at just over 74 mph.

On 30 May 1911, forty cars took the start of the inaugural Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. Ray Harroun, driving the Marmon Wasp, won in 6 hours and 42 minutes at an average speed of 74.602 mph. Harroun was notable for racing without a riding mechanic, instead fitting a rear-view mirror to his car, believed to be one of the first uses of the device in motorsport. The prize purse totalled $27,550, with Harroun taking home $14,250.

A mother's remedy for a hot day became one of the most recognisable rituals in world sport.

After winning his third Indianapolis 500 in 1936, Louis Meyer requested a glass of buttermilk in Victory Lane, something his mother had told him was a good way to refresh on a hot day. A photograph of Meyer drinking the milk was widely published, and the dairy industry saw an opportunity. By the late 1950s, the tradition of the winner drinking milk had become an official part of the ceremony. It remains one of the most recognisable rituals in world sport.

Weeds split the tarmac in 1945; one businessman's cheque brought the whole spectacle back to life.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway had fallen into disrepair during the Second World War, with weeds growing through the track surface and grandstands crumbling. Terre Haute businessman Anton "Tony" Hulman Jr. purchased the facility in November 1945 and invested heavily in its restoration. The 500 returned on 30 May 1946, and Hulman's stewardship transformed the race into a national institution. His family would control the Speedway for over seven decades.

Clark led 190 of 200 laps; the front-engine roadster never recovered.

Scottish Formula One champion Jim Clark arrived at Indianapolis in a rear-engine Lotus 38 powered by a Ford engine and dominated the 1965 race, leading 190 of 200 laps. His victory effectively ended the era of the front-engine roadster that had defined American open-wheel racing for decades. Clark's win also marked a period of strong European influence at the Brickyard, with Graham Hill having won the previous year in a similar Lotus chassis.

Four wins at Indianapolis across sixteen years; a record that sat untouched for a full decade.

A.J. Foyt won his fourth Indianapolis 500 in 1977, a record that would stand alone for a decade. The Texan had first won in 1961 and his career at the Brickyard spanned an extraordinary 35 consecutive starts from 1958 to 1992. Al Unser Sr. matched the four-win record in 1987, and Rick Mears equalled it in 1991. No driver has yet won five.

A schism that took twelve years to heal; the 1996 race began it all.

Tony George, grandson of Tony Hulman, founded the Indy Racing League in 1996, splitting from the established CART series. The schism divided teams, sponsors, and fans for over a decade. The 1996 Indianapolis 500 was the first run under IRL sanctioning, with many top CART teams boycotting the race. Buddy Lazier won that year's contest. The two series would not reunify until 2008, by which time the damage to American open-wheel racing's commercial standing was significant.

Eighteen Indy 500 victories as a team owner, and Penske still wanted the keys to the whole circuit.

In January 2020, Roger Penske completed his purchase of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the IndyCar Series, and IMS Productions from the Hulman-George family. Penske, whose teams had won a record 18 Indy 500s as an owner, immediately invested in facility upgrades. The 2020 race was held in August without spectators due to the pandemic, the first time in the race's history that fans were absent. Full crowds returned in 2022.