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Indy 500 parade queens, fluttering balloons, fried-chicken
feasts, and shrieking engines are so indelibly embedded in
the American psyche that it's difficult to visualize the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway as anything but today's steel,
concrete, and asphalt temple of speed. But, like other
inventions that evolved into institutions, this one began as
a zany idea.
In 1905, while assisting friends racing in France, Indiana
sportsman and entrepreneur Carl Fisher observed that
Europeans held the upper hand in automobile design and
craftsmanship. What America needed to catch up, Fisher
reckoned, was a better means of testing cars before
delivering them to customers.
American racing was just getting started on horse tracks
and, occasionally, on public roads. But such venues were
ill-suited to either racing or car testing, Fisher reasoned in
a November 1906 letter to Motor Age Magazine: "The
average horse track is narrow, has fences that are
dangerous, and is always dusty or muddy.
[W]ith high speed cars, where wide skids are necessary, . . .
the fastest car, from a slow start or other temporary
delay, gets [stuck] in the rear without chances of ever
gaining the front on account of continuous seas of dust and
skidding cars." Fisher also argued that spectators didn't
receive their money's worth from an infrequent glance of a
hell-bent competitor racing past during a fifty-mile
open-road race.
feasts, and shrieking engines are so indelibly embedded in
the American psyche that it's difficult to visualize the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway as anything but today's steel,
concrete, and asphalt temple of speed. But, like other
inventions that evolved into institutions, this one began as
a zany idea.
In 1905, while assisting friends racing in France, Indiana
sportsman and entrepreneur Carl Fisher observed that
Europeans held the upper hand in automobile design and
craftsmanship. What America needed to catch up, Fisher
reckoned, was a better means of testing cars before
delivering them to customers.
American racing was just getting started on horse tracks
and, occasionally, on public roads. But such venues were
ill-suited to either racing or car testing, Fisher reasoned in
a November 1906 letter to Motor Age Magazine: "The
average horse track is narrow, has fences that are
dangerous, and is always dusty or muddy.
[W]ith high speed cars, where wide skids are necessary, . . .
the fastest car, from a slow start or other temporary
delay, gets [stuck] in the rear without chances of ever
gaining the front on account of continuous seas of dust and
skidding cars." Fisher also argued that spectators didn't
receive their money's worth from an infrequent glance of a
hell-bent competitor racing past during a fifty-mile
open-road race.
Fisher proposed building a circular track three to five
miles long with smooth, 100- to 150-foot-wide racing
surfaces. Such a facility would provide manufacturers an
opportunity to test cars at sustained speeds and give
drivers a place to learn how to maintain control at the limit.
Fisher predicted that speeds would rise beyond the 69
mph achieved on a one-mile horse track to more than 100
mph on a three-mile circle and at least 120 mph on a
five-mile circuit. As Speedway historian Donald Davidson
points out, 120 mph was practically the land speed record
of the day.
Fisher knew he was literally on the right track after
visiting the Brooklands circuit that opened near London in
1907. Seeing that steeply banked, 2.75-mile, pear-shaped
course cemented his determination to develop his dream.
With dozens of carmakers and suppliers in Indiana, a
dual-purpose track would be ideal for testing, and it would
also be the perfect venue for demonstrating a car's
strengths to the buying public through racing.
Fisher rejected two potential sites before his real-estate
agent found four adjoining tracts of level farmland totaling
328 acres five miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis.
In December 1908, Fisher convinced three partners to
join in purchasing the property for $72,000. The
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company's incorporation
papers listed capitalization of $250,000, with Fisher and
James Allison in for $75,000 apiece and Frank Wheeler
and Arthur Newby onboard for $50,000 each.
miles long with smooth, 100- to 150-foot-wide racing
surfaces. Such a facility would provide manufacturers an
opportunity to test cars at sustained speeds and give
drivers a place to learn how to maintain control at the limit.
Fisher predicted that speeds would rise beyond the 69
mph achieved on a one-mile horse track to more than 100
mph on a three-mile circle and at least 120 mph on a
five-mile circuit. As Speedway historian Donald Davidson
points out, 120 mph was practically the land speed record
of the day.
Fisher knew he was literally on the right track after
visiting the Brooklands circuit that opened near London in
1907. Seeing that steeply banked, 2.75-mile, pear-shaped
course cemented his determination to develop his dream.
With dozens of carmakers and suppliers in Indiana, a
dual-purpose track would be ideal for testing, and it would
also be the perfect venue for demonstrating a car's
strengths to the buying public through racing.
Fisher rejected two potential sites before his real-estate
agent found four adjoining tracts of level farmland totaling
328 acres five miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis.
In December 1908, Fisher convinced three partners to
join in purchasing the property for $72,000. The
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company's incorporation
papers listed capitalization of $250,000, with Fisher and
James Allison in for $75,000 apiece and Frank Wheeler
and Arthur Newby onboard for $50,000 each.
Speedway workers oiled and rolled the track surface until
the gates opened to the public. Fifteen to twenty thousand
spectators poured in, each paying $1 for a grandstand seat
or 50 cents to sit in the first- and second-turn bleachers.
Impatient drivers broke formation during the first three
rolling starts, forcing flagman Fred Wagner to halt the
field and begin all races from a standing start. Five- and
ten-mile event victors were Louis Schwitzer in a
Stoddard-Dayton, Louis Chevrolet in a Buick, Wilfred
Bourque in a Knox, and Ray Harroun in a Marmon.
Halfway through the first day's 250-mile main event, race
leader Chevrolet was temporarily blinded when a stone
smashed his goggles. Then Bourque suffered a (suspected)
rear-axle failure. His Knox flipped end-for-end on the front
straight before crashing into a fence post. Bourque and
riding mechanic Harry Holcomb both died at the scene.
Burman's Buick led the remaining field to the finish.
In spite of the four safe finishes and two world speed
records achieved on Indy's first day of car racing, AAA
sanctioning officials debated canceling the remainder of
the schedule. Only after Fisher promised that workers
would repair the ravaged track overnight were officials
convinced that the show should go on.
More than 20,000 spectators enjoyed the second day's
eight events, which were completed without incident.
Drivers behaved, records were broken, and the track
surface held up reasonably well.
the gates opened to the public. Fifteen to twenty thousand
spectators poured in, each paying $1 for a grandstand seat
or 50 cents to sit in the first- and second-turn bleachers.
Impatient drivers broke formation during the first three
rolling starts, forcing flagman Fred Wagner to halt the
field and begin all races from a standing start. Five- and
ten-mile event victors were Louis Schwitzer in a
Stoddard-Dayton, Louis Chevrolet in a Buick, Wilfred
Bourque in a Knox, and Ray Harroun in a Marmon.
Halfway through the first day's 250-mile main event, race
leader Chevrolet was temporarily blinded when a stone
smashed his goggles. Then Bourque suffered a (suspected)
rear-axle failure. His Knox flipped end-for-end on the front
straight before crashing into a fence post. Bourque and
riding mechanic Harry Holcomb both died at the scene.
Burman's Buick led the remaining field to the finish.
In spite of the four safe finishes and two world speed
records achieved on Indy's first day of car racing, AAA
sanctioning officials debated canceling the remainder of
the schedule. Only after Fisher promised that workers
would repair the ravaged track overnight were officials
convinced that the show should go on.
More than 20,000 spectators enjoyed the second day's
eight events, which were completed without incident.
Drivers behaved, records were broken, and the track
surface held up reasonably well.
Construction began in March 1909, with ambitious plans to
start racing by the Fourth of July. Then reality set in.
Fisher's vision of a three-mile oval surrounding a two-mile
road course became two 2.5-mile circuits in order to leave
room for grandstands. The final Speedway consisted of
four quarter-mile-long turns linked by two
five-eighths-mile straights and two eighth-mile short
chutes with the corners banked at 9.2 degrees. (Although
the road course was dropped from the century-ago plans,
construction of an inner circuit commenced in 1998 in
preparation for Indy's first Formula 1 race.)
The Dry Run creek running across a corner of the property
also posed problems. Construction superintendent P. T.
Andrews feared that the sixty days allotted for grading
might not be enough, so the summer 1909 schedule was
revised to hold a balloon event in June and inaugural races
in August.
Five hundred laborers, 300 mules, and a fleet of
steam-powered machinery reshaped the landscape. The
track surface consisted of graded and packed soil covered
by two inches of gravel, two inches of limestone covered
with taroid (a solution of tar and oil), one to two inches of
crushed stone chips that were also drenched with taroid,
and a final topping of crushed stone. Steamrollers
compressed each layer.
start racing by the Fourth of July. Then reality set in.
Fisher's vision of a three-mile oval surrounding a two-mile
road course became two 2.5-mile circuits in order to leave
room for grandstands. The final Speedway consisted of
four quarter-mile-long turns linked by two
five-eighths-mile straights and two eighth-mile short
chutes with the corners banked at 9.2 degrees. (Although
the road course was dropped from the century-ago plans,
construction of an inner circuit commenced in 1998 in
preparation for Indy's first Formula 1 race.)
The Dry Run creek running across a corner of the property
also posed problems. Construction superintendent P. T.
Andrews feared that the sixty days allotted for grading
might not be enough, so the summer 1909 schedule was
revised to hold a balloon event in June and inaugural races
in August.
Five hundred laborers, 300 mules, and a fleet of
steam-powered machinery reshaped the landscape. The
track surface consisted of graded and packed soil covered
by two inches of gravel, two inches of limestone covered
with taroid (a solution of tar and oil), one to two inches of
crushed stone chips that were also drenched with taroid,
and a final topping of crushed stone. Steamrollers
compressed each layer.
Another army of workers constructed dozens of buildings,
several bridges, grandstands with 12,000 seats, and an
eight-foot perimeter fence. A white-with-green-trim paint
scheme was used throughout the property.
On the evening of June 5, 1909, nine gas-filled balloons
lifted off at Indy, "racing" for adulation and silver
trophies. University City, the winner of the Speedway's
first competitive event, landed 382 miles away in Alabama
after spending more than a day aloft.
Motorcycle races, daringly scheduled to begin on Friday,
August 13, were hampered by construction delays, rain,
riders who wouldn't race, tire blowouts, and complaints
about the track surface. Only 3500 spectators showed up,
and contentious officials canceled more than half of the
planned events. Erwin G. (later known as Cannonball) Baker
won the final ten-mile race, averaging 52 mph on his Indian.
Fifteen carmakers' teams arrived for practice two days
later. Bob Burman, Louis Chevrolet, and Barney Oldfield
were the professional stars. Engineers and testers
employed by participating manufacturers filled out the
drivers' roster. Oldfield quickly set the bogey with a
76-mph lap in his Blitzen Benz.
According to D. Bruce Scott, author of Indy: Racing Before
the 500, there were immediate problems with the track
surface: "[Drivers] quickly became covered in dirt, oil, and
tar from head to toe. Then ruts and chuckholes began to
form . . . , particularly in the turns. . . . Driving on the track
was like flying through a meteor shower [of gravel]."
several bridges, grandstands with 12,000 seats, and an
eight-foot perimeter fence. A white-with-green-trim paint
scheme was used throughout the property.
On the evening of June 5, 1909, nine gas-filled balloons
lifted off at Indy, "racing" for adulation and silver
trophies. University City, the winner of the Speedway's
first competitive event, landed 382 miles away in Alabama
after spending more than a day aloft.
Motorcycle races, daringly scheduled to begin on Friday,
August 13, were hampered by construction delays, rain,
riders who wouldn't race, tire blowouts, and complaints
about the track surface. Only 3500 spectators showed up,
and contentious officials canceled more than half of the
planned events. Erwin G. (later known as Cannonball) Baker
won the final ten-mile race, averaging 52 mph on his Indian.
Fifteen carmakers' teams arrived for practice two days
later. Bob Burman, Louis Chevrolet, and Barney Oldfield
were the professional stars. Engineers and testers
employed by participating manufacturers filled out the
drivers' roster. Oldfield quickly set the bogey with a
76-mph lap in his Blitzen Benz.
According to D. Bruce Scott, author of Indy: Racing Before
the 500, there were immediate problems with the track
surface: "[Drivers] quickly became covered in dirt, oil, and
tar from head to toe. Then ruts and chuckholes began to
form . . . , particularly in the turns. . . . Driving on the track
was like flying through a meteor shower [of gravel]."
Thirty-five thousand spectators showed up for Indy's third
day of speed trials and races in spite of hot, humid
weather. Oldfield wowed the fans by boosting the world
kilometer record to 85 mph in his Benz. The cigar-chomping
celebrity also won the day's fourth event with ease.
Nineteen racers took the flag in the grand finale, a
300-mile run for the $10,000 Wheeler-Schebler trophy.
During the first 100 miles of dusty competition, six cars
dropped out. At 175 miles, the right front tire blew on
Charlie Merz's car. His out-of-control National mowed down
five south-end fence posts, toppled spectators like bowling
pins, and achieved a reported 50-foot altitude. The lucky
Merz sustained only minor injuries, but two spectators and
his mechanic, Claude Kellum, perished.
Ten laps later, a Marmon driven by Bruce Keen spun into a
bridge support after hitting a pothole. Flagman Wagner
promptly halted the race with 94 of the planned 120 laps
completed. Since the event ended early, the remaining cars
received engraved certificates instead of trophies.
The following day, newspapers railed against the carnage. A
Detroit News editorial deemed racing "more brutal than
bull fighting, gladiatorial combats, or prize fighting." The
AAA moved to boycott future Indianapolis events unless
Speedway management addressed safety shortcomings.
Fisher and his partners agreed that motorsports wouldn't
thrive without major track improvements. Construction
engineer Andrews suggested paving the entire racing
surface with either bricks or concrete. Bricks were twice
as expensive, but they'd last longer and provide superior
traction, in his opinion.
day of speed trials and races in spite of hot, humid
weather. Oldfield wowed the fans by boosting the world
kilometer record to 85 mph in his Benz. The cigar-chomping
celebrity also won the day's fourth event with ease.
Nineteen racers took the flag in the grand finale, a
300-mile run for the $10,000 Wheeler-Schebler trophy.
During the first 100 miles of dusty competition, six cars
dropped out. At 175 miles, the right front tire blew on
Charlie Merz's car. His out-of-control National mowed down
five south-end fence posts, toppled spectators like bowling
pins, and achieved a reported 50-foot altitude. The lucky
Merz sustained only minor injuries, but two spectators and
his mechanic, Claude Kellum, perished.
Ten laps later, a Marmon driven by Bruce Keen spun into a
bridge support after hitting a pothole. Flagman Wagner
promptly halted the race with 94 of the planned 120 laps
completed. Since the event ended early, the remaining cars
received engraved certificates instead of trophies.
The following day, newspapers railed against the carnage. A
Detroit News editorial deemed racing "more brutal than
bull fighting, gladiatorial combats, or prize fighting." The
AAA moved to boycott future Indianapolis events unless
Speedway management addressed safety shortcomings.
Fisher and his partners agreed that motorsports wouldn't
thrive without major track improvements. Construction
engineer Andrews suggested paving the entire racing
surface with either bricks or concrete. Bricks were twice
as expensive, but they'd last longer and provide superior
traction, in his opinion.
Since the first mile of paved public road was also under
construction in 1909, Speedway owners had no experience
on which to base their decision. Traction tests were
conducted, proving the brick approach to be clearly
superior. Funds were authorized to begin the repaving
project less than a month after the pioneering racers left
the track.
Five Indiana manufacturers supplied 3.2 million ten-pound
bricks, which were each hand laid over a two-inch sand
cushion. After the surface was leveled with a steamroller,
gaps were filled with mortar. To safeguard spectators, a
33-inch-high concrete wall was also constructed in front of
the main grandstand and around all four turns.
Although it was too late in the season to resume racing,
eleven drivers and a few motorcycles returned in
December for speed trials. Hardy spectators braved winds
and 10-degree temperatures to witness Walter Christie
top 100 mph in his purpose-built, front-wheel-drive racer
and his nephew, Lewis Strang, achieve 112 mph in a Fiat.
Race starter Wagner issued two proclamations: that the
Speedway was now "a wonderful track and will allow for the
speed that any car today has stored away in it" and that
"100 mph is as fast as the American public will care for."
Give the man half credit. During the next seven years, no
drivers and only one riding mechanic died racing at the
Brickyard. However, Wagner underestimated the typical
fan's zest for speed. No tears were shed in 1919 when
René Thomas was the first pole-winner to qualify over 100
mph or when Tom Sneva cracked the 200-mph barrier in
1978.
construction in 1909, Speedway owners had no experience
on which to base their decision. Traction tests were
conducted, proving the brick approach to be clearly
superior. Funds were authorized to begin the repaving
project less than a month after the pioneering racers left
the track.
Five Indiana manufacturers supplied 3.2 million ten-pound
bricks, which were each hand laid over a two-inch sand
cushion. After the surface was leveled with a steamroller,
gaps were filled with mortar. To safeguard spectators, a
33-inch-high concrete wall was also constructed in front of
the main grandstand and around all four turns.
Although it was too late in the season to resume racing,
eleven drivers and a few motorcycles returned in
December for speed trials. Hardy spectators braved winds
and 10-degree temperatures to witness Walter Christie
top 100 mph in his purpose-built, front-wheel-drive racer
and his nephew, Lewis Strang, achieve 112 mph in a Fiat.
Race starter Wagner issued two proclamations: that the
Speedway was now "a wonderful track and will allow for the
speed that any car today has stored away in it" and that
"100 mph is as fast as the American public will care for."
Give the man half credit. During the next seven years, no
drivers and only one riding mechanic died racing at the
Brickyard. However, Wagner underestimated the typical
fan's zest for speed. No tears were shed in 1919 when
René Thomas was the first pole-winner to qualify over 100
mph or when Tom Sneva cracked the 200-mph barrier in
1978.
Troubled by poor eyesight and a short attention span, Carl
Fisher dropped out of school at age twelve. After racing,
repairing, and selling bicycles, he became one of America's
first car dealers, in affiliation with racer Barney Oldfield.
In 1904, Fisher and fellow bike racer James Allison each
invested a reported $2500 to manufacture Prest-O-Lite
automobile headlamps; Union Carbide bought control years
later for $9 million. At a dinner party for auto
manufacturers in 1912, the intrepid Fisher proposed
building America's first transcontinental road, which
became the Lincoln Highway. The Dixie Highway, a road
system connecting Michigan's Upper Peninsula with Miami,
was his next bold stroke. Fisher's hot streak continued
with real-estate developments in Miami Beach and Montauk
Point, New York. A devastating hurricane and the 1929
stock-market crash wiped out Fisher's fortune, but his
legacy, as described by Will Rogers, was having achieved
"more unique things . . . than any man I ever met."
Allison, Fisher's longtime ally, brought stability to their
ventures. Coincidentally, he also left school at age twelve.
Allison, Fisher, and a third Speedway founder, Arthur
Newby, met at the Zig-Zag Cycling Club. It was allegedly
Allison's idea to shift the Speedway's focus from several
short events to one spectacular endurance race per year,
beginning in 1911. His precision machine shop located near
the track manufactured tanks, trucks, and Liberty V-12
aircraft engines during World War I. Following Allison's
death in 1928, General Motors acquired Allison
Engineering, which built aircraft V-12s for World War II
and jet engines thereafter. More recently, Allison
engineers also conceived GM's two-mode hybrid system.
Fisher dropped out of school at age twelve. After racing,
repairing, and selling bicycles, he became one of America's
first car dealers, in affiliation with racer Barney Oldfield.
In 1904, Fisher and fellow bike racer James Allison each
invested a reported $2500 to manufacture Prest-O-Lite
automobile headlamps; Union Carbide bought control years
later for $9 million. At a dinner party for auto
manufacturers in 1912, the intrepid Fisher proposed
building America's first transcontinental road, which
became the Lincoln Highway. The Dixie Highway, a road
system connecting Michigan's Upper Peninsula with Miami,
was his next bold stroke. Fisher's hot streak continued
with real-estate developments in Miami Beach and Montauk
Point, New York. A devastating hurricane and the 1929
stock-market crash wiped out Fisher's fortune, but his
legacy, as described by Will Rogers, was having achieved
"more unique things . . . than any man I ever met."
Allison, Fisher's longtime ally, brought stability to their
ventures. Coincidentally, he also left school at age twelve.
Allison, Fisher, and a third Speedway founder, Arthur
Newby, met at the Zig-Zag Cycling Club. It was allegedly
Allison's idea to shift the Speedway's focus from several
short events to one spectacular endurance race per year,
beginning in 1911. His precision machine shop located near
the track manufactured tanks, trucks, and Liberty V-12
aircraft engines during World War I. Following Allison's
death in 1928, General Motors acquired Allison
Engineering, which built aircraft V-12s for World War II
and jet engines thereafter. More recently, Allison
engineers also conceived GM's two-mode hybrid system.
The Newby Oval, a quarter-mile, steeply banked
velodrome, was the magnet that drew together three of
Indy's founders. Under Newby's leadership, the National
Motor Vehicle Company in Indianapolis progressed from
building electric runabouts to gasoline-powered cars.
The fourth founder was Frank Wheeler, who claimed to
have lost two fortunes before arriving in Indianapolis in
1904 and joining with George Schebler to manufacture
carburetors. Their firm sponsored Indy's first trophy, a
towering Tiffany cup. Wheeler tried to spread Indy magic
to a grandiose Minnesota track; after that venture failed,
he sold his Speedway interests to Allison in 1917.
Louis Schwitzer, who had no hand in the Speedway's
creation, deserves honorable mention for winning Indy's
first race in a Stoddard-Dayton. Competing against four
other stock-chassis cars in a five-mile sprint, Schwitzer
averaged 57 mph, led both laps, and won by a 150-foot
margin. Schwitzer had earlier emigrated from Austria with
two engineering degrees and $18 in his pocket. Following
stints at Pierce-Arrow and a Canadian car company, he
helped design the engine that powered Ray Harroun's
Marmon to victory at the first Indy 500 race in 1911.
Schwitzer headed the Speedway's technical committee
from 1912 through 1940. Also, an Indianapolis company he
established manufactured superchargers and
turbochargers. In 1952, a Kurtis Kraft roadster powered
by a Schwitzer-turbocharged Cummins diesel qualified on
the pole at Indy.
velodrome, was the magnet that drew together three of
Indy's founders. Under Newby's leadership, the National
Motor Vehicle Company in Indianapolis progressed from
building electric runabouts to gasoline-powered cars.
The fourth founder was Frank Wheeler, who claimed to
have lost two fortunes before arriving in Indianapolis in
1904 and joining with George Schebler to manufacture
carburetors. Their firm sponsored Indy's first trophy, a
towering Tiffany cup. Wheeler tried to spread Indy magic
to a grandiose Minnesota track; after that venture failed,
he sold his Speedway interests to Allison in 1917.
Louis Schwitzer, who had no hand in the Speedway's
creation, deserves honorable mention for winning Indy's
first race in a Stoddard-Dayton. Competing against four
other stock-chassis cars in a five-mile sprint, Schwitzer
averaged 57 mph, led both laps, and won by a 150-foot
margin. Schwitzer had earlier emigrated from Austria with
two engineering degrees and $18 in his pocket. Following
stints at Pierce-Arrow and a Canadian car company, he
helped design the engine that powered Ray Harroun's
Marmon to victory at the first Indy 500 race in 1911.
Schwitzer headed the Speedway's technical committee
from 1912 through 1940. Also, an Indianapolis company he
established manufactured superchargers and
turbochargers. In 1952, a Kurtis Kraft roadster powered
by a Schwitzer-turbocharged Cummins diesel qualified on
the pole at Indy.
| 300-Mile Wheeler-Schebler Trophy Race |
| 1st Ever Balloon Race |
| Founders |
| Louis Chevrolet |
| Louis Switzer and Crew |