Indianapolis Motor Speedway history

He visited the Brooklands circuit outside London in 1907, and after viewing the banked layout, it solidified his determination to build the speedway.

In December 1908, he convinced James A. Allison, Arthur Newby, and Frank W. Wheeler to join him in purchasing the property for $72,000.

The group incorporated the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company on March 20, 1909, with a capitalization of $250,000, with Fisher and James Allison in for $75,000 apiece and Frank Wheeler and Arthur Newby on board for $50,000 each.

Racing returned in 1910, with a total of 66 automobile races held during three holiday weekends (Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day). Each weekend featured two or three races of 100 to 200 miles (160 to 320 km), with several shorter contests.

An estimated 80,000 spectators attended the first 500-mile (800 km) race on Memorial Day, May 30, 1911.

A classic race followed in 1912, when Ralph DePalma lost a five-lap lead with five laps to go after his car broke down.

On September 9, 1916, the speedway hosted a day of short racing events termed the "Harvest Classic", composed of three races held at 20-, 50-, and 100-mile (32, 80 and 160 km) distances.

1917: Racing suspended during World War I.

The rules were indeed changed, but it was due to an effort by the speedway to get more car manufacturers involved in the race by discouraging the entry of specialized racing machines that dominated the 500 during the mid- to late-1920s.

In 1921, speedway co-founder Wheeler committed suicide.

At the 1925 event, Pete DePaolo became the first to average 100 mph (160 km/h) for the race, with a speed of 101.13 mph (162.75 km/h).

After Hulman's death, his daughter Mari Hulman George became Chairman of the Board and the day-to-day operations were passed to Joe Cloutier, who started as a cashier at Hulman & Co. in 1926 and went to work for IMS when Hulman purchased the business.

They refused, selling instead to former racing driver (and World War One fighter ace) Edward V. Rickenbacker in 1927.

1929: Brickyard Crossing golf course is built.

With the Great Depression hitting the nation, the purse dropped from a winners share of $50,000 and a total of $98,250 in 1930 to $18,000 and $54,450, respectively.

In 1931, Dave Evans performed a remarkable feat when his Cummins Diesel Special completed the entire 500 miles without a pit stop.

Reportedly, Kizer offered to donate Fred Frame’s 1932 winning car, which had come into his possession.

In 1942, AAA Contest Board suspended all auto racing, and the United States government moved to ban all auto racing, primarily on account of rationing.

With the end of the war in sight, on November 29, 1944, three-time 500 winner Wilbur Shaw came back to do a 500-mile (800 km) tire test approved by the government for Firestone.

Meetings were set up and the speedway was purchased on November 14, 1945.

The Auto Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1952 to perpetuate the names and memories of prominent personalities for their outstanding contributions to the sport of racing and to the development of the entire automotive industry.

Of the 33 drivers to qualify for the 1953 race, nearly half, 16, were to eventually die in racing accidents.

The Museum was opened in 1956 to display race vehicles and memorabilia, principally associated with the Indianapolis 500 race.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, Inc. (the Foundation) was organized in 1957 as a private foundation to administer the business of the Museum.

Five-time world champion Juan Fangio practiced at the speedway in 1958 but ultimately decided against racing there.

In October 1961, the final remaining brick sections of the track were paved over with asphalt, with the exception of a distinct three-foot-wide line of bricks at the start-finish line.

Operations were suspended until Tony Hulman revived the Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1962.

1977 also saw A.J. Foyt make history when he became the first driver to win the race four times.

At the time, Rice drove for the team co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and the Indiana native television talk show host and comedian David Letterman.

The 1989 race came down to a final ten-lap, a thrilling duel between Fittipaldi and Al Unser Jr., culminating in Unser crashing in the third turn of the 199th lap after making contact with Fittpaldi's right front tire.

1990: Tony George takes over as president and CEO of IMS.

In 1991, the course was redesigned and renamed the Brickyard Crossing and for a time was the host site for the Brickyard Crossing Championship, a Senior PGA Tour event.

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) debuted at IMS in July 1994 with the Brickyard 400.

In 1995, George decided to start his own open wheel racing league in the United States, called the Indy Racing League (IRL). IRL's first race was held at the Walt Disney World Speedway in Florida, also owned by IMS.

The 500 got a new look in 1996 when it became an Indy Racing League event, formed as a rival to CART.

In 1998, George decided to part with tradition and make the Indy 500 a two-week long event, instead of a month long event.

The partnership dissolved in December 1999.

At the end of the 2000 season, IMS separated the league from itself and opened separate offices for the league.

The IRL got another boast in 2001 when CART driver Al Unser, Jr., signed up with an IRL team.

Roger Penske then elected to move his entire operation over to the IRL beginning in 2002, taking Castroneves and teammate Gil de Ferran with him.

In 2005, Danica Patrick became the first female driver to lead the race at Indianapolis, after acquiring it for a lap near the 125-mile (200 km) mark while cycling through pit stops.

In 2006, the Foundation was designated as a publicly supported charity and it continues to operate as a nonprofit, self-sustaining organization recognized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

In mid-February 2008, Champ Car filed for bankruptcy.

In the 100th anniversary year of the construction of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hélio Castroneves became the sixth three-time winner of the 500 in the 2009 Indianapolis 500.

Previous winner Montoya had returned to IndyCar competition and secured a 2015 win to make himself a two-time winner with a fifteen-year gap between triumphs.

The 2016 race saw another American race winner when rookie Alexander Rossi stretched his fuel mileage to record an upset win in a race where he had been off the leaders' pace.

The 2017 race saw former Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso take off from the Monaco Grand Prix to take part in a one-off event, being highly competitive up front before his engine blew.

In 2018, the name was changed to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame, and the criteria for enshrinement was expanded to include stars of the Brickyard 400 and United States Grand Prix.

In 2020, for the first time Indianapolis 500 was not held on or around Memorial Day in late May and instead was held in August.