Round 6: The 100th Indianapolis 500, 16th-29th May.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Round 6: The 100th Indianapolis 500, 16th-29th May.

With the Rookie Orientation Program starting today, along with the first practice session, it's time to start the thread for the big one. The 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Sunday the 29th of May, will see the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the world's oldest tracks that is still in use. In 1905 Indiana businessman Carl G. Fisher, envisioned building a circuit after going to France to watch some of the world's earliest car races. He thought Europe had the upper hand in car design and one of the reasons was the lack of a permanent testing facility, available for American car manufacturers. After another visit to Europe and seeing the banked oval at Brooklands, England, he decided to build his own track.

Fisher convinced local businessmen James A. Allison, Arthur Newby and Frank W. Wheeler to join him in purchasing Pressley Farm, five miles outside of Indianapolis and totaling 328 acres for about $72,000. On March 20, 1909, The Indianapolis Motor Speedway company was incorporated and construction began that month.

The track surface consisted of packed soil covered by two inches of gravel, two inches of limestone covered with a solution of tar and oil, or taroid, one–two inches of crushed stone chips, also drenched with taroid and topped with crushed stones.

The first motorsport event was a series of motorcycle races planned over two days, under the sanction of the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM), starting on August 14, 1909. Concerns about the track surface stopped the event part way through day one. Five days later 15 teams arrived for the first car event, held over three days. This was not without incident. On day one Wilfred Bourque suffered a rear-axle failure, resulting in his car flipping end over end on the main straight, before crashing into a fence post, killing him and his mechanic Harry Halcomb. On day three the right front tire blew on Charlie Merz's car, knocking down five fence posts and dozens of spectators, killing two as well as his mechanic Claude Kellum. Ten laps later, after another accident, the race was cancelled.

The AAA, American Automobile Association, announced it would boycott further events unless the surface was changed. A concrete surface was considered but the track owners decided to pave the entire facility with bricks, after tests proved their durability. Five Indiana manufacturers supplied 3.2 million, 10-pound bricks. Each was hand laid on a 2 inch bed of sand, then leveled and the gaps filled with mortar. A concrete wall 33 inches tall was also constructed in front of the main grandstand and around all four corners to protect spectators. The final brick was made of gold and laid in a special ceremony by Governor Thomas R. Marshall.

In December 1909, the track reopened for testing, with speeds of up to 112 mph being reported. Racing returned the following year, with a series of short races held over the three main holiday weekends: Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. The next year, 1911, racing was confined just to Memorial Day and the very first 500 mile race was held on May 30. It was won by Ray Harroun, a Marmon engineer and former racer who came out of retirement for just one race, driving a Marmon-Wasp. Since then, the event has always been held on the Sunday before Memorial Day and the race has been held every year since 1911, except for 1917-18 and 1942-45, due to World Wars I and II.

Some 500 Trivia:
1911: Ray Harroun was the first winner of the 500, driving a Marmon-Wasp.
Race Time: 6:42:08.039.
Average speed: 74.59 mph (120.04 km/h).

1913: Jules Goux, from France was the first non American to win the Indy 500 and the first rookie winner, excluding the innaugural race.

1922: Jimmy Murphy was the first driver to win the race from pole position.

1939-40: Wilbur Shaw was the first driver to win back to back races.

1947: Mauri Rose and Bill Holland, scored the first team 1, 2 for entrant Lou Moore.

1952: Art Cross won the first Rookie of the Year Award.

1961: Sir Jack Brabham was the first driver to race a rear engined car, a Cooper-Coventry Climax

1965: Jim Clark was the first driver to win in a rear engined car, in the Lotus 38-Ford.

1966: Graham Hill won The 50th Indy 500, in a Lola T90-Ford, the first rookie winner since 1927.

1967: Parnelli Jones raced the first gas turbine powered car, the Granatelli STP-Paxton Turbocar.

1977: Janet Guthrie was the first woman to qualify for the Indy 500.

1992: Al Unser Jr. beat Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds in the 500's closest finish.

1992: Lyn St. James wins the first Female Rookie of the Year Award.

1996: Arie Luyendyk sets a new 1 lap track record of 37.895 seconds, 237.498 mph (382.216 kmh) and a new 4-lap track record of 2:31.908, 236.986 mph (381.392 kmh). He also recorded an unofficial 1 lap of 00:37.616 seconds, 239.260 mph (385.052 kmh). Will Arie Luyendyk's 20 year old lap records be finally broken this year? I doubt it.

2001: Hélio Castroneves was the last rookie winner.

2005: Danica Patrick became the first woman driver to lead the Indy 500.

2009: Danica Patrick finished 3rd, the highest position for a female driver.

2011: Dan Wheldon became the only driver to win, leading on just the final lap.

2013: was the fastest race, with a time of 2:40:03.4181 and an average Speed of 187.433 mph (301.644 kmh).

The most wins by any driver is 4, held jointly by:
A.J. Foyt: 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977.
Al Unser Sr.: 1970, 1971, 1978, 1987.
Rick Mears: 1979, 1984, 1988, 1991.

The team with the most wins: Penske, 16.
1972, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985,
1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994,
2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2015

The driver/team owner with the most wins: A.J. Foyt.
1964, 1967, 1977.

Current driver with the most wins: Hélio Castroneves.
2001, 2002, 2009.

This year there will be six former 500 winners taking part.
Buddy Lazier, 1996
Juan-Pablo Montoya, 2000, 2015
Helio Castroneves, 2001, 2002, 2009
Scott Dixon, 2008
Tony Kanaan, 2013
Ryan Hunter-Reay, 2014

Track layout:


Length: 2.5 Miles (4.0 Km)

Turns: 4

1 lap record:
Arie Luyendyk, May 10, 1996. 00:37.895 seconds, 237.498 mph (382.216 kmh). Reynard 96i-Ford Cosworth XB, Indy Racing League.

4 lap record:
Arie Luyendyk, May 12, 1996. 2:31.908, 236.986 mph (381.392 kmh), Reynard 96i-Ford Cosworth XB, Indy Racing League.

Last year's winner:
Juan Pablo Montoya,
Team Penske,
Dallara DW12-Chevrolet.

Laps: 200
Distance: 500 Miles (805 km)
Race Time: 3:05:56.5286
Average Speed: 161.341 mph (259.653 kmh).

Race broadcast:
ABC. May 29th, 11:00am EST.