Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a historic motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis. It is the home of the prestigious Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. The speedway is nicknamed "The Brickyard" due to the original track surface being made of bricks.

History[edit | edit source]

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909 by Carl G. Fisher, James A. Allison, Arthur Newby, and Frank H. Wheeler. The track was originally paved with 3.2 million bricks, which led to its nickname. The first race held at the speedway was a series of motorcycle races on August 14, 1909. The first Indianapolis 500 was held on May 30, 1911, and has been held annually since, except during the World War I and World War II periods.

Track Layout[edit | edit source]

The speedway features a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) rectangular oval track with four distinct turns, each banked at 9 degrees. The track surface is a combination of asphalt and brick, with a 36-inch strip of the original bricks remaining at the start/finish line.

Events[edit | edit source]

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts several major racing events, including:

Capacity[edit | edit source]

The speedway has a permanent seating capacity of 257,325, making it the highest-capacity sports venue in the world. On race days, the infield seating can increase the capacity to approximately 400,000.