Fun Facts and Trivia About the Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500 is a car race that is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is a 2.5-mile, asphalt, oval track. The "Indy 500" as it is called is a 500-mile race for the top international competitors who drive "open wheeled" racecars. The race is traditionally held around Memorial Day every year.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909 as a gravel and tar tack. At this time promoters hosted a bunch of small events and then decided to focus on one big event. The track was then paved with 302 million bricks because of deaths due to the very uneven surface, which is why it is known as "The Brickyard".

The first Indianapolis 500 race was May 30, 1911 with spectators paying $1 for admission. Since then, the race has become filled with traditions, which is part of the reason that this race is so alluring for so many people. The race has been held every year except during World War 1 and World War 2.

The Indianapolis 500 is known as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" and is considered one of the three most significant car races in the world. With permanent seating capacity of 257,000 as well as infield seating, the spectator number at the race reaches close to 400,000, making the Indianapolis 500 the largest single day sporting event in the world.

Balloons are a big tradition at the Indianapolis 500. 1947 is thought to be the first year that the multi colored balloons were released. By 1950 the release of the balloons was made to coincide to the final notes of the song "Back Home Again In Indiana," which is what still happens today.

A well-known tradition for the Indianapolis 500 is the winner drinking milk immediately following the race. This started in 1936 when winner Louis Meyer asked for a glass of buttermilk, which was something that his mother had encouraged him to drink on hot days. In 1956 it had become a ritual for the winner of the Indianapolis 500 to drink milk as milk companies became sponsors of the race and handed the winner a bottle of milk to promote their product. The American Dairy Association is currently a sponsor and will pay $10,000 if the winner will take a sip of milk in Victory Lane. In 1993 Emerson Fittipladi, who owned citrus farms in Brazil, took a sip of orange juice rather than milk, hoping to promote his product instead. Because of this he was booed the next week in Wisconsin as the drivers were introduced.

The cars in the Indianapolis 500 begin the race in a rolling start of eleven rows of three, making this different from most races that begin in rows of two. This dates back to 1914 when AAA had a recommendation of 400 feet of track per car.

Although the United States census states Smith as the most popular surname, there has never been anyone with the last name Smith in the Indianapolis 500.

Almost every year since 1936 a pace car or its replica has been awarded to the winner of the Indianapolis 500. In 1941 there were only six Chrysler Newports created so the winner did not receive one. In 1946 an oil painting and a trip to Italy was supposed to be the prize, but the winner, George Robson, died before he received it. In 1991 the Dodge Viper was still a prototype, and there were only two that had been made, so Rick Mears received a Dodge Stealth instead.

Peanuts are considered to be bad luck at the Indianapolis 500. In the 1940's peanut shells were found in the seat of a crashed racecar.

The 93^rd race will be held on May 24, 2009, which will be the 63^rd consecutive year of uninterrupted race occurrence.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indy_500

www.indy500.com/content/History/Indianapolis_500_Traditions/16

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis_500_traditions

http://www.answers.com/topic/indianapolis-500

http://www.geocities.com/johnsonindy500/speedway/nostalgia.html