Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana (a separate city completely surrounded by Indianapolis) in the United States, is the second-oldest surviving auto racing track in the world (after The Milwaukee Mile), having existed since 1909. The track is a relatively flat two and a half mile oval, almost rectangular in shape. It has a spectator capacity of over 300,000, making it the largest sporting facility in the world. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

NASCAR, Formula One, IROC, PGA golf at Indy

Up until the 1990s, the 500 was the only racing done on the Brickyard. However, when Tony George (Hulman's grandson) inherited the track, he brought more racing to the Speedway, with the NASCAR Allstate 400 at The Brickyard and an International Race Of Champions (IROC) race. The golf course was changed from 27 holes (nine inside, eighteen outside) to a new 18-hole layout designed by legendary golf architect Pete Dye, with a Champions Tour (formerly the Senior PGA TOUR) event hosted there. The 500 itself got a new look in 1996 when it became an event of George's Indy Racing League, formed as a rival to the Champ Car World Series.

Related Topics:
1990s - Tony George - NASCAR - Allstate 400 at The Brickyard - IROC - Pete Dye - Champions Tour - 1996 - Indy Racing League - Champ Car World Series

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In 1998, George arranged for Formula One to return to the US for the first time since 1991. Two years of renovation and new construction for an Indy-based road course led to the first US Grand Prix there in 2000, a race which was a great success. The 2001 event's success (185,000 fans were reported in attendance) was even more important with the race being the first major international sporting event in the States after 9/11. The event's popularity is expected to potentially bring an American driver back to Formula One for the first time since 1993, though judging by the performance of foreign drivers in American domestic open-wheeler series it is unclear whether any of the current crop of American drivers would be competitive.

Related Topics:
1998 - Formula One - 1991 - US Grand Prix - 2000 - 2001 - 9/11 - 1993

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The Grand Prix road course, unlike the oval, is raced in a clockwise direction. This makes the US Grand Prix highly unusual in North American motorsports; however, it follows the general practice of Formula One, in which the vast majority of circuits (including the F1 circuit in Montreal, but not the F1 circuit in São Paulo) run clockwise. In 2005, only six cars, all with Bridgestone tires started the US Grand Prix due to safety concerns involving Michelin tires. The outrage of this event put the future of Formula 1 at Indianapolis in doubt.

Related Topics:
F1 circuit in Montreal - F1 circuit in São Paulo - 2005 - Bridgestone - Michelin

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In 2003, the Menards Infiniti Pro Series, a "minor league" series to the IRL, made history with the first May race other than the 500, the Futaba Freedom 100, which has been moved from the final qualifying weekend to the final practice on Friday before the 500. The IROC race was also dropped after 2003.

Related Topics:
2003 - Infiniti

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See also: List of NASCAR race tracks, List of Formula One circuits

Related Topics:
List of NASCAR race tracks - List of Formula One circuits

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