Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The "Brickyard"
IMS

Indianapolis Motor Speedway aerial in 2016
LocationSpeedway, Indiana
Time zoneUTC-5 (UTC-4 DST)
Coordinates39°47′54″N 86°13′58″W / 39.79833°N 86.23278°W / 39.79833; -86.23278
Capacity257,327 (permanent seats) – 400,000 grand total[1]
FIA Grade1 (F1)
2 (IndyCar)
OwnerPenske Entertainment Group (2020–present)
Hulman & Company (1945–2019)
Eddie Rickenbacker (1927–1945)
Carl G. Fisher (1909–1927)
OperatorIMS, LLC (subsidiary of Penske Entertainment Group.)
Address4790 West 16th Street
Broke groundMarch 15, 1909 (March 15, 1909)
OpenedAugust 14, 1909 (August 14, 1909)
Construction costUS$3 million ($86 million 2021 dollars)
ArchitectCarl G. Fisher, James A. Allison, F. H. Wheeler, and Arthur C. Newby
Major eventsCurrent:

Former:

Websitehttp://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/
Rectangular Oval Track (1909–present)
SurfaceAsphalt and brick (start-finish line)
Length2.500 miles (4.023 km)
Turns4
BankingTurns: 9.2°
Straights: 0°
Race lap record0:38.119 (United States Eddie Cheever, Lola T95/00, 1996, IndyCar)
Grand Prix Road Course (2014–present)
SurfaceAsphalt and brick (start-finish line)
Length2.439 miles (3.925 km)
Turns14
Race lap record1:09.3888 (United States Josef Newgarden, Dallara DW12, 2017, IndyCar)
Modified Motorcycle Course (2014–present)
SurfaceAsphalt and brick
Length2.591 miles (4.170 km)
Turns16
Race lap record1:32.625 (Spain Marc Márquez, Honda RC213V, 2015, MotoGP)
SCCA Runoffs Road Course (2014–present)
SurfaceAsphalt and brick (start-finish line)
Length2.589 miles (4.166 km)
Turns15
Race lap record1:34.089 (Italy Alessandro Pier Guidi, Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, 2021, GT3)
Original Motorcycle Course (2008–2013)
SurfaceAsphalt and brick
Length2.621 miles (4.218 km)
Turns16
Race lap record1:39.044 (Spain Marc Márquez, Honda RC213V, 2013, MotoGP)
Grand Prix Road Course (2008–2013)
SurfaceAsphalt and brick (start-finish line)
Length2.534 miles (4.078 km)
Turns13
Race lap record1:22.191 (United States Scott Pruett, Riley Mk XXVI, 2013, DP)
Grand Prix Road Course (2000–2007)
SurfaceAsphalt and brick (start-finish line)
Length2.605 miles (4.192 km)
Turns13
Race lap record1:10.399 (Brazil Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari F2004, 2004, F1)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway under construction
Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located in Indianapolis
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located in Indiana
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located in the United States
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Location4790 W. 16th St., Speedway, Indiana
Built1909
ArchitectAndrews, Park Taliaferro
Architectural styleMotor racing circuit
NRHP reference No.75000044[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 7, 1975
Designated NHLDFebruary 27, 1987[3]

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400[4] and formerly the home of the United States Grand Prix and Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix. It is located six miles (9.7 km) west of Downtown Indianapolis.

Constructed in 1909, it is the second purpose-built, banked oval racing circuit after Brooklands and the first to be called a 'speedway'. It is the third-oldest permanent automobile race track in the world, behind Brooklands and the Milwaukee Mile. With a permanent seating capacity of 257,325,[1] it is the highest-capacity sports venue in the world.[5]

The track is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) rectangular oval with dimensions that have remained essentially unchanged since its construction. It has two 58-mile-long (1,000 m) straightaways, four geometrically identical 14-mile (400 m) turns, connected by two 18-mile (200 m) short straightaways, termed "short chutes", between turns 1 and 2, and between turns 3 and 4. The turns have 9°12' banking, considered relatively flat by American standards.

A modern, FIA Grade One infield road course was completed in 2000, incorporating part of the oval, including the main stretch and the southeast turn, measuring 2.605 mi (4.192 km). In 2008, and again in 2014, the road course layout was modified to accommodate motorcycle racing, as well as to improve competition. Altogether, the current grounds have expanded from an original 320 acres (1.3 km2) on which the speedway was first built to cover an area of over 559 acres (2.3 km2). Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, it is the only such site to be affiliated with automotive racing history.

In addition to the Indianapolis 500, the speedway also hosts NASCAR's Brickyard 400 and Pennzoil 250. From 2000 to 2007, the speedway hosted the Formula One United States Grand Prix, and from 2008 to 2015 the Moto GP. The speedway served as the venue for the opening ceremonies for the 1987 Pan American Games.

On the grounds of the speedway is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which opened in 1956, and houses the Hall of Fame. The museum moved into its current building located in the infield in 1976. Also on the grounds is the Brickyard Crossing Golf Resort, which originally opened as the Speedway Golf Course in 1929. The golf course has 14 holes outside the track, along the backstretch, and four holes in the infield. The site is among the most visited attractions in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, with 1 million guests annually.[6] The track is nicknamed "The Brickyard" (see below), and the venue self-describes as the "Racing Capital of the World".[7] The garage area is known as Gasoline Alley, though Indy 500 racecars have used methanol and currently ethanol.

The Speedway is owned by Roger Penske's company Penske Corporation, following its 2019 purchase of Hulman & Company and its assets, which included the Speedway, the IndyCar Series, and associated enterprises.[8]

  1. ^ a b "Take a seat: Study puts Indy's capacity at 257,325". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System – (#75000044)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. ^ "Indianapolis Motor Speedway". National Historic Landmarks Program. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  4. ^ Charleton, James H. (October 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Indianapolis Motor Speedway". National Park Service. and Accompanying two photos from 1985
  5. ^ "100 000+ Stadiums". World Stadiums. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
  6. ^ "Most Popular Indianapolis-Area Attractions". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  7. ^ Richard S. James (July 29, 2022). "IMSA confirms IMS return for 2023". Racer.
  8. ^ Ryckaert, Vic; Horner, Scott (November 4, 2019). "Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar are being sold to Penske Corp". USA Today. Retrieved November 4, 2019.