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The Indianapolis 500 is a staple in America much the same as apple pie and baseball.
In 1906,the automobile industry was suffering in research because of the roadways in America.The cars were getting faster,but there was no way to test them.

A man named Carl Fisher saw the need. He rounded up a group of investors and bought some property just northwest of downtown Indianapolis. They built a 2 1/2 mile track and the first race was run in 1909. That race was full of tragedies. The track broke apart and caused the deaths of 2 drivers,2 mechanics,and 2 spectators.They worked with the track and in 1911; May 30th to be exact,the first Indy 500 was ran. Ray Harroun won that first race out of a field of 39. The race lasted 6 hours and 42 minutes. The average speed was 74.59 miles per hour.

In 1917 and 1918 there were no races because of world war 1.The races resumed in 1919 and that is the year the 100 mph barrier was broke. That was done by a driver named Howdy Wilcox.

In 1927 the track was sold to a group of investors led by the infamous Eddie Rickenbacker.
The Great Depression caused havoc at the track. 1933 was the worst! Five men were killed and one was maimed. In 1941 the track closed and weeds overtook the property. The grandstands were falling apart and Rickenbacker had enough; He wanted out!

In 1945, a deal was struck and Tony Hulman bought the track for $750,000. He put millions of dollars into it and oversaw the track until his death in 1977.

Tony Hulman was the Indianapolis 500's guardian angel. The track has done nothing but grow.
At this time, Tony Hulman's grandson is President of the track. I believe his grandfather would be proud of him.

The track has had it's share of tragedies. In 1955 Bill Vukovich was killed in an accident while he was leading the race. In 1958,on the first lap there was a 15 car accident that killed driver Pat O'Conner. In 1960,a grandstand collapsed and killed 2 people and injured 40 others. In 1964,there was a fiery accident that killed 2 drivers; Eddie Sachs and Dave McDonald were those drivers which led to the development of rear engine cars.

In 1971,there was a bizarre happening at Indy. The pace car crashed and injured 22 people. 1973 was probably the worst and most deadly race at Indianapolis.It was canceled twice because of rain and there were 4 deaths due to accidents and multiple injuries. Since that year,the track has developed into a much safer place. There have been safer barriers installed,better grandstands,and more emergency people.

For you ladies reading this,the first woman to qualify in the race was Janet Guthrie in 1977 and since then there have been 4 other women qualifiers.

The first African-American to qualify was Willie Ribbs in 1991, however from 1924 until 1936 African-Americans had their own race at Indy called the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes.

Indianapolis will always run because car manufacturers need a testing ground. Indy is that perfect spot. If you ever get the chance,go to a race. It is a grand time!

Learn more about this author, Greg B..
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