NUVO: Indy's Alternative Voice - May 25, 2016 by NUVO

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NUVO Cultural Vision Awards Innovation. Inspiration. Celebration.

Jonathan Lawler and Brandywine Creek Farms FOOD CVA WINNER

The Brandywine Creek Farms family is taking strides to help feed the over 150,000 food insecure men, women, and children in Central Indiana. They also are helping at-risk youth by having them work on the farm and learn valuable life lessons. Finally, through their internships, they are giving veterans the skills and experience necessary to venture into opening their own farms.

FOOD TRAILBLAZERS John Williamson and K-12 Food Rescue Food Rescue has saved millions of meals through their efforts at local schools and restaurants. Their goal is to cut down on the nearly 40 percent of our food that is wasted and to keep unwanted, unpeeled, and unwrapped food out of the trash in the hands of the food insecure.

Hawkins Family Farm (#KeepChickenOnTheMenu) This family owned and operated farm in North Manchester has been serving locally-sourced poultry, pork, beef and vegetables to Indiana since 1957. This year they led the charge against HB1267, a bill that threatened the possibility of getting locally-sourced poultry at Indiana restaurants, and they won, causing the bill to be amended to be a positive bill for farmers and consumers alike.

Join us! Tuesday, June 7, 2016 Indiana Landmarks Center â&#x20AC;˘ 1201 Cental Ave., Indianapolis

COCKTAIL RECEPTION 5 p.m. â&#x20AC;˘ CEREMONY 6 p.m. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

RSVP and more information at CVA.NUVO.net

THISWEEK

ALWAYS FRESH ON NUVO.NET

Vol. 27 Issue 10 issue #1210

32 GIMME A BEER

08 FACTS

30 500 POET

ED WENCK

AMBER STEARNS

MANAGING EDITOR

ewenck@nuvo.net

NEWS EDITOR

@edwenck

COVER

astearns@nuvo.net

08 NEWS

500 FACTS ABOUT THE 500 We had a lot of fun with this one: 500 tidbits of trivia for the 100th Running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. (For more on that phrase, check out fact #410!)

Our 500 500........................................... P.08

EMILY TAYLOR

@amberlstearns

ARTS EDITOR

etaylor@nuvo.net

Indiana’s “brain drain” — when young people get a college education in the state then leave for other states to live and work — has been a problem for decades now. But state legislators and agencies have a plan they hope will keep folks here. Plus, John Krull weighs in on the Rokita proposal re: school lunches.

CAVAN MCGINSIE

cmcginsie@nuvo.net

28 FOOD

Before the Borg-Warner, there was the Strauss trophy — not really a trophy per se, but a piece of artwork. We’ll meet a collector of these trophies in this week’s Arts section — and we’ll also meet the official poet of the 100th 500, Adam Henze.

Strauss trophy....................................... P.28 500 poet................................................ P.30 SCREENS Ed Johnson-Ott reviews X-Men: Apocalypse........................... P.31

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE WEB

BRIAN WEISS, ENGAGEMENT EDITOR

bweiss@nuvo.net

PRIDE! Our guide to Circle City IN Pride, 2016!

On stands Wednesday, June 1 4 THIS WEEK // 05.25.16 - 06.01.16 // 100% RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO

KATHERINE COPLEN

FOOD & DRINK EDITOR

@emrotayl

06 ARTS

Brain drain............................................. P.07 VOICES Krull on Rokita...................................... P.06 Savage Love.......................................... P.43

NEXT WEEK

NAMECARTON KIDS 35 00MILK

@bweiss14

Here’s what’s hot on NUVO.net currently: Headed to the Indy 500 for the first time? We’ve got a guide you need to read. Plus Rita has details on a beer brewed in honor of Peyton Manning.

@CavanRMcGinsie

SENIOR EDITOR/MUSIC EDITOR

kcoplen@nuvo.net

@tremendouskat

32 MUSIC

One small bar is fighting for the rights off all small bars to carry any craft beer they may want. We tell the story of the 5th Quarter Lounge’s fight for beer distribution equality. Plus, Open Society opens its doors.

Gimme a beer........................................ P.32 Open Society......................................... P.32

After stuffing your brain with all the 500 facts you can handle, flip to the music section for interviews with Damien Jurado, Bashiri Asad, My Morning Jacket, Dave Elwert and The Milk Carton Kids — all playing shows in Indiana this week, of course! Plus: tons of concerts in Soundcheck.

Milk Carton Kids.................................... P.35 My Morning Jacket................................ P.35 Dave Elwert........................................... P.38

FREELANCE CONTRIBUTOR

A WHOLE BUNCH OF 500 FANS

We had help on our cover story from Nora Spitznogle, Lori Lovely, the IMS, Donald Davidson and photos from Paul Willis, T.J. Foreman, Phil Taylor, Gerald Walsh, Russ Maloney and the Fasig family.

CONTRIBUTORS EDITORS@NUVO.NET FILM EDITOR ED JOHNSON-OTT COPY EDITOR CHRISTINE BERMAN CONTRIBUTING EDITOR DAVID HOPPE CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS WAYNE BERTSCH

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DAN GROSSMAN, SETH JOHNSON, RITA KOHN, JOHN KRULL, KYLE LONG, JONATHAN SANDERS, DAN SAVAGE, SAM WATERMEIER

8WORDS: your favorite Indy 500 memory

BRINGING COMEDY TO INDY FOR 34 YEARS

OUR FRIENDS

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Watched muddy biker brawl in the snake pit.

2006: First Indy 500 as a combat veteran.

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My dad listening all day on console stereo.

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Family cookouts around the radio.

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Losing $100 when Hildebrand crashed on final lap.

JESSIE DAVIS

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Every time Florence Henderson stops “singing.”

VICKI KNORR

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All those times the Browns won...wait, What?

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Helping a drunk infielder find her fiancé.

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Watching it in the AC, on TV.

CASEY PARMERLEE

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Falling down while peeing in infield tall grass.

EMILY GROUNDS

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Led entire bathroom in singing Wanna Dance with Somebody

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Snake Pit in its heyday. Need I say more?

BRADEN NICHOLSON

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That time that Hinch won his first pole.

KATHY FLAHAVIN

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Watching the Stealth fly over. Awesome.

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Meeting Jim Nabors.

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NUVO // 100% RECYCLED PAPER // 05.25.16 - 06.01.16 // THIS WEEK 5

VOICES

THIS WEEK

VOICES

NEWS

ARTS

MUSIC

CLASSIFIEDS

TODD ROKITA, NATIONAL LUNCHROOM MONITOR T

he plan U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita, (R-Indiana), has devised to cut back free and subsidized meals for poor school children reminds me of an old and cruel joke. The joke goes like this. A scientist who wanted to prove a point started experimenting with a frog. The scientist cut off one of the frog’s legs and yelled, “Jump!” The frog jumped. The scientist made a note. The scientist lopped off another leg and yelled again. Once more, the frog jumped. The scientist made another note. Another leg came off. Somehow the frog jumped. Another note. The scientist took off the last leg and yelled, “Jump!” The frog just sat there. The scientist wrote down his conclusion: “The frog no longer can hear.” Rokita’s plan to cut back on meals for poor kids springs from two impulses. The first is a desire to attack the federal government’s debt. Rokita says his approach could produce $300 million in savings. The second comes from the ongoing campaign to “reform” education – largely by playing financial games with the ways we fund schools by redirecting taxpayer dollars to private or religious schools. We’ll deal with this second impulse first. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about our education wars is that most of the research now indicates how truly pointless they are.

6 VOICES // 05.25.16 - 06.01.16 // 100% RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO

While we argue and argue and argue about vouchers and charters and other questions that increasingly matter only to rabid partisans, entrenched ideologues and the increasing number of self-proclaimed education experts who live on fat tax-funded contracts, the research shows us something else. The ways we can make the greatest gains in educational performance – and, down the line, in increased productivity – among our young people involve two things. The first is starting the educational process earlier when young brains are ready to soak up knowledge at a phenomenal rate. The opportunity costs for not aggressively funding and establishing strong preschool programs are staggering.

JOHN KRULL EDITORS@NUVO.NET John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism, host of “No Limits” WFYI 90.1 Indianapolis and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com.

of not dealing with those issues also are crushing, both in terms of lost productivity and human tragedy. But both of these solutions would call for a greater, rather than a smaller, public investment in education. That brings us to the concern about the debt, about which Rokita and other conservatives do a great deal of public hand-wringing. The federal debt stands Perhaps the most frustrating thing at roughly $19 trillion now. about our education wars is that Between $13 trillion and $14 of that debt wouldn’t most of the research now indicates trillion exist if Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. how truly pointless they are. Bush and George W. Bush had balanced budgets when they were in office. They didn’t because doing so would The second is that we need to limit as have required them either to raise taxes, much as we can the adverse childhood particularly on the wealthy, or cut back experiences – abuse, neglect, divorce on military spending and adventurism. of parents, poverty and, yes, hunger – Either option would have required asking that delay intellectual, emotional and some sacrifice or self-discipline from the psychological development. The costs

well-heeled. That was not appealing. Conservatives, it seems, do believe in free lunches – just not for poor kids. The issue with the debt is less the size of it than what we get in return for spending the borrowed funds. Some of the greatest periods of economic growth – the period after World War II, for example – have occurred when the ratio of our federal debt to our gross domestic growth was at its greatest. The reason is that we spent a great deal of that money educating people through the GI Bill and creating a federal transportation system that made growth possible. We reap the benefits of that public investment to this day. Perhaps it is because he understood this fundamental truth that an obscure Republican by the name of Abraham Lincoln began his political career by calling for massive government investment in improvements that would make it easier for what he called the common people to build better lives for themselves. Perhaps that is also why the bipartisan National Governors Association, the School Nutrition Association and just about everyone who is not a Republican member of Congress has come out in opposition to Rokita’s bill. It didn’t matter. The bill moved out of committee on a partisan vote. It appears that it’s not just frogs with no legs who have trouble hearing. n

NEWS

THIS WEEK

VOICES

NEWS

INDIANA GRADS = OUT- OF - STATE RESIDENTS BY D YA LA A KE R MA WI EDITORS@NU VO . N ET

ndiana is in jeopardy of losing younger residents (a phenomenon called “brain drain”), but state leaders are determined to keep Indiana’s brightest from leaving the state. “Brain drain is when we have younger generations that — because of better opportunities or other issues in their lives — they stay here and get their college degree and then they move on to other states and other regions,” said Rep. David Ober, (R –Albion). Some Indiana graduates dream of leaving the cornfields behind and moving to a different state for warmer weather or better amenities. But higher education leaders in Indiana are focused on keeping Hoosier graduates right here by creating plans and initiatives to remind recent graduates of the perks of living in Indiana.

Brain drain concerns Without talented workers, businesses can’t thrive, and if millennials leave, Ober said he worries it could be hard for Indiana’s economy to grow and move forward. “It makes it harder to attract businesses here, if you don’t have the talent to fulfill their workforce needs and so we’ve really focused on training,” Ober said. “We focus on higher learning in the state to make it better and to tie them with businesses, so that they have all the resources that they need.”

MUSIC

CLASSIFIEDS

The fight to stop brain drain in Indiana

and five years. So the highest percentage that we would see people staying in Indiana would be one year after graduation and then you see a slight diminishment of that at three and five years out as people have other opportunities in other places.” According to the Indiana Workforce Intelligence System, numbers stay consistent over the years until 2008 and 2009. From 2007 to 2010 approximately 110,000 Indiana residents graduated and out of those only around 60,000 were employed in Indiana one year after graduation. Lubbers said it is important to build relationships with employers while students are in school—to have a better understanding of what college students know when they graduate from college and what employers need.

TH E S TA TEH OUSE FILE

ARTS

Higher education efforts SUBMITTED PHOTO

to keep our young, talented Hoosiers here, it just gets that much more difficult to bring these high-wage, technical jobs to kind of remake the Indiana economy moving forward and bringing it into the 21st Century,” Ober said.

Search for a solution

Indiana has seven public systems and 31 private colleges and universities. “We are actually an importer of students, because we have a wide range of options,” said Indiana Higher Education Commissioner Teresa Lubbers. “We have more people who are accessing higher education “It makes it harder to attract now than ever before.” The Commission for businesses here, if you don’t have the Higher Education is worktalent to fulfill their workforce needs.” ing to help combat the brain drain, but progress —REP. DAVID OBER, (R –ALBION) on the issue takes time. “We need to follow these trends over a period of time,” said Lubbers. “We need to Ober said he wants to see a healthy Infollow what happens the first year after diana economy draw more high-paying they graduate, and then what happens jobs to the state. “If we don’t start doing more and more five years after they graduate and follow

what is happening in the employment market at the same time.” There are many factors that could contribute to the large migration of younger Hoosiers. “You can’t paint this story with one brush, because it has a lot of different dimensions to it,” said Lubbers. “You see a difference between students who study a particular subject matter. So if you look at those numbers, there are a large number of people who come to study engineering who would leave. We have a lot of philosophy majors who leave, a lot of people in transportation will leave as well.”

Indiana workforce intelligence statistics According to the Indiana Workforce Intelligence System, from 2011 to 2013 roughly 122,000 Indiana residents graduated from a public university in Indiana. Out of those graduates, roughly 70,000 were employed in Indiana one year after they graduated. “You see a pretty strong consistency throughout the years in terms of the number of people who leave,” Lubbers said. “You do see a difference between one year after graduation and three years

The Commission for Higher Education is working with the Indiana Career Council and the governor’s office to call for 10,000 more internships to help keep college students engaged in the workforce. “It’s more important that we actually have a relationship with what happens within higher education and what happens with our employers and I think that will go a long way to having a more effective way of dealing with the brain drain,” Lubbers said. The Commission for Higher Education recently crafted a strategic plan called “Reaching Higher, Delivering Value.” One of the five sections is about career preparation and alignment with education. In 2015, “Career Ready” was launched with the goal of giving Hoosier students more knowledge about career opportunities and in-demand jobs, the educational pathways that lead to employment and, understanding the importance of having workplace experiences. Indiana isn’t the only state dealing with the issue of brain drain. According to The Washington Post, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio also have experienced brain drain. Indiana is taking multiple steps to help combat the issue as much as possible. State leaders are aware of the brain drain and understand how it can affect Indiana’s economy. “It’s not an issue that is going away and we are concerned and focused on it,” Lubbers said. n NUVO // 100% RECYCLED PAPER // 05.25.16 - 06.01.16 // NEWS 7

BY ED WENCK With material from Nora Spitznogle, Lori Lovely and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

0 0 5FACTS

Facts, stats and recaps you can use to impress your friends before the 100th running of the Indy 500

editors@nuvo.net

Here’s the problem with any undertaking that purports to include as much material as we’ve tried to wedge into these pages: something will always be missing. Your favorite factoid or bit o’ trivia may have been passed by as we assembled this behemoth of a list. When you think about it, we could have built 500 Facts around just one race if we’d wanted to, but we tried to give an overview of the size and scope of the Indy 500 — and the drama and the danger, too. This story, told the way we chose to tell it, would not have been possible without Nora Spitznogle’s charming 100-day countdown to the 100th 500 on nuvo.net

HE T T OU B A

0 0 5 INDY

PART 1: FACTS AND STATS The Birth Of IMS — Before The 500..............................................................9 The Track Itself — And Tom Carnegie, Too.................................................9 All Time Records..............................................................................................12 The Trophies.....................................................................................................12 Famous Firsts..................................................................................................13 Leading The Race............................................................................................13 Lousy Weather................................................................................................14

PART 2: THE RACE ITSELF From The Marmon Wasp To WWI..............................................................14 After The Great War.......................................................................................16 The Rickenbacker Era....................................................................................16 The Hulman/George Era With Wilbur Shaw...........................................18 The Beginning Of The Hulman/George Era Under USAC.....................18 The ’60s..............................................................................................................19 The ’70s..............................................................................................................21 From Sundays To The Split — The ’80s And ‘90s.....................................22 After The Split And On Into IRL And Indycar — Mid ’90S To Today....23

PART 3: OTHER TRADITIONS AND TREATS Broadcasting....................................................................................................24 Pop Culture.......................................................................................................25 Cold Milk And Other Eats And Drinks........................................................26 Before The Green Flag Flies: Traditions And Tickets.............................26 The Race Today................................................................................................27

Bobby Rahal at IMS in 1987. PHOTO BY PAUL WILLIS

8 COVER STORY // 05.25.16 - 06.01.16 // 100% RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO

or the reporting provided over the years by Lori Lovely. Interviews with folks from Jim Nabors to A.J. Foyt, culled from our personal archives of material broadcast on WIBC several years ago, also provided some firstperson accounts of what happened at Indy. Lastly, a huge thank-you must be extended to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and historian Donald Davidson. From providing info, tidbits and factchecks, the track and Mr. Davidson really helped make this thing as robust as we could make it for a landmark event as big as the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Ladies and gentlemen — start your engines. >>>

PART 1:

FACTS AND STATS

THE BIRTH OF IMS: BEFORE THE 500 WAS THE FIRST OF 1 FISHER THE “FOUR FATHERS.”

Carl Fisher, a partner in the Prest-O-Lite auto headlamp company, got the idea for a track in Indy in 1905. Indy was a manufacturing hub in the early days of the auto industry, and Fisher envisioned a proving grounds where cars might be able to attain the unheard of speeds of 120 mph and more. Fisher also sold cars, and racing them was a terrific sales tool. Fisher convinced James Allison, Arthur Newby and Frank Wheeler to invest in the land for the Speedway.

ALLISON ORIGINALLY MADE HIS LIVING FROM COUPONS AND FOUNTAIN PENS. The “coupons” the Allison Co. made were essentially legal tender at coal mining company stores at the turn of the 20th century. The business expanded by printing tickets and vouchers, but James split to found a company that manufactured his invention, the Allison Perfection Fountain Pen. The original coupon company had an address that would’ve put it near the corner of Georgia and Capitol.

FIRST RACE AT THE IN8WAYTHE DIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDOCCURRED IN THE AIR. The track was the launching point for a balloon race on June 5, 1909 that saw a helium-lifted craft called the Universal City winning by landing nearly 400 miles away in Alabama after a day in the sky. PEOPLE SHOWED UP 9 40,000 FOR THE BALLOON RACE. No word on who DJ’d the Snakepit.

THE TRACK ORIGINALLY 10 HAD ZERO BRICKS ON ITS SURFACE. Compacted soil, limestone, gravel and a lovely-sounding goop called “taroid” covered the 2.5-mile track, which was, by all accounts, awful.

THE EARLIEST GATE 12 ADMISSION TICKETS COST 50 CENTS EACH.

NOTHING ON THE TRACK 30 THAT STANDS TODAY EXISTED WHEN CARNEGIE

BEGAN HIS RUN. The oldest building that still stands at the IMS is the Clarian Emergency Medical Center, which, according to the IMS website, was built in ’48.

THE TRACK’S BEEN AROUND LONGER THAN MANY OF AMERICA’S MOST FAMOUS SPORTING VENUES. The track was finished in 1909, making it older than Fenway Park (1912), Wrigley Field (1914) and the Rose Bowl (1922). The original Yankee Stadium was built in 1923.

A RAILWAY STATION ONCE 4“SPEEDWAY” STOOD NEAR WHERE THE GAS STATION IS

THE ORIGINAL DESIGN INCLUDED A ROAD COURSE. Much like the track today, Fisher’s initial plans called for an oval with a secondary road-style course that ran through the infield. The

ANNOUNCING THEIR NAMES. That’s out of a total of 708 from 1911 to 2006.

Along with 500 men, animal power and steamrollers created the surface.

THE TRACK WAS ONCE A FARM. The investors purchased the 328-acre Pressly farm for $72,000 in 1908. The land was level, which fit Fisher’s vision perfectly.

NOW LOCATED. “The railroad tracks went in sometime around 1870,” says IMS historian Donald Davidson. “A lot of people didn’t own automobiles yet … so they’d come by train from downtown.”

A TOTAL OF 411 DRIVERS 29 DEBUTED AT THE IMS WITH TOM CARNEGIE

MULES HELPED BUILD 6 300 THE TRACK.

THE FIRST ENGINEPOWERED VEHICLES RACING ON THE TRACK AT IMS: MOTORCYLES. Two days of racing were planned for Aug. 14-15, 1909, but track conditions deteriorated so quickly that the event was called after seven races on day one.

Carnegie started the gig.

original three-mile oval was reduced to its current length and the road course was scrapped to make room for spectator seating.

25 cents for the kids! THE FIRST AUTO RACES 13 AT THE SPEEDWAY WERE ABSOLUTE MAYHEM. Driver Wilfred Bourque and mechanic Harry Holcomb were killed in the 300-mile Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race (Aug. 19, 1909). Two days later, during the WheelerSchebler Trophy race (another 300-miler), Charlie Merz’s car blew a tire and flipped. The crash claimed his mechanic Claude Kellum

THE ORIGINAL HALL OF 31 FAME MUSEUM WAS AT THE CORNER OF 16TH AND

GEORGETOWN. “It was a single-story brick building,” says the man who’d know, track historian Donald Davidson. Ground was broken for the building in 1955, and it opened in ’56.

“This is from Floyd Davis’ first Indy 500 in 1937. (He is seated in the car in the dark helmet). Unfortunately, I don’t know the name of the mechanic sitting next to him in the car. (The gentleman in the white shirt and striped tie standing by the car is his brother — also my uncle — Herb Davis.)” — Russ Maloney, grand nephew of Davis PHOTO COURTESY OF RUSS MALONEY

and spectators Howard Homer Jolliff and James West. RACING’S SANCTIONING 14 BODY BOYCOTTED THE TRACK IN 1909. The AAA — yep, the American Automobile Association — determined that until the surface was improved, the Speedway was off-limits.

THE “BRICKYARD” WAS BORN IN THE FALL OF 1909. 3.2 million ten-pound bricks were laid, the last a solid-gold block in a special ceremony led by then-Governor Thomas R. Marshall.

SIXTY-SIX AUTO RACES 16 — AND AN AIRSHOW — WERE HELD IN 1910. The bricks worked well, and cars began hitting speeds well over 100 mph. Orville and Wilbur Wright turned up at the National Aviation Meet June 13-18, 1910, an airshow that saw pilot Walter Brookins set an altitude record, as reported by the Indianapolis News on June 14, 1910.

THE TRACK ITSELF, AND TOM CARNEGIE, TOO AN EARLY VERSION OF THE 17 “WING AND WHEEL” LOGO APPEARED AS EARLY AS THE SPEEDWAY’S FIRST MOTORIZED EVENT. The tickets for the Aug. 1909 motorcycle and auto

races feature a graphic with a central tire flanked by two outstretched wings. The letters “IMS” are superimposed on the picture.

THE PAGODA FIRST APPEARED IN 1913. The original four-tiered pagoda was razed by fire in 1925 to make room for the new pagoda, which was moved back from the track a considerable distance as speeds increased.

GOLF COURSE WENT 19 THE IN IN 1929.

Initially, the 27-hole course (!) had nine holes inside the track.

STARTING FLAG WAS 20 THE RED UNTIL 1930.

According to theindychannel. com, “[A] green flag replaced a red one to start the 38 drivers on their 500-mile journey.” Today, a red flag means a race has been stopped or suspended due to unsafe conditions.

FLAGS WERE USED TO SIGNAL CAUTION ALL AROUND THE TRACK UNTIL 1935. That’s when lights first went in to signal the drivers, yellow and green side-by side at various locations around the oval.

THE 3.2 MILLION BRICKS THAT ORIGINALLY COVERED IMS WERE PAVED OVER GRADUALLY. The Speedway’s official website says: “Asphalt gradually was added to various section of the brick surface, with patches added to rougher sections of the turns in 1936

and all turns being completely paved with asphalt in 1937. In 1938, the entire track was paved with asphalt except for the middle portion of the front straightaway.” AN EXPLOSION AND FIRE 23 DESTROYED SEVERAL GARAGES IN 1941. On race day morning, some last minute welding sparked a blast and fire that took out a bank of garages and George Baringer’s ride, a Miller that had qualified 15th. TOM CARNEGIE BECAME 24 THE IMS P.A. ANNOUNCER IN 1946. He’d hold that position for the next 60 years. ’46, INDY HAD ZERO TV 25 INSTATIONS. And only five radio stations.

THE SINGLE LAP RECORD 26 IN THAT YEAR WAS HELD BY RALPH HEPBURN. Carnegie told the fans Hepburn had turned 134.449 mph. CARNEGIE WOULD CALL 61 27 INDY RACES DURING HIS TENURE — plus 12 Brickyard 400s and six F1 races (the U.S. Gran Prix), before he retired after the 2006 race. WHEN CARNEGIE CALLED 28 HIS FIRST 500 IN 1946, HARRY TRUMAN WAS PRESIDENT. 10 more men would hold that office while Tom was behind the mic. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush weren’t even born when

THE 1926 PAGODA WAS 32 REPLACED WITH THE BOXY “MASTER CONTROL

TOWER” IN 1956. The tower would stand until the end of the century.

PIT WALL ARRIVED 33 THE IN ’56, TOO.

And new rules required cars to be pushed out of the garage and onto the track before being started.

TOM CARNEGIE CALLED A. 34 J. FOYT’S NAME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1958. Carnegie had already called 12 races before uttering Foyt’s name, and he’d call 14 more after Foyt retired. THE “YARD OF BRICKS” AS 35 WE KNOW IT TODAY WAS CREATED IN 1961. Back to Indianapolismotorspeedway.com: “October 1961, the remaining bricks on the front straightaway were covered with asphalt. A 36-inch strip of the original bricks was kept intact at the start/finish line, where it remains today as the fabled Yard of Bricks.” ALTHOUGH IT HAD BEEN 36 AROUND FOR DECADES, THE “SNAKEPIT” REALLY GOT

ROWDY IN THE ’60S. “The bloodlines go back to the very early years,” says Donald Davidson. “The grandstands were all pretty much concentrated around turn one … if you didn’t have a [grandstand] ticket, then you congregated in the infield.” While there was drinking from the teens through

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Second-place finisher Ralph Mulford in 1911. Note the names of the automakers — not the drivers — on the pit lane wall. IMS PHOTO

Google Earth image made famous in the last few years that showed the perimeter of the track and all the landmarks that would comfortably fit inside — at once. The list includes the entire Vatican, The White House, Churchill Downs, the Rose Bowl, Liberty Island, Yankee Stadium, the Taj Mahal and the Roman Coliseum. IMS IS BIGGER THAN 57 NEARLY ALL HOOSIER CITIES ON RACE DAY. Attendance for the 500 makes the Speedway the secondlargest city in Indiana one day a year. THE TRACK’S AMENITIES 58 INCLUDE 17 GRANDSTANDS, 26 BRIDGES AND SIX

the ‘50s, Davidson recalls during that the Vietnam-War era, things started getting “nasty.”

IN FACT, ’68 WAS THE FIRST YEAR STATE TROOPERS CARRIED NIGHTSTICKS INTO THE PIT. Davidson: “At what point it was given the name ‘The Snakepit,’ I don’t know, but … it took a turn.”

THE TRACK HAD ITS FIRST VIP SUITES INSTALLED FOR THE ’73 RACE. The original luxury boxes — outside Turn Two — meant that IMS became the second racetrack with suites in North America (behind the Ontario Motor Speedway).

THE CURRENT HALL OF 39 FAME MUSEUM WENT UP IN ’76. The collection outgrew the original building.

TOM CARNEGIE UTTERED HIS SIGNATURE PHRASE “IT’S A NEW TRACK RECORD” FIVE TIMES IN THREE MINUTES ON MAY 12, 1984. Tom Sneva set a record in his opening lap of qualifications and got faster with every lap. Sneva broke the four lap record, too, of course.

JR. OWNS 80 41 ALFEETUNSER OF INDY WALL.

In 1989, Emerson Fittipaldi and Al Unser, Jr. were battling it out. Unser was able to pass Fittipaldi with three laps to go. With two laps to go, Unser approached slow traffic. Fittipaldi closed in, and on the backstretch, pulled inside Unser. Running side-byside in turn three, Fillipaldi drifted slightly high and the cars touched wheels. Unser

spun around into the wall. As the yellow flag came out for the last lap, Unser stepped out of his car unhurt and walked to the edge of the track to give Fittipaldi a thumbs-up as the pace car escorted Emerson to his first Indy 500 win. When IMS replaced the walls, Unser asked if he could have a piece. They offered better than that. He got 80 feet of the track`s historic wall — including the section in Turn Three that he plowed into after touching wheels with Fittipaldi. The wall now stands at the entrance to the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque, a great reminder of the legacy of the Unser racing family. — Nora Spitznogle

GASOLINE ALLEY’S 42 CURRENT GARAGES OPENED IN 1986. The old wooden green-andwhite garages were replaced by a multimillion-dollar upgrade. PETE DYE GAVE THE “BRICK43 YARD CROSSING” GOLF COURSE A REDESIGN IN 1990. Now there are only four holes inside the oval, seven through 10. ACCORDING TO THE 44 BRICKYARD CROSSING WEBSITE, THAT MAKEOVER PUT

THE COURSE IN THE TOP 100 FOR GOLF DIGEST AND GOLFWEEK. Additionally, the course hosted the “PGA Champions Tour Comfort Classic for seven years (1994-2000), the 2009 & 2015 Indiana State Open Championship and is only one of a few courses in

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country to Host LPGA, PGA, & Champions Tour Events.” TOM CARNEGIE CALLED 45 FOYT’S NAME FOR THE LAST TIME IN 1992. That’s a 35-year run for A.J.

TOM CARNEGIE SAID “IT’S A NEW TRACK RECORD” FOR THE LAST TIME FOR INDY 500 FANS IN 1996. Carnegie drew out the phrase in his signature style when Arie Luyendyk marked the fastest qualifying lap in track history.

WHEN LUYENDYK 47 RECORDED HIS FASTESTEVER LAP AT 237.498 MPH, IT

MARKED 50 YEARS SINCE TOM CALLED THE FASTEST LAP IN 1946. Luyendyk record beat Hepburn’s speed by 103 mph, and, of course, Carnegie called both attempts.

THE CURRENT GLASS48 AND-STEEL PAGODA WAS CONSTRUCTED AS PART OF AN

IMPROVEMENT PROJECT THAT RAN FROM 1998-2000. The pagoda was one of many improvements that were undertaken to ready the track for F1 racing — and to improve the Speedway’s facilities in general. The current building has ten levels and a flagpole that tops out at 199 feet.

AND THE ROAD COURSE WAS READIED FOR FORMULA 1 IN 2000. Turn One has gone from Snakepit to bike parking and stands to turns for the road course.

THE FIRST PORTION OF 50 THE “SAFER BARRIER” WENT IN IN 2002. The impact-absorbing wall is one of many safety features introduced at IMS.

LARRY FOYT PICKED UP $192,305 IN TOM CARNEGIE’S LAST YEAR, 2006. That amount — lowest in the field for that race — was $76,626 less than the purse for the entire field for Tom’s first race, and Hal Cole’s bottom-of-the-barrel winnings in ’46 was 600 bucks.

TOM CARNEGIE CALLED 52 THE NAMES OF A LOT OF DRIVER’S RELATIVES. According to the IMS site, “At least 22 drivers Tom Carnegie called on Race Day were either the son, the grandson or a nephew of a driver who had previously competed during his tenure.” And there were a LOT of Unsers in that mix.

THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY NOW HAS MORE THAN 250,000 PERMANENT SEATS. However, the track never releases attendance figures.

IF YOU RIPPED OUT THE 54 SEAT BOARDS FROM THE GRANDSTANDS AT IMS AND LAID THEM ALL END-TO-END, THEY’D COVER 99.5 MILES. That’s roughly the distance between The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and French Lick.

THE OLD PRESSLEY FARM IS A LOT BIGGER NOW. The bigwigs at the track tell us, “The IMS covers 1,025 acres (including the track, Brickyard Crossing Golf Course and all parking lots). The infield at the IMS covers 253 acres and the parking lots cover 750 acres.”

THE OVAL’S SO BIG, YOU 56 COULD FIT VATICAN CITY INSIDE — TWICE. You might remember a

TUNNELS AT THE IMS. AND ONE ACTUAL PRIVATE URINAL. (WE KID BECAUSE WE LOVE.)

ONE LAP AROUND THE 59 SPEEDWAY OVAL IS EQUAL TO 2.5 MILES. But you knew that. BANKING IN THE TURNS 60 THE HAS NEVER CHANGED. Nine degrees, 12 minutes — from opening day in 1909 ‘til today.

BUT THE BANK HAD AN 61 EXTRA “LIP” THAT WAS REMOVED IN ’35. The lip gave cars an even steeper angle at the outer edge to help diminish the effects of centrifugal force.

ALL OF THE SPEEDWAY’S OTHER DIMENSIONS ARE JUST LIKE THEY WERE IN 1909, TOO. The Speedway’s website tells us: “The front and back straightaways are 5/8th of a mile each, with the “short chute” straightaways between Turns 1 and 2 and Turns 3 and 4 at 1/8th of a mile each. Each of the four turns is 1/4th of a mile long.”

THE FAMOUS FLAG LOGO 63 IS A COUPLE OF FLAGS SHORT THESE DAYS. The “flying wheel” with its crown of flags features seven flags. They include: green, which “signals the start of the practice session, qualification attempt or race and all restarts after a caution or red-flag period;” white, “displayed when the leader starts the final lap of the race. During qualifications, signals that driver has started final lap of qualification attempt; blue with a yellow diagonal stripe, “The ‘passing flag,’

signals slower cars to yield to faster;” checkered, which “signifies the end of the practice session, qualification attempt or race. (The race leader is declared the winner.);” red, which “signals that the race stops immediately, regardless of position of cars on the track;” black, the flag that “directs a driver to proceed to the pits on the next lap and to consult with race officials;” and yellow, the “caution flag,” that “signals hazardous conditions on the track, and cars must slow immediately, maintain position and yield to track safety vehicles until the green flag is displayed. During a qualification session, a qualification attempt is halted.” (All flag directives are taken from the Speedway’s official site.) Two more colored signal flags have been added to the mix, the “alternating red and yellow striping flag,” which “Signals that oil, water or some other substance has made the track surface slippery” and a black flag with a white cross, which is bad news for a driver: If you’re waved off with that number, “officials have ceased scoring the car until further notice.” The last two flags aren’t represented on the classic logo. IMS ALSO BOASTS THE 64 LARGEST SOLAR FARM OF ANY SPORTING FACILITY

ANYWHERE. In 2014, sixty-eight of [the Speedway’s] acres located on West 21st Street were dedicated to a solar farm, making it the largest solar farm at any sporting facility in the world. 39,314 solar panels cover 41 acres and generate 9.0 megawatts of power — the entire state produces 93.6 megawatts of solar energy. The power doesn’t go directly back to the Speedway, although as an Indianapolis Power and Light customer, IMS may be among those using the power generated on its solar farm. All and all, the facility can power 2.700 homes. The surface of the solar panels is two and a half times larger than the surface of the asphalt that covers the 2.5 mile track. — Nora Spitznogle

“SNAKEPIT” IS NOW 65 THE AN ADMISSION-ONLY

AREA IN TURN THREE. Fewer burning cars, too. SADLY, A TOTAL OF 73 66 PEOPLE HAVE DIED AT IMS, 42 OF THEM DRIVERS, 13 RIDING MECHANICS, ONE MOTORCYCLE RACER AND 17 WORKERS OR SPECTATORS. Remember: this includes an era before even the most rudimentary safety equipment (like helmets, seatbelts, catch fencing and so on) had been introduced.

ALL TIME RECORDS

ONLY THREE HAVE WON FOUR. “The only drivers to have won the Indianapolis 500 four times each are A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears.” — ims.com

THE FIRST TO WIN FOUR WAS FOYT. A.J completed the feat in 1977.

HAS THE LOCK ON 69 PENSKE OWNERSHIPS WINS.

The Penske team has notched a total of 16 Indy 500 victories. Lou Moore’s squad from the 1930s and ‘40s is a distant second with five.

MEN HAVE WON FIVE 70 TWO RACES AT INDY.

Jeff Gordon notched five Brickyard 400s before he retired and Michael Schumacher won the US Grand Prix Formula 1 race all but three of the eight times the road-course was open to F1 drivers at Indy.

NOT COUNTING THE FOUR71 TIME WINNERS, SEVEN DRIVERS HAVE WON IT THREE

TIMES OR MORE. Louis Meyer, Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Unser, Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti all have three wins.

WAS THE FIRST 72 MEYER TO THREE.

DRIVERS HAVE WON 75 FIVE BACK-TO-BACK 500S.

Wilbur Shaw won it in 193940, Mauri Rose in ’47 and ’48, Bill Vukovich took checkered in 1953 and ’54 (and were it not for his tragic death at Indy in ’55, likely have won more), Al Unser, Sr. took the 1970/’71 races and Helio Castroneves won in 2001 and 2002.

76 ROW.

NO ONE’S SEEN VICTORY LANE THREE TIMES IN A

Big Al and Helio Castroneves came close. Al Unser, Sr., won in 1970 and ’71, finishing second in ’72. Starting in 2001, Helio finished first, first and second — although his 2002 win was controversial. THE 500 HAS SEEN 77 WINNING DRIVERS FROM 20 STATES. 49 winners were from the U.S.

INDIANA HAS PRODUCED THE MOST WINNING DRIVERS. Seven Hoosier natives have won the 500, including: Joe Dawson (1912), Howdy Wilcox (1919), L.L. Corum (1924 co-winner), George Souders (1927), Louis Schneider (1931), Bill Cummings (1934) and Wilbur Shaw (1937, 1939, 1940)

TWO OF THOSE WERE FROM INDY. Schneider and Cummings were both from the Circle City.

CALIFORNIA’S SECOND FOR PRODUCING WINNING DRIVERS — SIX. Ohio and PA have given us five winners each, too.

INTERNATIONALLY, INDY’S SEEN 28 VICTORIES AMONG 20 DRIVERS.

Jim Nabors, who’s now retired from singing “Back Home Again in Indiana.” FILE PHOTO

Louis wrapped the trifecta in 1936.

IF YOU DISREGARD THE 73 THREE AND FOUR-TIMERS, NINE DRIVERS HAVE WON THE

500 TWICE. Tommy Milton, Bill Vukovich, Rodger Ward, Gordon Johncock, Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser, Jr., Arie Luyendyk, Dan Wheldon and Juan Pablo Montoya have all won two championships.

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Those winners are from ten different countries. FRANCE HAS PRODUCED 82 THE MOST NUMBER OF FOREIGN-BORN DRIVERS WITH

FOUR. Brazil, England and Italy have given use three each.

KANSAS HAS SEEN THE 83 SAME NUMBER OF TOTAL VICTORIES AS INDIANA — NINE. You can thank several multiple-winners for that total: Rodger Ward (1959, 1962), Johnny Rutherford (1974, 1976, 1980) and Wichita’s Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991)

AL UNSER SAW THE LONGEST STRETCH BETWEEN HIS FIRST AND FINAL WIN. Al Sr. won his first in 1970 and his last in ’87, a span of 17 years.

THE NAME “UNSER” HAS APPEARED AT INDY MORE THAN ANY OTHER FAMILY NAME. Jerry Unser, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Al Unser Jr., Johnny Unser and Robby Unser have all run in the 500. Louis Unser made it through several stages of the 1940 driver’s test but didn’t make the field.

RICK MEARS HAS THE MOST WINS FROM THE POLE. Mears went wire-to-wire three times.

RAY HARROUN AND LOUIS 87 MEYER BOTH WON FROM THE RECORD-WORST FIELD POSITION. That’d be 28th in the field.

JULES GOUX HAD THE BIGGEST LEAD AT THE CHECKERED. Goux finished the 1913 race a whopping 13 minutes and 8.4 seconds ahead of Spencer Wishart.

LITTLE AL TALLIED THE 89 WIN IN INDY’S CLOSEST FINISH. Al Unser, Jr., beat Scott Goodyear by only .043 seconds in 1992.

ARIE LUYENDYK WAS THE FASTEST EVER. “The Flying Dutchman” turned a lap at 237.498 mph during quals on May 12, 1996. That’s a lap time of 37.895 seconds.

LUYENDYK WAS EVEN FASTER IN PRACTICE THAT YEAR. On May 10, Arie pulled a lap time of 239.260. Unfortunately for us stat freaks, however, practice laps aren’t “official,” even though that’s the quickest trip around the oval ever recorded. He was on it, indeed.

TONY KANAAN RAN 92 THE FASTEST 500 — ON AVERAGE. The speed for Kanaan’s win, divided by every lap? 187.433 mph. RAN THE 93 HARROUN SLOWEST.

C’mon, it was 1911 — which explains the average speed below 75 mph.

TROY RUTTMAN WAS THE 94 YOUNGEST MAN TO WIN THE INDY 500. Ruttman was 22 years and 80 days when he the Greatest Spectacle in 1952. UNSER SR. WAS THE 95 ALOLDEST.

Al was five days short of 48 when he won in ’87.

OFFENHAUSER ENGINES HAVE POWERED MORE WINNING RIDES THAN ANY OTHER. The total is 27, with the last coming in 1976. Miller engines won 12 500s between 1922 and 1938.

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL 97 CHASSIS HAVE COME FROM THE DALLARA SHOP. Trick answer, really: The “lock” in recent years by the Italian manufacturer on IndyCar bodies made for a tally of 15 wins since the end of last century. 2008 WAS THE FIRST YEAR 98 ALL 33 CARS RAN THE SAME MAKE OF ENGINE AND CHASSIS. The Dallara/Honda package was run by every entry from 2008 to 2011. Chevy and Lotus got back into the engine game in 2012, and

Tony Kanaan’s win in 2013 was powered by Chevrolet. IF YOU’RE PICKING A 99 NUMBER FOR YOUR CAR, GO WITH “3.” Cars with that numeral have won the 500 a total of 11 times. Three not available? Go with No. 2 (nine wins) or Numero Uno (seven wins). THE MOST NUMBER OF 100 CARS RUNNING AT THE FINISH IS 26. It’s happened twice: 1911 and 2013. (Seriously, that 2013 race was hella cool. More later.) RUNNING AT 101 FEWEST CHECKERED: 7. That happened in 1966.

BIGGEST JUMP FROM 102 START TO FINISH IN A FIELD LARGER THAN 33: 32

POSITIONS. Zeke Meyer must’ve wished the 1932 Indy 500 had been limited to 33 cars, since he was able to take his 38thplace position at the green flag and manage to move up to sixth place by the end of the run.

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ONLY TWO HAVE RUN THE “TRIPLE.” Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve have run in in the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and United States Grand Prix at Indy. Take it away, IMS website: Montoya won the 2000 Indianapolis 500 in his only start in that event, drove in the United States Grand Prix from 2001-06 and raced in the Brickyard 400 in 200712. Villeneuve raced in the Indianapolis 500 in 1994-95, winning in 1995, drove in the United States Grand Prix from 2000-03 and 2006, and raced in the Brickyard 400 in 2010.

FIFTEEN DRIVERS HAVE 104 RUN BOTH INDY AND THE BRICKYARD (NASCAR,

THAT IS). They are: John Andretti, Geoff Brabham, A.J. Foyt, Larry Foyt, Robby Gordon, Sam Hornish Jr., Jason Leffler, Juan Pablo Montoya, Max Papis, Danica Patrick, Scott Pruett, Tony Stewart, Danny Sullivan, Jacques Villeneuve and J.J. Yeley.

MILLION MILES 106 ONE HAVE BEEN RUN.

Adding the mileage from the first 99 Indy 500s gives a total of 1,060,930 — that’s enough to circle the planet 42 times.

DRIVERS FROM 31 107 COUNTRIES HAVE COMPETED. That’s part of the reason the 500 has global appeal.

THE TROPHIES THE WHEELER108 SCHEBLER TROPHY WAS HANDED OUT TO THE LEADER AT THE 400-MILE MARK BEGINNING IN 1914. The trophy was a pre-500 holdover, sharing a name with early races at the track.

ORIGINALLY, THE 109 “STRAUSS TROPHY” WAS GIVEN TO THE WINNER. For more on the Strauss, see page 28. BUT THE “STRAUSS” 110 WASN’T’ REALLY A TROPHY PER SE. “The Strauss award was something different every year. It was a piece of artwork,” says Donald Davidson. While some of the pieces were commissioned, others were purchased from European collections — but all with a theme: “It was something different every year that depicted speed. A bird in flight or a woman running with a dog or something of that nature.” THE WHEELER111 SCHEBLER TROPHY WAS RETIRED IN THE 1930S. The original 1909 rules stated that if the thing was won three times by the same car owner, said owner gained permanent possession of the hardware. Harry Hartz did just that. THE “CHAMPION SPARK 112 PLUGS 100 MILE AN HOUR CLUB” WAS FORMED IN 1935. As Nora Spitznogle wrote for NUVO.net, it honored “drivers who completed the Indianapolis 500 at an average speed of 100 miles per hour or faster.”

THE BORG WARNER MEN HAVE RUN 113 TROPHY WAS 105 FOUR THE 500 AND F1 AT INDY. INTRODUCED IN 1936. Thomas Enge, Justin Wilson, Takuma Sato and Jean Alesi all ran the US Grand Prix at Indy in addition to the 500.

IMS: “Crafted out of sterling silver by Spaulding-Gorham of Chicago, it was unveiled at a dinner in New York in

Simon Pagenaud after winning the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis in 2014. The original design for IMS called for a road course inside the oval. FILE PHOTO

500, co-winners from two previous wins and Tony Hulman’s mug brought the total to 99 before Kanaan’s first trip to Victory Lane.

134

THE TROPHY ALWAYS TURNS UP IN THE 500 FESTIVAL PARADE. With heavy security.

THE BORG-WARNER 135 HAS APPEARED IN TWO FILMS. Winning and Turbo. THE TROPHY APPEARED 136 BY ITSELF ON THREE INDY 500 PROGRAMS. 1981, 1998 and 2002.

FAMOUS FIRSTS

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IF YOU COUNT THE FIRST RACE, EIGHT ROOKIES HAVE WON THE INDY 500. Indianapolismotorspeedway. com has the official list:

February 1936, featuring basrelief sculptures of every ‘500’ winner up until that time.” THE TROPHY IDENTIFIES 114 THE EVENT AS THE “INDIANAPOLIS 500MILE RACE.” There’s no reference to the name as it existed at the time, the “International Sweepstakes.”

115

THE TROPHY WAS COMMISSIONED BY AN AUTO COMPANY. “The Borg-Warner Automotive Company” is now known simply as BorgWarner.

AT THAT TIME, THE 116 TROPHY STOOD AT 52 INCHES. Or four feet, four inches. ORIGINAL VALUE OF 117 THE THE TROPHY: $10,000. Now it’s worth well over $1 million.

118

THE BORG-WARNER VICTORY WREATH FIRST APPEARED IN 1960. From WISH-TV: “The wreath is constructed using a round 24 inch Styrofoam base. On the base you will find 30 feet of red white and blue stripped ribbon, 70 feet of green floral tape, 60 small checkered flags, 250 steel picks, a pound of hot glue, handcrafted letters spelling Borg Warner, 33 white

orchids representing 33 drivers in the field and 33 small tubes filled with water for the flowers.” Jim Rathman was given the first one. THE CHAMPION SPARK 119 PLUGS 100 MILE AN HOUR CLUB FOLDED IN THE

EARLY ‘70S. By the mid-1960s average speeds at the race had risen considerably since the club’s formation. Completing the full 500 miles at an average speed of 100 mph was hardly noteworthy any longer. … In 1969, no new members were inducted, since all four drivers who completed the 500 miles that year were already part of the club. In 1970, Dick McGeorge, Champion’s public relations representative, retired from his position. Since 1946, he had been the key person in organizing the club, Dick died in 1971, and the 100 mph Club quietly folded. — Nora Spitznogle

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THE QUILT LADY BEGAN GIVING DRIVERS AN UNOFFICIAL TROPHY IN 1976. “Jeanetta Holder has made a hand-crafted quilt for each winner since ‘76 and presents the quilt to the winner the day after the race,” Nora tells us.

BORG-WARNER 121 THE TROPHY RAN OUT OF

ROOM FOR PORTRAITS IN 1986. A base was added for the ’87 race. BOBBY RAHAL WAS 122 THE LAST DRIVER TO GRACE THE ORIGINAL TROPHY WITHOUT THE BASE. He won the ’86 500.

THE ONLY PORTRAIT 123 THAT’S NOT OF A WINNING DRIVER ON THE

TROPHY: TONY HULMAN. His face — sculpted in gold — was added in ’87.

THE BASE ADDED 124 NEARLY 13 INCHES TO THE TROPHY’S HEIGHT. It stands now at five feet, 4.75 inches. BASE TOOK IT TO 125 THE 110 POUNDS. We age, we gain weight. It happens.

126

TOM SNEVA’S THE ONLY FACE ON THE TROPHY WEARING GLASSES. That was Sneva’s request after he won in ’83.

in ’91), A.J. Foyt and Al Unser didn’t get new portraits each time they won.

JANET GUTHRIE WAS A SECOND BABY BORG 138 THE FIRST WOMAN TO 129 WAS HANDED OUT QUALIFY FOR THE 500. FROM 1997 ON. The other Baby goes to the car’s owner.

SARAH FISHER WAS 144 THE FIRST WOMAN TO CAPTURE A POLE POSITION IN

INDYCAR. Fisher did it in 2002 for a race at the Kentucky Speedway.

BUT DANICA WAS THE 145 FIRST WOMAN TO WIN AN INDYCAR RACE. Patrick won the Indy Japan 300 in 2008. (If you ever come across the Japanese broadcast of the race, the audio may be one of the most exciting — and excited — non-Englishspeaking play-by-play calls in modern history.) WILLY T. RIBBS WAS THE 146 FIRST BLACK MAN TO QUALIFY FOR THE 500. 1991 was the year, 217.358 mph was the speed. EMERSON FITIPALDI 147 WAS THE FIRST SOUTH AMERICAN DRIVER TO WIN

THE 500. Fitipaldi’s a Brazilian, and he’s been joined since by Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan.

THE TRADITION OF 131 “KISSING THE BRICKS” WAS STARTED BY A BRICKYARD

She was joined later in that accomplishment by Danica Patrick, and to date only two women have achieved the feat of qualifying for both Indy and Daytona.

400 WINNER. In 1996, NACAR’s Dale Jarrett and his crew chief knelt down and smooched the yard of bricks that marks the start/ finish line. Jarrett’s tribute caught on with both 400 and 500 winners, and now the kiss includes everything from participation by family members to pillows for one’s knees.

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128

133

RICK MEARS IS THE ONLY DRIVER WITH FOUR DIFFERENT LIKENESSES ON THE TROPHY. Unlike Mears (who last won

WOMAN IN THE 500. Patrick started fourth in 2005, led for 19 laps and finished fourth.

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An 18-inch replica of the trophy has been given to the winning driver ever since.

127 1988.

Guthrie qualified for the ’77 race with a speed of 188.403.

PATRICK RECORDED 143 BOTH THE HIGHEST START AND FINISH FOR A

THE FIRST SPANISHGUTHRIE WAS ALSO 148 SPEAKING SOUTH 139 THE FIRST WOMAN TO AMERICAN WINNER (THE QUALIFY FOR THE DAYTONA 500.

THE ENTIRE TROPHY WAS REFURBISHED IN 1992. We all need a little polish at age 56, amirite?

THE BORG-WARNER’S BASE FILLED UP BEFORE THE 2004 RACE. A larger base was then added that can accommodate portraits through 2034. Gil de Ferran’s mug filled out the original base, after he won in 2003.

THE “BABY BORG” WAS FIRST HANDED OUT IN

• Ray Harroun (1911, inaugural race) • Jules Goux (1913) • Rene Thomas (1914) • Frank Lockhart (1926) • George Souders (1927) • Graham Hill (1966) • Juan Pablo Montoya (2000) • Helio Castroneves (2001)

in 2005 — her rookie season — and the crowd’s reaction was so loud it nearly drowned out the roar of the cars.

TONY KANAAN’S WIN IN 2013 MADE HIS LIKENESS THE 100TH FACE ON THE BORG-WARNER TROPHY. Although he won the 97th

FINISHED 140 GUTHRIE NINTH IN 1978.

That mark was the highest finish for a woman in the 500 until 2005.

INCLUDING GUTHRIE, 141 NINE WOMEN HAVE MADE THE FIELD. • Janet Guthrie (1977-79) • Lyn St. James (1992-97, 2000) • Sarah Fisher (2000-04, 2007-10) • Danica Patrick (2005-11) • Milka Duno (2007-09) • Ana Beatriz (2010-13) • Simona de Silvestro (2010-13, 2015) • Pippa Mann (2011, 2013-16) • Katherine Legge (2012-13)

DANICA PATRICK WAS 142 THE FIRST WOMAN TO LEAD THE 500.

LANGUAGE OF BRAZIL IS PRIMARILY PORTUGESE) WAS JUAN PABLO MONTOYA. The Colombian won in 2000 and again in 2015.

LEADING THE RACE AL’S LED THE MOST 149 BIG LAPS IN A CAREER.

Unser, Sr. was in front for 644 circuits before he hung it up.

BILLY ARNOLD LED THE 150 MOST LAPS IN A SINGLE RACE. Arnold was in front for 198 laps in 1930. THAT’S ALSO THE MOST 151 LED BY A WINNER, BY THE WAY. Billy took the lead after lap 2 and never looked back. DAN WHELDON SET THE 152 RECORD FOR FEWEST LAPS LED BY A WINNER. Wheldon only led the lap that ended in checkered in 2011.

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RALPH DEPALMA 153 HOLDS THE RECORD FOR SINGLE-RACE FUTILITY.

THE 1940 RACE WAS THE THE 500-MILE LENGTH 176 ONLY FULL 500 TO RUN 180 WAS CHOSEN FOR THE IN THE RAIN. TIME THE RACE WOULD LAST.

DePalma led for 196 laps and didn’t win the 1912 500.

The last 50 laps were completed in precip — all under caution.

RODGER WARD LED THE 154 1960 RACE 10 DIFFERENT TIMES AND DIDN’T WIN.

PART 2:

And speaking of single-race futility, that’s also a record.

THE RACE ITSELF

AND WHEN IT COMES 155 TO CAREER FUTILITY — PITY POOR MICHAEL ANDRETTI.

FROM THE MARMON WASP TO WWI

Over the course of his behind-the-wheel career, Mario’s son led a record 431 laps in the 500 without a single win.

THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 177 IS OLDER THAN THE MASTERS AND THE FINAL FOUR.

FOYT HOLDS THE 156 A.J. RECORD FOR RACES LED.

In fact, the race — first run in 1911 — has been around longer than the World Cup (1930) and much longer than the Daytona 500 (1959). The Masters began in 1934 and the NCAA Men’s Hoops Tourney wasn’t a thing until 1939.

Foyt ran at the front in a total of 13 races.

TONY KANAAN HAS LED 157 THE RACE MORE TIMES IN HIS RACES THAN ANYONE. Tony’s been in front an incredible 46 times. KANAAN AND MARCO 158 ANDRETTI SHARED A RECORD STAT IN 2013. Each driver led that race 15 times.

159

KANAAN LED IN EVERY RACE FROM 2002-2008. Seven consecutive races — another high-water mark for the Brazillian.

160

REX MAYS HOLDS THE RECORD FOR RACES LED WITHOUT A WIN. Mays ran in the clean air in nine different 500s but never saw checkered.

THE MOST LEAD 161 CHANGES AT A SINGLE RACE: 68. 2013 was a great year to be in the stands.

162

2013 ALSO SAW THE MOST LAP LEADERS. A total of 14 different cars ran at the front of the field.

FEWEST LEAD 163 THE CHANGES: ONE.

Louis Meyer led for two laps in 1930, and then Billy Arnold turned the thing into a parade.

TWO DIFFERENT RACES 164 ALSO SAW ONLY TWO LAP LEADERS. 1930 and 1965.

LOUSY WEATHER

165

THE HOTTEST RACE DAY CLOCKED IN AT 92 DEGREES IN 1937, BUT THE 1953 INDY 500 IS OFTEN CALLED THE “HOTTEST 500.”

Bobby Unser and Rick Mears in 1979. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FASIG FAMILY

As Nora Spitznogle wrote for NUVO: Carl Scarborough started the Indianapolis 500 on the seventh row. On lap 69 he spun to avoid hitting Tony Bettenhausen. He was feeling poorly so he made his way back to the pits to be replaced by relief driver, Bob Scott — Bob’s own car was out of the race due to mechanical difficulties. He drove the rest of the race for Carl and finished in twelfth place. Carl was taken to the Speedway’s hospital, where his temperature was recorded at 104 degrees. Physicians there unsuccessfully performed open-heart massage before Scarborough was pronounced dead. The temperature was 91 degrees in Indianapolis that day and track temperatures reached 130 degrees. Due to the extreme heat, several drivers required relief drivers, and some relief drivers even required additional relief. Nine drivers were treated for heat-related illness. Pat Flaherty suffered minor injuries when he fainted and crashed into a wall later in the race. Winner Bill Vukovich, as well as second-place finisher Art Cross, both ran the full 500 miles solo. Carl Scarborough’s body was sent to Michigan, where funeral services were held with burial in Perry Mount Park, in Pontiac, Michigan on

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June 3, 1953. COLDEST 500 WAS 166 THE IN 1992. The high temp that day? 58, according to WTHR.com.

Sunday, May 25, lasted for only 15 laps on Monday and finally finished surrounded by thinly-populated grandstands on Tuesday.

THERE HAVE BEEN AVERAGE HIGH FOR 171 TWO PARTIAL 167 THE RACE DAY: A LOVELY 76. POSTPONEMENTS. That’s according to the folks at FOX59.

1973 RACE WAS THE 168 THE “SHORTEST 500.” 332.5 miles were complete when the rains came. (More on that year later. Oy.)

INCLUDING ’73, THE RACE 169 HAS BEEN SHORTENED SEVEN TIMES BY RAIN. Indianapolismotorspeedway. com has the official list: • 1926: 160 laps (400 miles) • 1950: 138 laps (345 miles) • 1973: 133 laps (332.5 miles) • 1975: 174 laps (435 miles) • 1976: 102 laps (255 miles) • 2004: 180 laps (450 miles) • 2007: 166 laps (415 miles)

THERE HAVE ONLY 170 BEEN THREE COMPLETE WASHOUTS — THAT’S NARY A

GREEN FLAG — ON RACE DAY. In 1915, the race was set for the Saturday before Memorial Day, but the track was drenched from downpours the day before. Sunday runnings were a nono at the time, so the race ran in full on Monday, May 31. In 1986, the race was rained out on both Sunday, May 25 and Memorial Day, so officials pushed the race until the following Saturday. The 1997 race never got underway on

1967 saw 18 laps complete on race day with the balance wrapping up the following day. 1973 was simply a mess. A red flag after a lap-one wreck was followed by rain on Monday, May 28; the rains came back before the green flew on Tuesday and weather ultimately shortened the race on Wednesday. THE RACE WAS RUN 172 COMPLETELY IN 1998, ALTHOUGH NEARLY EVERY

METEOROLOGIST IN TOWN PREDICTED IT WOULDN’T. One (former) local weatherman claimed that chances for a full race that day were as “high as winning the Powerball.”

THE RACE HAS BEEN 173 STOPPED FOUR TIMES AND RESUMED THE SAME DAY DUE TO PRECIP. Stoppages occurred two times in each of the 1926, 2004 and 2007 races, and once in 2001.

174

THE 2004 RACE DAY SAW THE MOST RAIN. 3.8 inches, to be precise.

AN F-2 TORNADO, 175 AND TOO.

The twister that hit parts of Indy didn’t clip the track, but the victory celebration was moved inside.

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THE INDY 500 WASN’T ALWAYS RUN ON SUNDAY (RAIN DELAYS NOT INCLUDED). From 1911-1970 the race was always scheduled for May 30, UNLESS it fell on a Sunday. In those cases, it was scheduled for May 31. In 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a three-day weekend. After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted Congress’ change of date within a few years and the law took effect at the federal level in 1971. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. In 1971 and 1972 the race was scheduled for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. In 1973 it was scheduled for Monday, Memorial Day itself. Since then it has been scheduled for the day before Memorial Day. — Nora Spitznogle

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THE 500 INITIALLY HAD A SLIGHTLY LONGER NAME. The race was initially known as the “International 500mile Sweepstakes Race.” The “International Sweepstakes” moniker would remain on tickets and other ephemera until 1981.

The “four fathers” probably figure they could sell a LOT of tenderloins over seven hours. IN 1911 THE STARTING 181 GRID WAS DETERMINED BY THE ORDER THAT ENTRIES WERE RECEIVED BY MAIL. Nora Spitznogle: “To qualify for the race, entrants had to average 75 miles per hour along a ‘flying’ quarter-mile measured segment of the track. Each car was given three attempts and speeds were not recorded. In 1912, all cars were required to complete one timed lap (2.5 miles) at a minimum speed, but the grid order was still determined by the order the entries were received.”

FISHER DROVE 182 CARL THE FIRST PACE CAR.

According to ims.com: “While a pace vehicle is believed to have been used at a program for electric-powered cars at Narragansett Park, Rhode Island, in 1896, it is believed that the 1911 500 was the first major event anywhere in the world at which a pace vehicle was employed for a start.”

HARROUN WON 183 RAY THE INAUGURAL 500.

On May 30, 1911 — Memorial Day — 40 drivers ran in front of a crowd that was estimated to number more than 85,000. Nearly seven hours later, Ray Harroun was awarded the victory in his yellow “Marmon Wasp.”

HARROUN DIDN’T 184 RAY WIN THE INAUGURAL 500. According to Harroun, “Marmon won it.” As Donald Davidson points out, the early races were about the cars, not the drivers: “They were like jockeys.”

AND THERE WAS 185 CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE FIRST RACE ALMOST

IMMEDIATELY. A crash at around the completion of the first third of the 1911 race may have distracted the official scorers. There’s conflicting reports about whether or not a judge’s stand was involved in an accident, which certainly would’ve made for problematic officiating. Additionally, as Lori Lovely wrote in a May, 2015 issue of NUVO: “Complaints were also lodged

against the timing device, a complex electric timing apparatus …” Here’s what’s known, as near as yours truly can divine: Ralph Mulford had one hell of a pace during the 1911 500, and led the race as late as lap 181. To really muddy the waters several days later, Carl Fisher had all of the scoring records destroyed after revising the finishing order several times. In each revision, however, track officials had scored Harroun as the winner. Mulford was never really convinced. Lori Lovely: Russ Caitlin quoted Mulford at age 85 in Automobile Quarterly: “Mr. Harroun was a fine gentleman, a champion driver and a very great development engineer, and I wouldn’t want him to suffer any embarrassment nor the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They have publicly credited me with leading the race and each year send me something as a remembrance to let me know I have not been forgotten.”

drivers on the track — Harroun used what may have been the world’s first rearview mirror to see traffic. BUT HARROUN ALWAYS 189 SCOFFED AT THE IDEA THAT HE “INVENTED” THE MIRROR. Harroun said he’d seen a horse-cabbie use a similar setup in Chicago. WINDSHIELDS AND 190 ROLL BARS WEREN’T STANDARD EQUIPMENT. Both of those developments came later. HARROUN WOULD 191 DRIVE THE “WASP” TWICE MORE. Ray ran the Wasp around the track at IMS prior to the ’37 race (the 25th running) and again in ’61, fifty years after 1911. Harroun was 82 that last time. RIDING MECHANICS 192 WERE REQUIRED FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS. Apparently the whole rearview mirror thing didn’t catch on until after the 1922 race. FIRST RACE WAS 193 THE CLOCKED AT 6:42:08.

That’s a blazin’ average speed of 74.59 mph.

DEPALMA WAS THE 197 FIRST TO LEAD MORE THAN 100 LAPS. In fact, DePalma led all but the last four laps — right up until his engine went south. 1913 GRID WAS SET 198 THE BY A BLIND DRAW.

Spitznogle again: “In 1913 and 1914, all cars completed one timed lap at a minimum speed to qualify. Overseas competitors complained about their entries arriving in the mail later than local entrants, and thus starting deeper in the grid. A compromise was made — the grid was determined by a blind draw a few days before the race.”

THE THIRD INDY 199 WINNER USED CHAMPAGNE AS A PED. Jules Goux, a Frenchman, drank the sparkly stuff at pit stops — and allegedly may have drunk as many as four half-pint bottles during his 1913 championship run. Hydration plus a little chemical courage? Seems legit: “Without the good wine, I would not have won,” Goux said afterward. His margin of victory was a whopping 13 minutes.

CLESSIE CUMMINS WAS SAM DICKSON WAS THE 186 IN THE PITS FOR THE NOT SURPRISINGLY, 194 FIRST 500 FATALITY. FIRST 500. 200 THE CONSUMPTION Dickson was the riding OF ALCOHOL BY DRIVERS WAS Yes, of THAT Cummins family. Clessie was part of the crew for Harroun’s Marmon. TICKETS FOR THE FIRST 187 500 WENT FOR AS LITTLE AS A BUCK. “There was grandstand admission, but general admission was a dollar,” says Davidson.

mechanic for Arthur Greiner, and died when he was thrown from the vehicle during a single-car wreck on lap 12. Greiner’s American Simplex (made in Mishawaka) lost its front wheels, which may at least partially explain why the company folded four years later.

BANNED IN 1914. Spectators, not so much.

ALSO SET TWO 201 GOUX EARLY “500 FIRSTS.”

Goux became the first nonAmerican to win the race, and the first rookie (if, of course, you exclude the inaugural race) to win the 500.

1913 PURSE BROKE RODE ALONE. EARLY NEWSREELS 202 THE SIX FIGURES. 188 HARROUN While it was common 195 SHOW CROWDS Total prize money crossed RUNNING TOWARD ACCIDENTS. for “riding mechanics” to sit in a passenger seat in a race car — often to spot other Fact #306: Eddie Sachs (1963) PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FASIG FAMILY

Spectator safety was not exactly a huge priority early on. The other thing that’s notable about footage from the era: sand was spread on parts of the track to absorb motor oil.

the $100,000 mark the year Goux won.

HULMAN SAW HIS 203 TONY FIRST 500 IN 1914. The future Speedway owner was 13 at the time.

THE 1916 RACE 1912 SAW AN ENTRY 204 SAW ACTUAL GRID 196 FINISH UNDER LITERAL POSITIONS BASED ON SPEED. MANPOWER. Ralph DePalma’s Mercedes threw a rod on lap 197, and the race leader saw his engine’s output drop to 15 mph a lap later before dying altogether. Undeterred, DePalma and his mechanic got out and pushed the car across the finish line. DePalma lost to Joe Dawson, but would return to win in 1915.

Says Nora, “In 1916, the first day qualifiers were lined up in order by speed. The second day qualifiers would line up behind the first day qualifiers, and so on, even if subsequent days drivers were faster than earlier qualifiers. With a few tweaks, that general grid alignment rule was used through the 2000s.” NUVO // 100% RECYCLED PAPER // 05.25.16 - 06.01.16 // COVER STORY 15

THE RACE TOOK A 205 BREAK DURING WORLD WAR I. The 500 wasn’t run in 1917 and 1918.

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THE INFIELD BECAME A REFUELING AND MAINTENANCE STATION FOR AIRCRAFT DURING THE WAR. Military aviation battalions were stationed at IMS to fuel aircraft on their runs between Ohio and Illinois.

AFTER THE GREAT WAR INDY 500 WASN’T 207 THE THE INDY 500 IN 1919.

The first race after the end of World War I brought a new name: the race became the “Liberty Sweepstakes.”

HOWDY WILCOX FIRST 208 BROKE TRIPLE-DIGITS IN 1919. Wilcox qualified with a speed of 100.01 mph in the first race after the Great War. 1919 ALSO SAW THE 209 FIRST 100-PLUS MPH POLE-SITTER. Rene Thomas qualified with a speed of 104.780 mph.

OVER 90 MPH. The ’22 race was speedy for its day — winner Jimmy Murphy averaged 94.484. WERE ALLOWED 215 DRIVERS TO FLY SOLO IN 1923.

The riding mechanic requirement was scrapped from the rules for the ’23 sweepstakes, only to be reinstated by Eddie Rickenbacker a few years later.

BUT IF YOU REALLY 216 WANTED COMPANY, IT WAS ALLOWED. Riding mechanics were optional from’23-’29.

217

THE INDIANA GENERAL ASSEMBLY TRIED TO BLOCK THE RACE FROM ITS MEMORIAL DAY RUN IN 1923 A bill banning non-amateur sporting events on the actual holiday was passed by the state legislature, only to be vetoed by the Governor, Warren McCray.

BERT SHOUP WAS 218 THE FIRST SPECTATOR KILLED DURING THE 500. When Tom Alley’s car plowed through the wall on the 22nd lap in 1923, 16-year-old Shoup was fatally injured. Two other spectators who were injured survived.

MEN DIED WILBUR SHAW WAS 210 THREE DURING THE ’19 RACE. 219 ONE OF THE EARLIEST Driver Arthur Thurman DRIVERS TO TRADE HIS LEATHER was killed in a wreck in the first quarter of the race, and driver Louis LeCocq (who was from Iowa, despite his international-sounding name) and his riding mechanic Robert Bandini perished when a blown tire sent their car into the wall and ruptured their fuel tank. The car exploded.

HEADGEAR FOR A HELMET. Shaw put a helmet on in 1923 after fracturing his skull, and

CHEVROLET WON IN 211 A1920.

BUT RICKENBACKER 220 HAD A STEEL BRAIN BUCKET THAT HE’D USED AS

EARLY AS 1916 “I don’t know if he used it in the race or not,” notes Donald Davidson. “There was a man from Monaco named Louis Chiron that had one in 1929, but the first one that really got attention was Wilbur Shaw’s polo helmet in 1932. The other drivers were laughing at him, but one by one others started to use them.”

221

TWO MEN WON THE 1924 500. Nope, it wasn’t a tie — when L.L. Corum was spelled by Joe Boyer, Boyer went on to take the checkered. Since both men had run the winning “supercharged” Duesenberg, they were both awarded laurels. There would only be one more set of co-winners in 500 history, Floyd Davis and Mauri Rose in 1941.

222

AND CORUM WAS THE ONLY MAN WHO WON WITHOUT LEADING A LAP Nora Spitznogle explains, “On lap 111 he was replaced by driver Joe Boyer who had to give up his own car to jump in Lora’s. Joe Boyer was doing well in the race until his car broke on lap 111. Lora was running in fourth and

team owner Fred Duesenberg wasn’t happy. He called Lora in and replaced him with the Joe. Joe worked his way up and took the lead on lap 177 … Traditionally relief drivers did not get credit, but in this case they were awarded the joint win.” EARL COOPER 223 CRACKED 110 MPH IN THE 1925 QUALS. Cooper was running a Miller engine.

225

AND THE 1925 RACE 226 FEATURED THE 100TH LEAD CHANGE. Peter DePaolo passed Phil Shafer on Lap 68. DALE LEWIS TOOK 227 SECOND PLACE IN A FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE CAR IN 1925. The idea had been Jimmy Murphy’s, winner of the ’22 500. The motor — mounted with a transverse transmission — powered the car without the need for a differential, which reduced the car’s weight considerably. Although Murphy never drove a front-wheel-drive car at Indy — he died in 1924 — the idea would become an Indy staple for years, and find its way into the consumer market.

Rain washed out the 1926 race after 160 laps (400 miles), and Lockhart — who had a two-lap lead — was awarded the victory. SPEEDWAY BECAME 230 ITS OWN TOWN IN JULY OF 1926.

213

CLIFF DURANT WAS THE 100TH DRIVER TO COMPLETE THE 500. Durant finished 12th in 1922. Salt Walther in 1979. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FASIG FAMILY

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Frank Lockhart qualified with a speed of 120.546. Like Cooper, he was powered by a Miller motor.

NORM BATTEN 233 DROVE PART OF A LAP STANDING UP IN 1927.

PETE DEPAOLO BECAME THE FIRST DRIVER TO AVERAGE MORE THAN 100 MPH FOR THE ENTIRE RACE. DePaolo, driving a supercharged Duesenberg, notched an average of 101.1 for the entire 500 miles in 1925.

FRANK LOCKHART 229 WON THE FIRST RAINSHORTENED 500.

Murphy — who won the French Grand Prix the previous year — qualified first with a speed of 100.5 mph and won the race after leading 153 laps.

120 MPH BARRIER 231 THE WAS BROKEN IN 1927.

224

Jones rolled his car during the 1926 time trials and died from his injuries a day after the wreck.

JIMMY MURPHY WAS 212 THE FIRST POLE SITTER TO WIN THE 500 IN 1922.

of Speedway. The town is a separate governmental unit within Indianapolis with its own town council, police department, fire department, street department” and so on — school system, too.

THE ENTIRE FIELD 232 QUALIFIED AT OVER 100 IN 1927.

AND THE FIELD’S AVERAGE WAS OVER 100 FOR QUALS THAT YEAR TOO. IMS tells us that the 1925 field average was 104.488 mph.

HERB JONES WAS THE 228 FIRST DRIVER TO DIE DURING QUALS.

Not the engine or chassis, but the driver: Gaston Chevrolet was the younger brother of Louis, founder of the car company.

TOP FIVE FINISHERS 214 THE IN 1922 ALL AVERAGED

by 1932 he’d be wearing a helmet behind the wheel at Indy.

Speedwayin.gov says: “The entire Indianapolis Motor Speedway is actually located within the limits of the Town

Not an average — that was a first for Indy.

Norm was hailed as a hero when during the 1927 Indy 500, he (literally) took a hot lap on the track. His car caught fire on the main straight and he drove (standing up!) the full length of the straightaway, steering the blazing car away from the pits and crowd, jumping from the running car only after he was past the pits. — Nora Spitznogle

THE RICKENBACKER ERA EDDIE RICKENBACKER 234 BOUGHT THE TRACK IN 1927. The original partners, spooked in part by the State Legislature’s moves to ban commercial sporting events on Memorial Day, managed to find a buyer who could drum up the funds two years before the Great Crash. Rickenbacker, an honest-togoodness World War I flying ace — he set the first record for “aerial combat victories” with 26 — had the bona fides to convince investors to cough up $700,000 for the purchase. Before taking over, he’d started his own car company, the first to use a braking system for all four wheels. During his tenure as Speedway President, Rickenbacker engaged in a long-running feud with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, since Rickenbacker felt FDR’s policies were far too socialistic for the country’s greater good. In the depths of the Depression, Rickenbacker kept the track

running, eventually cancelling the ’42 race after the U.S. entered World War II in December of 1941. “Captain Eddie Rickenbacker” also had a writing credit on the syndicated Sunday comic strip “Ace Drummond” from 1935-1940. The good captain would eventually sell the track after the end of the war. HELPED SET 235 METHANOL A SPEED RECORD IN ’28.

Earl Swift, writing for Popular Mechanics, said, “Driver Leon Duray experimented with methanol in Indy racers in or about 1927, midway through a career that saw him win the 500 pole twice and start six of his eight races in the top five. A methanol-fueled Miller set the longest-standing (for nine years) Indy lap record of 124.02 mph in 1928.” “Alcohol” fuel would one day replace gasoline in Indy rides.

DRIVER EARL DEVORE 236 DIDN’T GET TO RACE IN 1929 — BECAUSE HE WAS EATEN

BY A SHARK. As Nora Spitznogle wrote for NUVO: Devore raced in three Indianapolis 500s, 1925, 1927, and 1928. He finished second in 1927, a full eight laps behind winner, George Souders. Earl met a gruesome demise in November of 1928. He was eaten by a shark following the sinking of the SS Vestris. Earl and fellow racer, Norm Batten, were travelling to Argentina to race during the winter season. They set sail from New York on November 10th taking along at least one race car with them. The Vestris was in very poor condition and heavily overloaded. The next day the ship ran into a severe storm and developed a starboard list and things got worse as the cargo and coal supplies shifted. An SOS was sent out on November 12 and the ship was abandoned. The ship fell on her side and sank. Earl saved his son, Billy, and his wife while Norm supported his wife until help was almost at hand. Sadly, Norm drowned. His wife survived. Earl was eaten by a shark, after his cries of help were ignored by seamen in a nearby lifeboat. Of the 325 people on board the ship, 112 died.

His son, Billy Devore, would take up a career in racing, qualifying for seven Indy 500s and finishing in the top ten three times.

mph. Two days later, with Dave Evans behind the wheel, it became the first entry ever to run the entire race nonstop, finishing 13th on just $1.40 worth of “furnace oil.”

BILL SPENCE DIED 237 DURING THE 1929 500, A RACE BEING SHOT FOR A

THE FIELD WAS LIMITED 249 TO 33 FOR SAFETY REASONS.

HOLLYWOOD FILM. Memorial Day (at that time, always marked on May 30) 1929, saw Spence crash on lap ten. After being thrown from the car, Spence sustained fatal head injuries. The film Speedway captured the crash.

BILLY ARNOLD WAS 238 THE FIRST DRIVER TO WIN THE RACE IN LESS THAN

FIVE HOURS WITHOUT A RELIEF DRIVER. As Nora Spitznogle wrote for NUVO: “His winning speed of 100.448 was almost 2.5 mph faster than Shorty Cantlon, second place finisher. Billy beat Shorty to the finish line by over seven minutes.”

239

RICKENBACKER CHANGED THE RULES PRIOR TO THE 1930 500 TO ATTRACT MORE MAKES OF VEHICLE. Two “supercharger” models, the Duesenberg and the Miller, dominated the race in the ‘20s with carburetion that compressed the air coming into the engine, making the motor more efficient and powerful. To get more names in the game, the sanctioning body (the AAA) disallowed superchargers and allowed vastly larger engines so that stock manufacturers would have a better shot at Victory Lane. The new rule book pulled in entries from “Stutz, Studebaker, Oakland, Buick, Fronty-Ford, Chrysler [and] du Pont,” according to the Indy Star’s archives.

A.J. Foyt in 1984. Foyt’s one of three men who’ve won four Indy 500s. (He placed 12th in ’84.) PHOTO BY PAUL WILLIS

many passenger-car builders as he expected, but indieIndy entries (see what we did there?) began tinkering with vehicles all around Speedway. The cars designed purely for racing, like the Millers, were de-tuned to fit the specs. Those “backyard specials” gave rise to the terms “junk formula” and “junk era.” Terms, by the way, that Davidson calls unfair, “especially when it’s capital J, capital E.”

THE REST OF THE 1930S 245 WAS A DANGEROUS TIME TO RACE FOR DRIVERS AND

RIDING MECHANICS 242 WERE ALSO BROUGHT BACK IN 1930, WITH TRAGIC

DRIVERS AND THEIR PARTNERS AS WELL. A total of five divers and mechanics were killed during quals in the ‘30’s: Bill Denver and Bob Hurst (1933), Stubby Stubblefield and Leo Whitaker (1935) and Albert Opalko (1937). Testing and practice was equally rough, as eight men perished: Joe Caccia and Clarence Grove (1931), Harry Cox (1932), M.C. Jones (also in 1932), Peter Kreis and Robert Hahn (1934), Johnny Hannon (1935) and Lawson Harris (1939). Seven of those mentioned were killed in the month of May, Harris died during a tire test in Sept ’39. The wreck was cause by mechanical failure — but not from a faulty tire.

RESULTS. The return to the “stock car” nature of the machines brought with it the second man in the cockpit, which proved fatal for mechanic Paul Marshall. Marshall was riding with his brother Cy when a wreck in the third turn claimed his life.

THE MECHANICS BUT THE NOTION THAT 243 RETURNED BECAUSE 240 THE RULES WERE RICKENBACKER APPARENTLY CHANGED AS A RESULT OF THE WALL STREET CRASH IS A MYTH. Donald Davidson calls that idea “baloney.” Davidson: “A set of specs was drawn up by [Rickenbacker] months and months before that — he drew up those specs in the summer of ’28. They were perfected during the fall and adopted by the AAA board in January of ’29 — ten months before the Wall Street crash.”

THE WALL ST. CRASH, 241 THOUGH, CREATED THE “BACKYARD SPECIALS.” Rickenbacker didn’t see as

WANTED THE CARS TO LOOK MORE LIKE PASSENGER VEHICLES — HENCE THE TWOMAN COCKPIT. “The Society of Automotive Engineers were up in arms over the safety aspect,” notes Davidson.

MECHANICS. In addition to Marshall, five others died during the race (those mentioned together are driver/mechanic teams who were killed in the same incident): Mark Billman (1933), Lester Spangler and G.L “Monk” Jordan (also in 1933), Clay Weatherly (1935) and Floyd Roberts (1939).

TIME TRIALS, PRACTICE 246 AND TESTING WERE DEADLY IN THE ‘30’S FOR

DRIVERS WHO’D COME A BOY OUTSIDE THE 244 IN DURING THE ‘20S 247 TRACK WAS KILLED BY A WEREN’T FOND OF THE TWOWRECK IN 1931. MAN CARS, EITHER. Some of the racers who’d run thinner, nimble cars disliked the cumbersome machines built for two.

Billy Arnold, who’d won the race the year before, was leading in lap 162 when the rear axle of his ride snapped in turn four. The ensuing

wreck propelled a wheel over the wall and into the street, where it flew into the yard of a home that stood at 2316 Georgetown Road. An 11-year-old boy named Wilbur C. Brink had the misfortune of playing in his yard at the moment the tire assembly came barreling out of the Speedway, and Wilbur was hit by the debris. Brink would die from his injuries a few hours later and is buried at Crown Hill. Arnold was badly injured but survived. CUMMINS RAN A 248 DIESEL FOR THE ENTIRE ’31 RACE ON $1.40 WORTH OF

“FURNACE OIL.” Cumminsengines.com has this incredible tidbit: The Great Depression was hitting hard during the race’s 20th year. Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Eddie Rickenbacker was having a tough time finding cars to fill out the field, but letting a dieselpowered car into the race was unheard of. There were not any rules governing diesels, and the AAA’s contest board had to allow the diesel car to race as a special engineering entry because the car was too heavy and the engine displacement too large to qualify under existing rules. Cummins didn’t expect to win, but he and his crew had a different achievement in mind – he just wanted a chance to show the world the fuel efficiency and durability of the diesel engine. The No. 8 Cummins Special qualified with an average speed of 97

LOUIS MEYER WAS 253 THE FIRST THREE-TIME WINNER. Meyer, who’d won in 1928 and 1933, also picked up top honors in 1936 — and famously asked for a glass of buttermilk to celebrate. (See “Milk and other Eats and Drinks”)

In 1934, the field (with two exceptions) was set at the number of cars that still run today, eleven rows of three. The ’33 race (ironically) set a record for entries — 42 — that the AAA determined was just too many.

AFTER THE “JUNK 254 FORMULA” (SORRY, DONALD) BECAME THE RULE OF

33-CAR LIMIT WAS 250 THE BASED ON TRACK SIZE.

“Lee Oldfield was the builder and driver, and it didn’t qualify,” says Donald Davidson.

Indianapolismotorspeedway. com has more deets on this particular bit of trivia: After 40 cars started in the inaugural race in 1911, the Contest Board of the American Automobile Association (AAA), the sanctioning body at the time, mandated a formula for limiting the size of a starting field according to the size of the track. It was determined that the safe distance between each car spread equally around a course would be 400 feet, thereby limiting the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway to 33 cars. Speedway President Carl Fisher, however, placed a limit of only 30 cars for the “500” between 1912 and 1914 and did not adopt AAA’s 33 maximum until 1915. Although there had been numerous occasions between 1912 and 1928 when the field was not filled, the allowed number was increased during the Depression years to 40 cars between 1930 and 1932 (only 38 made it in 1930) and further to 42 in 1933. The maximum has been at 33 ever since 1934, although extenuating circumstances expanded the field to 35 starters in 1979 and 1997.

OVER A THIRD OF THE 251 FIELD WERE USING HELMETS BY ’34. After Shaw donned his polo helmet in 1932, the notion spread to “approximately a dozen of the 33, and they were all top guys,” according to Davidson. NEXT YEAR, YOU 252 THE HAD TO HAVE ONE.

Helmets became mandatory in 1935.

THUMB, IT TOOK A DECADE TO CRACK 130 IN QUALIFICATIONS. Jim Snyder finally took that step in 1937.

FIRST REAR-ENGINE 255 THE CAR APPEARED IN 1937.

THE FUTURE PRESIDENT 256 OF THE SPEEDWAY WON HIS FIRST RACE IN 1937. Wilbur Shaw, who’d take over as Speedway president in 1945, picked up the first of his three victories that year. THE RACE CLAIMED 257 THE LIFE OF A CREW MEMBER FOR THE FIRST TIME

IN ’37. Otto Rhode died five days after being injured when Overton Phillips crashed his ride during quals. A spectator in the pits where Phillips wrecked, George Warford, was killed instantly. Rhode was a crewman for Champion Spark Plugs.

IN 1938, RIDING 258 MECHANICS BECAME “OPTIONAL” AGAIN. It was an option no one exercised. FLOYD ROBERTS 259 WAS THE FIRST INDY CHAMPION TO PERISH DURING ANOTHER INDY 500. Roberts died in a wreck after being collected by Bob Swanson in 1939.

GEORGE BAILEY 260 BECAME THE FIRST DRIVER TO PILOT A REARENGINED CAR IN THE 500. This prophetic event happened in 1939.

WILBUR SHAW BECAME 261 THE SECOND MAN TO WIN THE 500 THREE TIMES AND THE FIRST TO WIN BACK-TOBACK RACES IN THE SAME YEAR. Shaw notched win number two in 1939 and rounded out the trifecta in 1940.

U.S BANNED AUTO 262 THE RACING ON JULY 15, 1942.

Every drop of oil and gasoline was needed for the war effort.

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WILBUR SHAW 263 RETURNED TO THE TRACK IN 1944 FOR TIRE TESTING

— AND WAS HORRIFIED BY THE SPEEDWAY’S CONDITION. After leading the 1941 500 (and crashing on lap 152, ruining his shot to become Indy’s only three-in-a-row winner), Shaw didn’t see the Speedway again until November of 1944, when he was invited by employer — Firestone — to test new synthetic rubber tires at IMS. As ESPN’s John Oreovicz wrote in 2011, Shaw and company “found the old Brickyard was a weed-infested eyesore, and word on the street suggested that the track would be torn down and the land redeveloped.” (There had even been chatter that the Speedway would become a subdivision for returning GIs at war’s end or an industrial park.) Oreovicz continues: After the tire test was completed, Shaw immediately arranged a meeting with track owner Eddie Rickenbacker. He didn’t have the financial means to purchase the track, but he didn’t want to see the historic track fade into oblivion. Finally, after a year of networking, he was introduced to the man who would become the unlikely savior of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That man was Tony Hulman.

THE HULMAN/ GEORGE ERA WITH WILBUR SHAW

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ANTHONY HULMAN, JR. BOUGHT THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOR $750,000. Hulman closed the deal on Nov. 14, 1945 and brought in Wilbur Shaw as President and General Manger.

HULMAN OWNED MORE 265 THAN CLABBER GIRL AT THE TIME. The Hulman family also owned two papers and a TV station in Terre Haute. They’d later purchase Indy’s CocaCola bottling interests, including the plant on Mass Ave.

THE ’52 POLE-SITTER 278 WAS ALSO THE FIRST TESTED IN A WIND TUNNEL.

PHOTO BY GERALD WALSH

The No. 28 Cummins Diesel Special was the first Indy car ever tested in a tunnel for aerodynamic efficiency. THE ’53 MONTH OF MAY 279 CLAIMED ANOTHER DRIVER IN ADDITION TO CARL SCARBOROUGH. Chet Miller was killed in a turn one crash in practice on May 15.

VUKOVICH WON 280 BILL HIS FIRST 500 IN 1953.

JOIE CHITWOOD WAS 267 REPORTEDLY THE FIRST MAN TO WEAR A SEAT BELT AT

INDY. In 1947, Chitwood strapped himself into his seat — but not so much for safety reasons. “I needed it to help control the car,” said Chitwood, as reported by the Reading (PA) Eagle. “It was rough riding over those bricks. I was getting bounced around pretty good. By wearing the belt, I was able to stay firm in the seat, giving me more control of the car.”

BUT THE WHOLE 268 SEATBELT BUSINESS IS CLOUDY. “There’s been a couple of claims,” notes IMS historian Donald Davidson. “They weren’t routinely installed until the early 1950s, and it wasn’t mandatory to wear them. Some people may have put a rope in — was that a seat belt? There was a strong move to get them put in from 1950 on.”

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THERE WAS A REASON THAT SEATBELTS WEREN’T, IN FACT, MANDATORY UNTIL THE EARLY ‘60S. Davidson: “[The old] frontengine cars were solidly built, and if you rode it out, you could get hurt. If you jumped out or were thrown out, there was the possibility that you could be hurt less. Some people preferred the opportunity to be thrown clear.”

AND HULMAN’S IN 1947, THE 266 BOTTLING BUSINESS 270 OFFENHAUSER ENGINE GAVE BIRTH TO “THE COKE LOT.” BEGAN A RUN THAT WOULD The family owned the land on which the present CocaCola building sits, naturally.

turbocharging as a viable technology on the track.”

Rodger Ward’s car being towed prior to the ’61 Indy 500. Ward, after winning the 1959 race and duking it out with Jim Rathmann in ’60, would place third after starting on the inside of row two in 1961.

LAST UNTIL 1965. Cars with “Offy” power plants won 18 straight 500s during

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that period. Offy motors had been under the hood for wins in the ‘30s and ‘40s and would tally wins in the 1970s as well for a grand total of 27 victories.

in the ’47 race, and Ralph Hepburn (1948) and George Metzler (1949) died during practice. George Bailey was killed in a wreck in 1940 during a practice lap.

CLANCY’S 1948 REX MAYS TOOK HIS 271 PAT ENTRY HAD SIX WHEELS. 274 FOURTH POLE IN 1948 — BUT NEVER WON. Clancy had a ride with two wheels up front and a tandem-axle setup in the rear of the car in an attempt to gain more traction. Billy Devore drove Clancy’s No. 19 to a 12th place finish in ’48, and rookie Jackie Holmes finished in 22nd with the car in 1949. The car’s performance clearly didn’t justify the extra chances for problems in the pits. Can you imagine changing six tires?

MAURI ROSE BECAME 275 A THREE-TIME WINNER IN 1948.

HORN RACED HIS 272 TED LAST 500 IN 1948.

LELAND “LEE” WALLACE 276 BECAME THE FIRST WINNER TO FINISH THE 500 IN

Eylard Theodore “Ted” Horn set a record for consistency that is not likely to be broken. Between 1936 and 1948 he never finished worse than fourth place in the Indianapolis 500 — nine top four finishes in a row! Even more amazing is that he never finished first. He completed an astonishing 1944 laps of 2000 possible in 10 years. For the last nine, he finished 1799 out of 1800. He was flagged on lap 199 because of rain in 1940. — Nora Spitznogle

Horn died later in 1948 as a result of injuries he sustained in a crash on the second lap of a race in Illinois. 1940S WERE MUCH 273 THE SAFER THAN THE ‘30S. Shorty Cantlon was killed

Mays never took top honors though he had the prime position in the starting grid in 1935, ’36, ’40 and ’48. He finished second in 1940.

Rose won back-to-back 500s in ’47 and ’48 after notching “co-winner” honors with Floyd Davis (only one of two times that had happened) in 1941.

UNDER FOUR HOURS. His 1951 speed was 126.244 mph, which translated to a race time of 3:57:23.

The Fresno-born driver of Serbian descent was considered by his colleagues to be one of the greatest of his era — maybe of all time. Rodger Ward told ESPN “Bill Vukovich was probably the greatest actual driver we have ever known in terms of his skill and his determination.” “Vuky” took the pole position and the checkered flag in ’53 and won again in 1954, dominating both races. In 1955, as he was leading on lap 57, a three-car crash ahead of Vukovich proved disastrous — as he tried to avoid the wreck, Vuckovich was collected by a chain reaction and the impact propelled his car up and over the wall. The car tumbled and eventually burst into flames. Footage of the race shows another driver who wasn’t involved, Ed Elisian, pulling over and dashing across the track, dodging other cars to try and help his friend, but Vukovich had been killed instantly.

AN “OFFY” ENGINE 281 CRACKED THE MAKER’S FIRST OF MANY QUALIFICATION

1952 SAW A DIESEL 277 ENGINE CAPTURE THE POLE.

SPEED BARRIERS IN 1954. Jack McGrath was the man to break 140 mph.

The Cummins website relates that “Freddie Agabashian took [the] No. 28 out on the brickyard and tore the tread off of his front right tire while capturing the pole with the fastest one-lap time (139.104 mph) and four-lap time (138.010 mph) in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history. The Cummins Diesel Special was retired midway through the race as the turbocharger inlet became clogged with rubber debris from the track — but it had established

WILBUR SHAW DIED 282 IN A CRASH — AN AIRPLANE CRASH. Shaw died when a small plane he was in went down in Decatur, Indiana in 1954. The plane’s pilot and another man were also killed.

Levegh clipped another car and was launched into the air — and into the crowd. Safety measures being what they were in the ‘50s, nothing prevented the debris from tearing through the assembled fans as the car broke apart. What’s worse, the car was constructed from magnesium, which caught fire and then exploded when crews attempt to douse the rig with water. By the time the carnage ended, Levegh and somewhere between 80 and 130 spectators — spectators — died (the official toll has never been released). France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland all banned auto racing in their countries for a time (the ban remains in place in Switzerland) and the AAA “Contest Board” decided the organization wanted nothing to do with auto racing after the Le Mans disaster and the death of Vukovich that same year. ANOTHER MAN 284 PERISHED FROM A CRASH IN PRACTICE FOR THE

500 IN ’55. Manny Ayulo wrecked on May 16 and died the following day.

THE BEGINNING OF THE HULMAN/ GEORGE ERA UNDER USAC USAC BECAME THE INDY 285 500 SANCTIONING BODY IN 1956. The United States Auto Club — founded by Tony Hulman — became the arbiter of rules for the United States National Championship and the Indy 500. PAT FLAHERTY WAS THE 286 LAST DRIVER TO PULL INTO VICTORY LANE WITHOUT A FIRESUIT. Flaherty, dressed in pants and a dirty t-shirt, won the ’56 500. Although they wouldn’t be mandatory for three more races, the 500 field all wore fire-resistant coveralls in ’57.

THE AAA WITHDREW A BACKUP DRIVER DIED 283 FROM AUTO RACING 287 IN PRACTICE IN ’57. AFTER THE DEATH OF VUKOVICH AND A 1955 DISASTER AT LEMANS. The worst accident in motorsports occurred during the 24 Hours of Lemans when a Mercedes piloted by Pierre

Keith Andrews was the sub for Giuseppe Farina. Andrews was killed after losing control in turn four.

PAT O’CONNOR DIED 288 DURING THE OPENING LAP IN 1958. O’Connor was part of a 15car wreck in Turn Three on lap number one.

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QUALIFYING FOR THE ’58 RACE IS A.J. FOYT’S SWEETEST MEMORY. “Ever since I was a kid, I always listened to the Indy 500 on the radio, and I was just hoping I’d someday be good enough to qualify for the Indy 500. My first race meant an awful lot to me.” — A.J. Foyt on WIBC, May 2011.

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THE ENGINE IN SNOKEY YUNICK’S RAN CLOCKWISE IN 1959. Most engines run counterclockwise, but Yunick’s “Reverse Torque Special” was flipped. Yunick explained the thought process in his autobiography, Best Damn Garage in Town: Look, if you’ve got a front engine car with rear wheel drive, open the door and leave it wide open, and then start engine without putting it into gear, goose the motor good. Notice how driver’s door raises up and right side of car goes down (this conversation is for circle track left hand turns only). With conventional engine rotation, you’re transferring weight to the right side of the car—when you turn left the weight goes there anyway. The idea of reverse rotation is, when you accelerate hard the weight comes to the left front and left rear, and pulls weight off of the right front. This more evenly distributes weight across the chassis, increases your lateral traction on the front and back end. You go faster. Duane Carter ran Yunick’s

car to a seventh-place finish in ’59. PRACTICE FOR THE 1959 291 RACE PROVED DEADLY FOR TWO MEN — INCLUDING AN UNSER. Jerry Unser, Jr. crashed and burned on May 2, and Unser died two weeks after the accident. On May 19, rookie Bob Cortner lost the car in a crosswind and died from his injuries that same evening.

THE ’60S JIM RATHMAN AND 292 RODGER WARD GAVE INDY FANS PERHAPS THE

GREATEST TWO-MAN DUEL EVER SEEN IN 1960. Ward and Rathman spent the latter half of the ’60 500 swapping the position at the front of the field in a race that saw 29 lead changes — a record that would stand until the next century. On lap 197, Ward noticed that one of his tires was dangerously worn, and Ward’s cautious driving over the course of the last three laps allowed Rathmann to pull ahead for good.

A HOMEMADE 293 SCAFFOLD IN THE INDY INFIELD COLLAPSED DURING A

PARADE LAP JUST PRIOR TO THE 1960 500, KILLING TWO. Makeshift scaffolds and bleachers were once allowed in the infield at IMS. According to UPI reports from the 1960 disaster, a fan named Wilbur Shortridge, Jr., built a fairly tall multi-tiered scaffold that was supported by the bed of his truck. Shortridge charged fans between $5 and $10 to climb aboard his jerry-rigged bleachers made of metal pipe and planks in Turn Three. As the field of

33 came up the backstretch, fans rose to their feet and leaned forward, pitching the stands toward the track. The resulting carnage claimed the lives of Fred Linder from Indy and a Zionsville resident named William Craig. The collapse injured another 82 fans, and resulted in numerous lawsuits and the banning of homemade stands in the infield. Indianapolis News photographer J. Parke Randall caught the event on film as the scaffold fell.

A.J. Foyt in Gasoline Alley, 1975 — you can see the old green-andwhite wooden garages and buildings behind him. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FASIG FAMILY

THE ’62 RUNNING WAS 302 ALL-AMERICAN — FOR THE LAST TIME. There have been drivers from other nations in every race from 1963 to the present. THE SECOND-PLACE 303 FINISHER IN THE CONTROVERSIAL ’63 RACE WAS A CLASSIC FORD-LOTUS COMBO. Jimmy Clark’s rear-engined ride nearly ended the roadster era that year.

Foyt would, of course, be the first man to win the 500 four times.

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INDY WAS HIS 296 BUT FAVORITE PLACE TO RACE. “A.J. Foyt did not make the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is what made A.J. Foyt.” — Foyt on WIBC, May 2011.

JACK BRABHAM’S 297 “FUNNY CAR” — A REARENGINED COOPER CLIMAX — DEBUTED IN 1961. The car was a warning bell — the era of front-engine roadsters was coming to an end. The car finished ninth that year.

TONY BETTENHAUSEN 298 DIED DURING PRACTICE IN 1961. Mechanical failure caused Bettenhausen’s car to hit the wall in the front straight.

PARNELLI JONES BROKE 301 THE 150 MPH MARK IN QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE 1962 RACE. Jones pushed his Offy to 150.729.

FOYT WON HIS FIRST 294 A.J. 500 IN 1961.

FOYT ALSO WON THE DAYTONA 500 (1972), 24 HOURS OF DAYTONA (’83 AND ’85) AND THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS (’67). He’s the only driver to ever win all four (the 24-hour races are team efforts).

joyous moment in 1969 that changed everything.

A FIREFIGHTER DIED 299 AND DURING THE ’61 RACE. John Masariu fell off a truck coming to the aid of Eddie Johnson after a crash. Masariu died when that same truck backed over him. Johnson was unhurt. Masariu, a Danville native, was also a hoops coach at Ben Davis High.

ANDY GRANATELLI 300 BOUGHT THE NOVI TEAM IN 1961. Granatelli had been a fixture at Indy since the 1950s, but fans will never, ever forget the man’s suit covered with STP logos. Lori Lovely wrote for NUVO in 2014: It wasn’t just his STP attire that shook up motor racing’s establishment. He introduced mechanical change. From 1961 to 1965, he entered cars with supercharged V-8 engines, whose horsepower of 837 trampled the competitors’ 450 horses. But it was his 1967 entry that made people sit up and listen: the “whoosh mobile,”

powered by a turbine engine and 80 percent fewer parts than the conventional pistondriven power plant. Parnelli Jones led 171 laps in it and looked like a sure bet to win — until three laps from the finish, when a $6 transmission ball bearing broke. The car was so dominant that the following year the United States Auto Club enacted a new rule to reduce turbine power by one-third. Undeterred, Andy entered a car for Joe Leonard, who led until eight laps to go, when a gear broke in the fuel pump shaft. Additional restrictive regulations put an end to the turbines, but not to Andy’s determination to win the biggest race in the world. His dream came true in 1969 when Mario won in a year-old car after crashing his four-wheel-drive Lotus in practice. Andy won again in the tragedy-marred 1973 race with driver Gordon Johncock, but it was that

AFTER THE ’63 500, 304 PANELLI JONES PUNCHED EDDIE SACHS IN THE

FACE OVER AN OIL LEAK. The 1963 pole-sitter’s leaking motor caused wrecks behind him. Lori Lovely, writing in NUVO in 2015, picks up the story with 20 laps left in that year’s 500: Jones’ car began smoking, having spewed oil from a horizontal crack in the external overflow tank at the rear of the car for several laps. Observers reported increasingly thick smoke and dripping oil in the corners. [Jimmy] Clark’s team owner, Colin Chapman, reminded Chief Steward Harlan Fengler of the protocol, explained during the pre-race drivers meeting, that cars losing oil would be black-flagged. However, Jones’ team owner, J.C. Agajanian, argued — in a heated exchange at the start/finish line — that his car should be allowed to continue because the oil leak was minor and, having dropped

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below the level of the crack, had subsided. It wasn’t true. Clark slowed, settling for second place rather than risk spinning out in the oil still spilling from Jones’ car. Two drivers following Jones did spin in his oil. When Eddie Sachs, who spun in Turn Three, confronted Jones the next day, Jones punched him in the face. Roger McCluskey, in third place, spun in Turn Two on the last lap, bringing out the yellow flag. Chapman accused USAC officials of a bias for the American driver and car. Had Fengler black-flagged Jones, per the rules, Clark would have won that day. However, Fengler insisted that the car had ceased leaking and that he didn’t want to “take this race away from a man [based] on a snap judgment.” JOHNNY RUTHERFORD 305 GOT PUNKED PRETTY HARD IN ’63 BEFORE THE RACE. When Betty Hoyer’s dad heard she was dating Rutherford, a race-car driver, he was nervous. His first question to Betty was, “Is he married?” She assured her dad that he was single. The next weekend her parents came to the track. They were up in the old Tower Terrace and Betty introduced Johnny to her parents and brother and sister. Everything was going well when over the PA system came the announcement: “Johnny Rutherford, meet your wife and kids at the garage area gate.” Johnny looked over the railing and saw that veteran drivers Bobby Marshman and Chuck Hulse were rolling on the ground laughing. The prank didn’t slow Betty and Johnny’s romance down — they were married just two months later. — Nora Spitznogle

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THE RACE WAS STOPPED AS THE RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1964 AFTER A WRECK KILLED EDDIE SACHS AND DAVE MACDONALD. That sentence doesn’t do the crash justice — the ’64 laptwo disaster involved seven cars, but the catalyst was a poor-handling, fendered machine called the “SearsAllstate Special.” The events that would lead

to the ’64 wreck may have been set in motion two years prior. Mickey Thompson, a racing hero who’d cracked the 400 mph barrier at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1960, was entering cars in the 500 with 12-inch diameter tires. The smaller wheels gave Thompson’s cars a lower profile — and the nickname “skateboards.” Thompson’s “skates” garnered a negative reaction from the old guard at Indy. In October of 1963, USAC put a minimum-wheel size rule in place, and Thompson’s fleet was forced to convert to 15inch tires. The larger wheels changed the aerodynamics of Thompson’s cars, lifting them higher and affecting handling badly. By the time practice began in Indy that May, modifications brought speeds up to roughly 145 again — and then the front end of the car would “lift and float,” according to the men at the wheel. On May 13, Thompson driver Masten Gregory hit the wall in the No. 84 car — and promptly left Thompson’s team. Before departing, Gregory told Thompson he believed that air collecting under the front fenders was diminishing the car’s stability, creating steering issues. Thompson’s crew responded by hacking off the tops of MacDonald’s fenders in the No. 83 ride. MacDonald managed to turn four laps at an average speed of 155 mph with the sawed-off fender tops. On the first day of time trials, MacDonald became the first rookie to qualify for the 48th Indy 500 with an average speed of 151.464. On race day, with Jim Clark on the pole, defending champ Parnelli Jones in row two and MacDonald in the middle of Row 5, a Ford Mustang paced the field. In addition to the “flying saucer” body, MacDonald’s car also held a fuel bladder that ran along the left side of the car, a tank that carried roughly 45 gallons of gasoline. As the cars accelerated through the green flag, MacDonald started to move around traffic. Although numerous colleagues had warned MacDonald about the car’s maneuverability,

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Danny Sullivan

Tom Sneva

PHOTO BY PAUL WILLIS

MacDonald passed perhaps five other drivers by the time he was halfway through lap two. As MacDonald exited turn four, the car began to slide toward the infield. Did the car lift? Was MacDonald too aggressive? Was the rookie trying to dodge slower traffic ahead? Whatever the cause, the outcome was horrific: MacDonald’s ride turned a full 180 degrees before slamming into the inside retaining wall at the exit of four and exploding into a ball of flame and billowing black smoke as the gasoline ignited. The flaming debris curled across the face of the track toward the exterior wall, spinning slightly after the initial impact. Johnny Rutherford — who drove through the inferno as it spread — told Racer’s Robin Miller that it looked like “a black curtain had been drawn across the track.” Seven other cars would be involved in the crash, but the unluckiest of all was Eddie Sachs. Track position for Sachs gave him few options, and as he tried to squeeze past the No. 83 car on the outside, MacDonald’s car slid

directly into his line. Sachs slammed into MacDonald and was killed instantly, and the impact generated a second explosion. Bobby Unser closed his eyes and buried his throttle, eventually passing through the carnage after smacking Rutherford’s car. A.J. Foyt — who’d go on to win the 1964 Indy 500 — thought the stands were on fire from his turn three vantage point. Spectators ran from the heat. The race was red-flagged. A short time after the cars were stopped, track announcer Tom Carnegie told the crowd that Sachs had been killed. Although he somehow survived the initial impact and fire, MacDonald would only hang on for a few hours after the wreck. IMS radio man Sid Collins paused for five seconds, then delivered a live, on-air eulogy that draws praise to this day. Sid’s deep memory and love for the event was evident: Collins knew Sachs’ age, the name of his wife and the fact that Sachs had two kids. He remembered his pole victories. And then he said this: These boys on the race track

ask no quarter and they give none. If they succeed they’re a hero and if they fail, they tried. And it was Eddie’s desire and will to try with everything he had, which he always did. So the only healthy way perhaps we can approach the tragedy of the loss of a friend like Eddie Sachs is to know that he would have wanted us to face it as he did. As it has happened, not as we wish it would have happened. It is God’s will I’m sure and we must accept that. We are all speeding toward death at the rate of 60 minutes every hour, the only difference is we don’t know how to speed faster and Eddie Sachs did. So since death has a thousand or more doors, Eddie Sachs exits this earth in a race car. Knowing Eddie, I assume that’s the way he would have wanted it.

TWO MORE MEN DIED 308 IN ’64 — TWO MONTHS AFTER THE 500.

1964 MARKED THE 307 SECOND OF A.J. FOYT’S FOUR WINS.

FOR THE 1965 RACE. Clark went on to win, becoming the first Brit to take checkered since Dario Resta (an Italian-born UK citizen) won the 500 in 1916.

Photos show a subdued Foyt in front of the Borg-Warner trophy at the end of the race holdin an extra of the evening paper that reads: FOYT WINNER IN 500; SACHS, MACDONALD DIE.

Jerry Albright and James Cross were teenage workers who found summer jobs working the grounds at the golf course. When a storm came up, the two 17-yearolds took shelter in a small outbuilding that was hit by lightning. IN 1965, USAC PUT 309 LIMITS ON THE AMOUNT OF FUEL A CAR COULD

CARRY AND SWITCHED THE CARS TO METHANOL FUEL. The changes were a direct result of the ’64 disaster. USAC would also institute a minimum number of pit stops during the race to further ensure that no one would ever try and pack a car with fuel to avoid a stop.

JIM CLARK’S FORD310 POWERED LOTUS TOPPED 160 AS HE QUALIFIED

GRAHAM HILL WAS 311 SURPRISED HE WON THE 1966 500. Back to Lori Lovely, writing

IN 1968, GRAHAM HILL 317 CRACKED THE 170 MPH QUALIFYING BARRIER. Hill broke the mark with a Pratt & Whitney motor. JIM CLARK’S 318 REPLACEMENT WAS KILLED DURING PRACTICE IN ’68. After Clark, the ’65 winner, was killed in a wreck in Germany, Mike Spence took over. Spence was driving one of Andy Granatelli’s “wedge” turbines when he hit the wall in turn one.

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BOBBY UNSER WON HIS FIRST INDY 500 IN 1968. He’d win twice more, in ’75 and ’81.

1969 SAW ALL 33 CARS 320 POWERED BY REARENGINES. The front-engine roadster era officially came to a close that year.

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TEAM PENSKE DEBUTED AT INDY IN ’69 WITH MARK DONOHUE DRIVING. Donohue finished seventh and was named “Rookie of the Year.”

Johnny Rutherford

ANDRETTI WON 322 MARIO HIS ONLY 500 IN 1969.

PHOTO BY PAUL WILLIS

for NUVO: Controversy arose because of a mix-up when Jim Clark’s teammate, Al Unser, crashed in Turn 4 on Lap 161. Officials announced it was Clark who crashed, so he wasn’t scored that lap, according to the Indianapolis 500 Chronicle by Rick Popely. The confusion was compounded by frequent changes on the scoring pylon that sometimes indicated Clark was a lap ahead of Hill. Late in the race, Jackie Stewart led by a lap in his Lola T90-Ford, owned by John Mecom. On Lap 192 he lost oil pressure due to a broken scavenge pump that returned oil to the crankcase, forfeiting the lead to his teammate and fellow rookie Hill, 41 seconds ahead of Clark. Believing Hill to be a lap down, Andy Granatelli, partowner of Clark’s STP Lotus, argued the win. The Tuscaloosa News quoted Granatelli: “It’s impossible for Hill to be the winner. We were a lap ahead of Stewart and Hill was even farther behind. There’s been an error.” Even Hill reportedly expressed surprise at winning because he hadn’t passed

a car on the track all day. Nevertheless, the IMS Radio Network, scoring the race independently, also proclaimed Hill the winner. RODEE DIED IN 312 CHUCK QUALS FOR ’66. Rodee died after a crash in turn one on his second practice lap.

A LAP ONE MULTI-CAR 313 CRASH RED-FLAGGED THE 500 FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THREE YEARS. The ’66 scorecard shows no less than 11 cars that completed zero laps.

AND ’66 SAW THE 314 FEWEST CARS RUNNING AT THE FINISH. That’d be a lucky seven. WON HIS THIRD 315 FOYT RACE IN 1967.

As we mentioned earlier, he’d be the first man to win four, tallying the last in 1977.

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THE 1967 STP-PRAXTON TURBOCAR WAS TAKEN OUT BY A SIX DOLLAR PART. The turboprop airplane engine — you heard me — driven by Parnelli Jones had four- wheel drive. The car lost a transmission bearing with just three laps left after Jones had led 171 laps in total.

Who knew that the young racer — only 29 at the time - would qualify for the race an amazing 29 time and not have another trip to Victory Circle? His lack of subsequent victories became a thing and eventually took on a life of its on, earning the name “Andretti Curse” In spite of his heart-breaking record at the Indy 500, Mario had an amazing racing career. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR (Dan Gurney was the other). He also won races in midget cars, and sprint cars. During his career, Andretti won the 1978 Formula One World Championship, four IndyCar titles, and IROC VI. To date, he remains the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967) and the Formula One World Championship. He and Juan Pablo Montoya are the only drivers to have won a race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Formula One, and an Indianapolis 500. Mario was the last American to win a Formula One race since his victory at the

1978 Dutch Grand Prix. He has an incredible 109 career wins on major circuits. He is only person (so far) to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades (1967, 1978, and 1984). He’s also had IndyCar wins in four decades. And yet the “Andretti Curse” still gets talked about when his named is mentioned. — Nora Spitznogle

THE ’70S SR, STARTED 323 ALHISUNSER, RUN TO FOUR IN 1970. The car’s name: Johnny Lightning.

BIG AL WON HIS 324 SECOND THE FOLLOWING YEAR, 1971. Back to back for Johnny.

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A LOCAL AUTO DEALER WRECKED THE PACE CAR IN ’71. The 1971 pace car story is also a great example of how home-grown the Indianapolis 500 can be. When none of the Big Three automobile manufacturers offered to supply a pace car, four Indianapolis-area Dodge car dealers stepped up. The group, spearheaded by Eldon Palmer picked the Dodge Challenger 383-4V (heck yes, it’s a Hemi!) and supplied a fleet for the month of May. They chose Eldon to drive the official pace car at the start of the race. The day before the 500, while practicing for the race, as the story goes, Eldon set up an orange flag (or an orange traffic cone, depending on which version of the events you’re reading) in the pit lane to give himself with a reference point on when to start braking. During the parade and pace lap, Tony Hulman, ABC broadcaster Chris Schenkel, and John Glenn rode as passengers in the car. As the field came down the main stretch for the start, Eldon pulled into the pits and accelerated down pit land. He continued to accelerate, under the impression he was required to cross the start/finish line in the pit area prior to the race cars doing so out on the track. His reference flag (or cone) had been removed and he missed

his planned braking spot. Moving upwards of 125 mph, Eldon realized he was going too fast, and chose to stand on the brakes, rather than dangerously veering back on to the track, and into the traffic of the 33 cars. He lost control of the car and it swerved and skidded to the end of the pit area and into a temporary stand full of photographers. The stand collapsed, injuring 29 (or 22 or more or less, depending on the story) people. Thankfully, no one was killed. Tony Hulman suffered a sprained ankle, and a shaken Chris Schenkel sat out the remainder of the ABC broadcast. This ushered the era of the pace car drivers selected from the pool of former Indy drivers or people with racing experience. — Nora Spitznogle

1972 SAW THE ADDITION 326 OF WINGS TO THE CARS TO CREATE DOWNFORCE. Prior to ’72, USAC disallowed any form of aerodynamic modifications to their cars that weren’t “integral” parts of the car’s body. When the sanctioning body lifted that restriction, wings appeared on the cars and speeds jumped dramatically. TWO QUALIFYING 327 SPEED BARRIERS WERE BROKEN IN 1972. “Billy” Vukovich, son of the late Bill Vukovich, shattered the 180 mph barrier in qualifications (making the field at over 185), only to see Bobby Unser’s Offy engine obliterate the 190 mark shortly thereafter (196.678). DAY IN 1973 SAW A 328 POLE DRIVER PERISH. Art Pollard died in practice on May 12, setting the tone for a 500 filled with tragedy later that month.

1973 RACE OPENED 329 THE WITH DISASTER.

After a four-hour rain delay, the green flag dropped at around 3 p.m. on Monday, May 28. On the front stretch of the first lap, “Salt” Walther made contact with Jerry Grant, and the tire-to-tire contact lifted Walther’s car into the catch fence — which slung the ride back onto the track upside down. Spin-

ning like a burning top — and spraying fuel “like a sprinkler,” according to Jim McKay, the crash ultimately involved 11 cars and redflagged the race. Eleven spectators were injured, too; nine seriously. Amazingly, no one was killed — and the return of rain wound up postponing the race until Tuesday. THE 1973 LAP ONE 330 RESULTS WERE SCRAPPED. The decision was made to start the race “from scratch” on Tuesday, but rain once again delayed the 500. By Wednesday, the infield had become so contaminated with garbage and mud that there was serious talk about cancelling the event should the rains return. TO DATE, SWEDE 331 SAVAGE IS THE LAST DRIVER TO PERISH AS A RESULT

OF A WRECK DURING THE INDIANAPOLIS 500. Savage, running second to Al Unser on lap 59 in the 1973 500, seemed poised to lead the race as Unser began to move toward the pits. As he began to exit turn four, Savage’s car got loose and skittered across the track and into the infield retaining wall, where the vehicle exploded and disintegrated, sending one tire easily 100 feet into the air. Savage could be seen moving inside a portion of the flaming debris after it slid back across the track. Jim McKay, calling the race for ABC, called the Savage wreck “the worst thing I’ve ever seen at a race course anywhere.” Savage would linger for a little more than a month, finally dying on July 2, 1973. While it’s been claimed that Swede ultimately died as a result of contaminated blood he’d received during a transfusion, Savage’s daughter Angela claims he perished from lung failure.

A SECOND MAN DIED 332 AS A RESULT OF THE SAVAGE WRECK. As ABC’s cameras were focused on the wreck that red-flagged the ’73 500, one can hear the crowd react in abject horror — many of them have just seen a man thrown violently into the air as a result of a secondary accident. Armando Teran, a

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crewman for Savage’s teammate Graham McRae, had been running toward Swede’s wreck when he was struck by a fire truck that had been racing north up pit lane. McKay had erroneously noted that driver and safety worker Jerry Flake had been traveling the wrong way in pit lane; Flake was following orders from the Speedway Fire Chief.

RICK MEARS STARTED 344 HIS LEGENDARY SERIES OF WINS IN 1979.

Mario Andretti in 1982. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FASIG FAMILY

He’d become the third, and so far the last, man to win four 500s. CART TEAMS WERE 345 GIVEN THE COLD SHOULDER IN 1979. After a beef with USAC that led to the formation of Championship Auto Racing Teams (led by Roger Penske, Pat Patrick and a number of other team owners), CART’s entries for the ’79 500 were rejected by IMS. A judge overruled the IMS decision, which led to the Speedway’s insistence that the 500 would be limited to those they invited.

GEORGE SNIDER QUIT 333 THE ’73 RACE AFTER THE SAVAGE ACCIDENT. Snider gave his ride back to team owner A.J. Foyt, who’d lost his car at lap 37. Foyt’s new ride would quit around the halfway mark. GORDON JOHNCOCK 334 WON THE RAINSHORTENED ’73 RACE.

THE LAWSUITS 346 EVENTUALLY LED TO A 35-CAR FIELD.

Given all the mayhem of that May, no victory banquet was held. Johncock’s “celebratory” meal was reportedly a visit to the Speedway Burger Chef. A.J. FOYT’S TEMPER 335 MIGHT’VE PROVED BENEFICIAL FOR JANET

GUTHRIE. After she failed to qualify for the ’76 500, there was scuttlebutt in the garages that Guthrie didn’t make the cut because she was a woman. The story goes: A righteously pissed-off Foyt put Guthrie in his backup car for a practice session that yielded a time that would’ve put Janet in the field, proving Foyt’s point that it was poor funding and not gender that kept Guthrie out of the grid. According to Davidson, though, the event’s pretty mysterious: A closed-door meeting resulted in Guthrie running a Foyt car (numbered 1) — and after a total of ten laps, Guthrie and Foyt parted ways without any more mention of Guthrie driving for A.J. No matter what really went down in ’76, Guthrie would become the first woman to make the field the following year.

GEORGE DIED 336 ELMER AFTER THE 1976 500.

George had been married to Mari Hulman until she filed for divorce earlier that month. After the 500, Elmer drove to the family’s farm outside Terre Haute to confront a horse trainer named Guy Trolinger, whom Elmer believed to be having an affair with Mari. That confron-

tation ended when Trolinger shot George dead. Trolinger was ruled to have acted in self-defense. JANET GUTHRIE HAD 337 A VASTLY BETTER SHOWING THAN RICK MEARS IN THE ’77 QUALS. Guthrie became the first woman in the field, starting in the middle of row 9. Mears failed to qualify.

TOM SNEVA CRACKED 338 THE 200 MPH BARRIER IN 1977. Sneva qualified in Roger Penske’s ride on May 14 at 200.535. After several secondplace finishes, he’d eventually win the race in 1983. The following year, 1984, Sneva broke the 210 mark in quals. SPEEDWAY OWNER 339 TONY HULMAN PASSED AWAY IN 1977. Mari’s dad passed away at age 76, but not before seeing A.J. Foyt win four Indy 500s. SAW THE FIRST ALL 340 1978 200 MPH FRONT ROW. Rick Mears, Danny Ongais and Tom Sneva (on the pole) all qualified at over the double-century mark.

MARKED BIG AL’S 341 1978 THIRD 500 WIN.

Unser edged Tom Sneva that year.

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ALSO IN 1978, DAN 342 GURNEY PENNED A “WHITE PAPER” THAT OUTLINED

THE SANCTIONING BODY THAT WOULD BECOME CART. Gurney, arguing that USAC was out of touch with the teams racing under their governance, wrote the following prophetic graph nearly two decades before the IndyCar/ Champ Car split: It appears that a “show down” with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is or should be the first target. They are the ones who can afford it. We should re-negotiate the TV contract (our rights — not theirs) and we should double the purse. Other tracks should be negotiated with on the basis of what is a reasonable amount of revenue to come from all sources such as TV, gate receipts, advertising sponsors, etc. The entire picture should be shared from the standpoint of cooperation rather than killing each other.

A NUMBER OF OWNERS 343 WANTED A LOOK AT USAC’S BOOKS, TOO. Pat Patrick is quoted in The Official History of the Indianapolis 500 that teams were “showing up with multimillion dollar operations racing for $30,000 purses” at markets outside Indy. USAC refused.

Wrangling over exhaust system rules (as outlined in a lawsuit brought by angry would-be entrants) pressured USAC to give 11 cars another shot at quals. Two entrants — Bill Vukovich II and George Snider — bested Roger McCluskey’s bump speed and made the grid. TOM SNEVA WAS 347 DENIED THREE POLES IN A ROW BY MEARS. Sneva’s No. 1 car started in the middle of Row One in 1979. CARS BECAME 348 CHAMP INDY CARS IN ’79, TOO.

This came with a sponsorship deal from PPG, which renamed the CART series of races the “PPG Indy Car World Series,” the first official use of “Indy Car” to describe the machines.

AND “GROUND 349 EFFECTS” CARS FIRST RAN IN ’79. Jim Hall’s Chaparral 2K — dubbed the “Yellow Submarine” — had tunnels on the underside of the body that created a suction effect and made for much faster cornering.

FROM SUNDAYS TO THE SPLIT — THE ’80S AND ’90S TWO FANS DIED 350 DURING THE MONTH OF MAY IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS IN THE 1980S. On Carb Day in 1980, a man named Tim Vail died

after flipping his Jeep in the infield. Spectator Lyle Kurtenbach was killed during the 1987 500 when a wheel from Tony Bettenhausen, Jr.’s ride got loose and was subsequently struck by Roberto Guerrero, launching the tire into the stands and striking Kurtenbach. THE RACE WAS 351 PERMANENTLY MOVED TO SUNDAY IN 1981. Aren’t you happy you have a day to recover before you go back to work? SPEAKING OF 1981, RICK 352 MEARS AND DANNY ONGAIS HAD A HORRIBLE 500. Lori Lovely wrote for NUVO in May of 2015: Rick Mears suffered extensive burns from a pit fire on Lap 58 when fuel spilled out of the hose, drenching Mears, his mechanics and the engine, which caused it to burst into flames. Danny Ongais’ fiery crash on Lap 63 in the Turn 3 wall left him unconscious and with compound fractures to both legs that kept him from competing for the rest of the season and left him with a permanent limp. AND WHILE WE’RE 353 ON THE SUBJECT, DID ANYBODY ACTUALLY WIN THE

’81 RACE? Back to Lori: As he left the pits [under yellow, Bobby] Unser passed anywhere from seven to 14 cars on the apron, eventually blending into the queue at the exit of Turn Two. [Mario] Andretti followed Unser until he realized the illegality of the move and tucked into line in the short chute. He radioed his crew that Unser had passed under yellow. No penalty was assessed to either driver, but both moves were caught on film and commented on by the TV announcers (after the fact, since commentary was added later for tape-delayed airing). Despite reports from observers, USAC officials declined to issue penalties. Unser took the checkered flag just 5.3 seconds ahead of Andretti. He was the winner that day. The next morning he wasn’t. After reviewing the tape, officials issued a one-lap penalty for incorrectly exiting the pits. This dropped Unser to second place, making Andretti

the winner. It marked the first time a 500 winner had been stripped of victory. Roger Penske, Unser’s team owner, launched a lengthy protest and lawsuit, arguing that the wording of the code Unser violated, the “Blend Line Rule,” was vague. (The “Blend Line” was a new rule that supposedly instructed the drivers where to get in line under yellow conditions as they exited the pits, but the wording was so unclear that everyone had a different interpretation.) Unser reasoned that as long as he stayed below the white line, he could pass cars until the Turn Two blend line. Although some people believe both Unser and Andretti should have been disqualified and the win given to thirdplace finisher Vern Schuppan, Unser’s penalty was rescinded, partly due to ambiguity in the blend rule and partly because officials believed that the call should have been made during the race in order to allow Unser an opportunity to overcome a penalty. As Penske’s lawyer put it, the penalty had to fit the crime. Unser was fined $40,000 for the passing infraction when his win was reinstated on Oct. 9. It was his third career Indy 500 victory — and the last time he raced at Indianapolis. Bitter over the controversy and subsequent loss of commercial endorsements, the 47-year-old, Indy’s oldest winning driver, retired from racing at the end of the season, stating in a 1982 interview: “Regardless of the outcome, it’s been ruined for me.” According to rumor, Mario kept the winner’s ring. He told Motor Trend, “Maybe I didn’t deserve to win the race, but neither did he. The rule was clear, and a rule is a rule. Bobby won the race, but he cheated. There’s an asterisk next to that one.” GORDON SMILEY WAS 354 THE LAST DRIVER TO PERISH DURING QUALS TO DATE. Coming out of the third turn, Smiley began sliding during his second warm-up lap before taking green for a run at the 1982 500. The correction sent Smiley’s ride into the wall head-on at somewhere between 185 and 200 mph. On impact, the car exploded, and

flew into the catch fence, coming to rest in the north chute. Smiley’s helmet was pulled off by the force of the impact, and the driver died as a result of massive trauma as his car broke into multiple pieces.

355

RICK MEARS WON HIS SECOND 500 IN 1984. After Tom Sneva was knocked out of the race due to a mechanical issue, Mears cruised to victory with a two-lap lead over second-place finisher Roberto Guerrero.

356

DANNY SULLIVAN SPUN HIS CAR — AND STILL WON THE ’85 500. Passing Mario Andretti on lap 120, Sullivan spun the car completely around — but avoided making contact with the wall, and even more miraculously, without “flat-spotting” his tires. Sullivan would go on to “spin and win.”

357

RICK MEARS TOOK HIS THIRD BORG-WARNER IN 1988 — AND BROKE THE 220 MPH IN QUALS. Mears made the ’88 field with a speed of 220.453.

The F1 champion lost a foot in a wreck in practice — with speeds on the track that could top 240 “in the tow” that year.

364 IN 1992.

ROBERTO GUERRERO BROKE 230 IN QUALS

His speed was good enough to take the pole. His performance in the race itself, though …

365

ROBERTO GUERRERO CRASHED ON THE SECOND PARADE LAP IN THE ’92 500. Roberto spun the car on Indy’s backstretch and finished 33rd.

SCOTT GOODYEAR 366 NEARLY BECAME THE ONLY WORST-TO-FIRST FINISHER IN THE 33- CAR FIELD IN INDY HISTORY, A RECORD HE MISSED BY .043 SECONDS. Goodyear had started in 33rd in 1992, a race — and a month — filled with crashes (totaling 12 driver injuries) and a fatality. By the end of that 500, he’d be edged by Al Unser, Jr., in the closest finish at Indy ever recorded.

those Andrettis were being treated at Methodist hospital, Michael began pulling away from the field. As Ed Hinton wrote for ESPN: With 11 laps left, the dominant Lola-Ford suddenly slowed. Michael Andretti came to a stop in the infield grass off the short chute between Turns 3 and 4. He climbed out. A tiny belt that ran the fuel pump had broken. A lousy little belt, worth a few dollars. All that Ford research and development, all those millions to engineer the finest power plant the company had ever sent to Indy, and one little accessory had failed. ST. JAMES WAS THE 368 LYN ’92 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. She finished 11th after starting in 27th.

CAME TO INDY 369 NASCAR IN ’94.

The inaugural Brickyard 400 was won by Jeff Gordon, and Gordon — who’d lived in Pittsboro for a time — would win four more Brickyards.

FLEW FOR THE THE ANDRETTI “CURSE” A CANADIAN WON THE 358 YELLOW 100TH TIME IN 1988. 367 WAS ALSO IN FULL 370 500 FOR THE FIRST TIME The caution flag came out on EFFECT IN ’92. IN 1995. lap 167 after Rocky Moran’s engine failed.

FLYING DUTCHMAN 359 THE WON HIS FIRST 500 IN 1990.

Both Mario and son Jeff Andretti were injured in the 1992 race, and while

Arie Luyendyk, who still holds the record for the fastest laps at the 500, started in the third position that year.

RICK MEARS WON HIS 360 FOURTH INDY WIRE-TOWIRE. Mears took the pole and win number four in 1991. As we’ve mentioned, no one’s won four since. AN INDY NATIVE 361 NAMED STEPHEN WHITE WENT FOR A FATAL

JOYRIDE AT IMS IN 1991. White decided to lap the track a few days after the ’91 500 in his pickup. White hit speeds of roughly 100 mph before a maintenance worker tried to block White’s truck by parking a minivan by the yard of bricks. White hit the van and died.

JOVY MARCELO DIED 362 PRACTICING FOR THE ’92 500. The Filipino native crashed in turn one on May 15.

363 IN 1992.

AND NELSON PIQUET SAW HIS CAREER END

Janet Guthrie, moments after she had become the first woman to qualify for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing in 1977. PHOTO BY PAUL WILLIS

Jacques Villeneuve grabbed the lead after 194 laps after USAC officials stopped scor-

ing Scott Goodyear — officials determined Goodyear passed the pace car on a restart, then ignored a black flag directive to serve a “stop-and-go” penalty for the infraction.

AFTER THE SPLIT AND ON INTO IRL AND INDYCAR — MID ’90S TO TODAY

371

1996 SAW THE FORMATION OF THE INDY RACING LEAGUE. And a CART boycott of the 500. With all that’s been vented/raged/critiqued about the “split,” the influx of noobs and a dropoff in speed — coupled with attempts to completely tamp down the more Roman-Orgy-esque elements of the event — did lead to a dropoff in attendance. That trend has slowly been reversing in recent years, and the interest in the 100th running has resulted in a grandstand sellout. (Note: IMS never releases attendance figures.)

in 1996, Stewart pulled a lap at 237.336. Arie Luyendyk would crack 239 on Fast Friday.

373

THE CREATION OF THE IRL MEANT A LOT OF ROOKIES IN ’96. Seventeen, to be exact — the most since 1930 saw 19 newbies.

SCOTT BRAYTON WAS 374 THE LAST DRIVER TO DIE IN PRACTICE SESSIONS FOR THE 500 TO DATE. Brayton lost control of his car after debris likely flattened a rear tire, and hit the wall in turn two at at least 200 mph in 1996. Brayton was killed instantly.

RACE Penske would leave CART to join the “IRL” as it was known then later that year.

A WOMAN PACED THE 380 500 FIELD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2001. Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp, then-wife of John Mellencamp, had the honors. HELIO CASTRONEVES 381 PULLED THE SPIDERMAN ACT FOR THE FIRST TIME AT INDY IN 2001. Helio likes to climb fences when he wins.

SARAH FISHER BECAME PURSE CRACKED 382 INDY’S FASTEST 375 THE NINE FIGURES IN 1996. WOMAN EVER IN 2002. Total prize money blew by the $100 million mark that year.

Fisher’s times in quals:

376

NEW GEAR IN ’97 MEANT SLOWER SPEEDS. But Arie Luyendyk won it anyway.

ST JAMES STARTED 377 LYN HER SEVENTH 500 IN 1997. Her record for starts by a woman would eventually be surpassed by Sarah Fisher.

TONY STEWART’S FIRST 378 372 DAY AS A ROOKIE WAS ONE OF THE SPEEDIEST FOR A NEWBIE. On the first day he practiced

TEAM PENSKE AN379 NOUNCED THEY’D RETURN TO INDY FOR THE 2001

F1 CAME TO INDY IN 2000. A crowd of roughly 200,000 saw Michael Schumacher win for Ferrari.

• Fastest one-lap qualification lap: 229.675 mph • Fastest four-lap qualification average: 229.439 mph

HELIO CASTRONEVES 383 WON HIS SECOND INDY 500 IN 2002. In 2003, Gil de Ferran denied Helio a history-making threein-a-row. HELIO CASTRONEVES 384 DIDN’T WIN THE INDY 500 IN 2002. Here’s Lori Lovely, writing for NUVO in 2011: It was another wet month, with seven-and-a-half inches of rain delaying or canceling practice, washing out the second day of time trials and shortening Bump Day. Race Day saw sunny skies, several crashes, passes and Robby Gordon’s pit fire. But all anyone remembers is Lap 199. Helio Castroneves led the field in his Penske Dallara Chevrolet. Paul Tracy, making his first appearance at Indy since 1995 for Team Green, a CART team, passed Felipe Giaffone on Lap 197 to take second. Using a different fuel strategy, Tracy was able to close the gap to 0.22 seconds on Castroneves, who was low on fuel because he hadn’t pitted for 42 laps. On the final lap, Tracy went to the outside of the Penske car on the backstretch. As he was completing the maneuver in Turn 3, Buddy Lazier and rookie Laurent Redon crashed hard in the exit of Turn 2. “I made the pass on the outside cleanly before the yellow came out,” Tracy said in an interview years later. “The

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green was still out.” IRL officials ruled otherwise, declaring Castroneves the winner. Chaos and confusion ensued. When Brian Barnhart called for the yellow in Race Control, he indicated that Castroneves was the leader. The yellow lights on the track and in the cars were then activated. Castroneves later claimed he slowed at the moment of the pass because of the yellow light in his car, but admitted that he thought it was the fuel light, not the caution. Adding to the confusion, commentators initially stated on live TV that Tracy completed the pass. Reportedly, commentators Paul Page and Donald Davidson mistakenly credited Castroneves with the position based on an incorrect assumption that scoring reverted to the previous lap. Tracy and Giaffone, who crossed the finish line ahead of Castroneves, were not scored for their 200th lap at all. Team owner Barry Green challenged the call, firmly believing Tracy had completed the pass before the yellow light came on. But he knew he was in for a battle, telling Tracy over the radio that “they (IRL officials) are not going to let one of us (a CART team) win.” Tracy told reporters the team intended to protest. “I feel that I was ahead of him when it went yellow. I passed him and I saw green.” A two-hour hearing on May 27 returned the expected verdict. IRL officials insisted that Castroneves was ahead of Tracy at the time of the crash, at the time the officials called for a caution, at the time the dashboard caution lights were activated and according to scoring antenna at the entrance to Turn 3. At the conclusion of the hearing, Barnhart informed Green that he could appeal the decision. During their preparations for the appeal, Team Green was “allowed access to all the camera angles at the point of the yellow coming on,” Tracy said. He estimates that Green spent $150,000 in attorney’s fees to prepare their case, about which he felt confident. In the closed hearing, presid-

in a test run on April 23, 2003 — only to land right side up. Andretti, then 63, was in his final run of the day, following Kenny Brack around the oval when Brack crashed in turn one. Andretti’s car ran over a bit of debris from the crash, which lifted the nose of the car, flipping the ride end over end multiple times in an arc that attained a height that stretched well above the catch fence. Miraculously, Andretti’s car landed on “all fours” in the center of the track, and Mario walked away from the wreck with only a small cut on his chin. “You just hang on and hope the man upstairs doesn’t forget you,” Andretti told WTHR’s Dave Calabro after the incident. RENNA WASN’T 386 TONY NEARLY AS LUCKY.

Renna died during a tire test in October of 2003, and the wreck was, by all accounts, horrifying — and involved portions of the empty grandstands. Suffice to say that upgrades were made to both cars and catch fencing after the crash.

Rick Mears, one of the three who’s won four. PHOTO BY PAUL WILLIS

ed over by Speedway President Tony George, testimony was provided by numerous participants, officials and spotters. Green’s argument correctly stated that it was irrelevant who was leading at the time of the crash because the track was still green, that Tracy was leading when the track lights went yellow, that the dashboard light system was inconsistent from car to car and that they had not come on in Tracy’s car until the pass was completed — which was proven to be true with video evidence. (Tracy’s in-car camera showed a green light; Helio contended his was yellow. Even other camera angles seem to indicate that Tracy was ahead of Helio when the yellow came on: Barry Green kept in-car footage on a loop at the Team Green office for weeks.) Penske’s defense countered that positioning cars during a caution period is a judgment call by the officials. He also pointed out that the rules prohibited protests and appeals of cars passing under the yellow.

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On July 2, 2002 … Tony George denied the appeal, adding that the decision about the protest was not appealable in the first place. Reaction from teams, media and fans was divided along party lines, with many CART supporters accusing the IRL of bias due to embarrassment in 2000 when Chip Ganassi Racing, a full-time CART team, easily won with driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Many suspected that the IRL didn’t want another CART victory. Hard feelings resulted. Barry Green sold his share of the team to Michael Andretti and left racing. An angry Tracy coined the term “crapwagon” when he refused to return to Indy 500 or race in the IRL (until 2009). To this day, he says he “felt that I got screwed.”

385

MARIO ANDRETTI DID A PRETTY SOLID IMPRESSION OF AN AIRBORNE CAT WHILE TRAVELING AT 220 MPH IN 2003. In one of the most bizarre crashes to ever occur at IMS, Mario Andretti was in a car that flipped multiple times

ART MORRIS IS THE ONLY 387 PERSON TO LOSE HIS LIFE AT AN IMS NASCAR EVENT. Morris died after suffering a heart attack and crashing his scooter. The 64-year-old yellow-shirt died during practice for the ’04 Brickyard. BUDDY RICE GAVE 388 DAVID LETTERMAN A WIN AT INDY IN 2004. The victory celebration for Rice and the Rahal-Letterman team was moved indoors (for the first time ever) as violent thunderstorms shortened the 500. PATRICK LED 19 389 DANICA LAPS IN THE 2005 500. That’s the most led by a woman at Indy in one race.

CAME 390 MOTORCYCLES BACK TO THE TRACK IN ’08. The MotoGP series came to Indy nearly a century after bikes first raced at IMS.

PETE LENZ WAS THE 391 ONLY PERSON TO DIE DURING MOTO GP EVENTS. The 13-year-old prodigy died in a crash in 2010.

IRL BECAME 393 THE INDYCAR IN 2011.

The name change took effect on January 1.

MARY HULMAN 394 GEORGE PERSONALLY ASKED A.J. FOYT TO DRIVE THE

PACE CAR IN 2011. Controversy erupted when it was revealed that Donald Trump was the pick to drive the centennial-year pace car, and Trump eventually backed out due to “conflicts with his possible presidential campaign.” Fans started a social media campaign to oust Trump, and his decision took a bit of heat off the track. George appealed to Indy’s first four-time winner to step in. “Y’know, in a lot of races, I’ve come in second. I’m just glad I won,” said Foyt in a radio interview regarding the Speedway’s decision.

395

DANICA PATRICK SET A RECORD FOR RUNS AT THE FINISH IN 2011. The number of races Patrick finished with a running car at IMS: six. That’s the most for a female racer. The 2011 finish also gave Danica the most laps completed (1,337) and led (29) by a woman in her career.

THOUSANDS OF PAPER 396 SUNGLASSES WERE DISTRIBUTED IN 2012 AS A

TRIBUTE TO DAN WHELDON. The popular Brit died in a race in Vegas before he could defend his 500 title. To honor the man, who’d notched wins in ’05 and ’11, the IMS handed out white sunglasses for fans to wear on laps 26 and 98, a reference to the numbers of the cars Wheldon had driven. The glasses themselves were a nod to Wheldon’s signature white Oakleys.

THE GRAN PRIX 397 OF INDIANAPOLIS DEBUTED IN 2014. Of all the races run at Indy, from NASCAR to Indy Lights, top-shelf IndyCars running on the track’s road course became a reality in the moth of May, 2014. Simon Pagenaud took the inaugural checkered after a pretty hairy standing start that saw Indy Mayor Greg Ballard injured slightly by debris.

FISHER STARTED 392 SARAH HER NINTH 500 IN 2010. WAS PENSKE’S 398 HELIO 100TH QUALIFIER. That’s the most starts by a woman in the 500 to date.

In 2015, Helio Castroneves became the 100th driver to

make the field with team owner Roger Penske. TEAM PENSKE 399 NOTCHED THEIR 16TH 500 VICTORY IN 2015. Juan Pablo Montoya had the wheel.

PART 3:

OTHER TRADITIONS AND TREATS

BROADCASTING THE FIRST 500 400 BROADCASTS HIT THE AIR IN 1922. Two low-powered stations, WHO and WLK, carried limited descriptions that year. REPORTED FROM 401 WGN THE SPEEDWAY IN 1925. Chicago’s legendary station updated listeners from the track during the 500, along with a local outfit, WFBM.

NBC BROADCAST THE 402 LAST HOUR OF THE RACE IN 1928. The anchor was Graham McNamee, a big gunsporstacster of the era who’d called World Series games as well. Locally, WKBF carried the race. A SERVICE STATION 403 AT DELAWARE AND MICHIGAN CARRIED THE

RACE ON RADIO VIA “SPECIAL EQUIPMENT” IN 1929. 403 Carr Tire advertised a “radio party” in the May 29, 1929 edition of the Indianapolis News. The ad did mention you could just go ahead and hear the last hour “in your own home.”

BILL SLATER ANCHORED 404 500 RADIO CALLS DURING THE MUTUAL ERA. Slater handled live calls at the start and finish with periodic updates on the network from 1939 to 1950. (The track was, of course, dark during World War 2.) THE INDY 500 WAS 405 ACTUALLY BROADCAST IN INDY ON LIVE TV FOR TWO

YEARS. In 1949 and 1950 WFBM (now WRTV) showed the race as it happened, a practice stopped by the IMS in 1951.

SID COLLINS BEGAN 406 HIS LONGEST-TO-DATE RUN AS THE “VOICE OF THE 500” IN 1951. Although Mutual was no

longer the official network, flagship WIBC-AM sent the signal to roughly two-dozen stations in the network. Wilbur Shaw tapped Collins after Sid had co-anchored the broadcast the year prior.

407 IN 1952.

THE IMS RADIO NETWORK WAS BORN

All the gear and on-air talent came from WIBC. Donald Davidson, writing for the Speedway’s official site, notes: “There has been a perpetuating myth, persisting for over 50 years, that the race was always broadcast in its entirety. In fact, the IMS Network’s debut was with a virtual duplicate of Mutual’s format of 30 minutes at the beginning, with a 15-minute lead-in to the 11 a.m. start, another 30 minutes at the end, and a series of 15-minute updates slotted in between regular programming.” THE FIRST “FLAG-TO408 FLAG” BROADCAST AIRED IN 1953. The coverage was heard on over 100 stations.

409

TOM CARNEGIE CALLED THE MILAN GAME. Carnegie was the game announcer for the Indiana Boys High School Basketball tourney, first broadcast on television in Indy in 1953. The “Voice of the Speedway” worked with Howdie Bell and Tony Hinkle during his time on the mic for the tournament. In 1954, he handled broadcast duties for the Milan upset of Muncie Central, the game that saw Bobby Plump sink the winner and would eventually inspire the film Hoosiers. Carnegie also had very fond memories of calling the back-to-back wins for Crispus Attucks high in 1955 and ’56. Attucks was the first all-black school in the U.S. to win a state hoops title.

CLOSED-CIRCUIT 411 TV BROADCASTING BROUGHT ABOUT A RULE

CHANGE IN 1964. Prior to the 1960s, the drivers were permitted time to complete the full 500 miles, even if it meant remaining on the track for several minutes or over an hour after the winner crossed the finish line. In the very early years, completing the full 500 miles was even a requirement to receive any prize money. For a period of time, waiting until at least 1012 cars completed 500 miles was typically the norm, although not a rule. The honor of joining the prestigious 100 mph Club was considered motivation to continue racing, even if the chance to win the race had was long gone. In 1964, when the race started airing live on closedcircuit television, the rules were changed which limited the time drivers were allowed to finish the race once the winner crossed the finish line. Roughly five minutes were allowed for the other cars on the track to complete the 200 laps. — Nora Spitznogle

412

DONALD DAVIDSON SAW HIS FIRST 500 IN ’64. Davidson’s expansive knowledge of the race and the track led to a brief appearance with Sid Collins on the official race broadcast.

ABC STARTED 413 TELEVISING THE RACE IN 1965 — KIND OF. From 1965 to 1970, the 500 was part of ABC’s Wide World of Sports. From 1971 on the race was a tape-delayed, edited affair that was blacked out in Indy. In addition to Jim McKay’s lap-by-lap calls, race fans were introduced to names like Chris Schenkel and Chris Economaki with

DAVID LETTERMAN WAS 414 A TURN REPORTER FOR THE TV BROADCAST IN 1971. Letterman — misidentified by Jim McKay as Chris Economaki — interviewed Mario Andretti right after a Gordon Johncock crash that collected Mario. After Dave’s second question: “What about the traffic — the faster cars are coming up on the slower cars now?” Letterman probably wished that McKay hadn’t corrected himself. PAUL PAGE TOOK 415 OVER AS BROADCAST ANCHOR IN 1977. The Evansville native was given the gig after Sid Collins took his own life — Collins had been diagnosed with ALS in April of 1977 and died May 2. 500 TV BROADCASTS 416 WERE TAPE-DELAYED NATIONWIDE THROUGH 1985. Until the 1986 race, radio was the only place to hear the live broadcast — which is still the case in Indianapolis itself. During the 1970s and ‘80s, the number of affiliates carrying the race hit roughly 1,200. MIKE KING HAD THE 417 SECOND-LONGEST TENURE AS THE “VOICE OF THE 500.” King’s 15-year run followed stints by Page, Lou Palmer and Bob Jenkins. After King stepped away in 2013, Page returned to the booth. Page will hand the mic to Mark Jaynes after the start of the 100th running.

418

AT LAST COUNT, “THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 RACE IS BROADCAST IN 213 COUNTRIES AND REACHES OVER 292 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS.” So sayeth the IMS.

POP CULTURE

410

THE PHRASE “THE GREATEST SPECTACLE IN RACING” WAS COINED IN 1955. Marion native Alice Greene was a copywriter for WIBC in the ’50s, and suggested the “spectacle” tag as an “outcue” for the network prior to commercial breaks. “Stay tuned for the greatest spectacle in racing” has been in use since Sid Collins first uttered the phrase during the ’55 broadcast.

JAMES A. MURPHY 419 WAS THE FIRST 500 WINNER TO MAKE A SCREEN

APPEARANCE. Murphy, who started the 500 five times and won the 1922 race, appeared in the silent feature Racing Hearts in 1923 “to add authenticity,” according to the NY Times.

FACT #410: Alice Greene PHOTO COURTESTY ELLEN MARIE MILLER

Motel. The band was photographed clowning around on the golf course and was eventually given a ride around the track in a Cadillac, according to George Harrison.

color commentary from racing legends such as Rodger Ward and Jackie Stewart. The race became a live television event in 1986.

1929 FILM 420 THE SPEEDWAY MAY BE THE

THE FILM WINNING 431 OPENS WITH A WRECK FROM A ‘60S-ERA 500.

FACT #434: Atari’s “Indy 500”, 1977. I love Indy’s mountains!

AJ Foyt’s in the shot from this Paul Newman flick; Bobby Unser also makes a cameo, and some scenes were shot at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

OLDEST SURVIVING FEATURE SHOT AT INDY. We cut to imdb.com for more: “According to contemporary newspaper reports, the cast and crew filmed scenes on location in Indianapolis for three weeks. The main cast did much of their own driving at the actual Indianapolis Motor Speedway.” The film — the last silent movie for MGM star William Haines — also includes footage of the 1929 race, including a fatal crash.

421

THE SAME FOOTAGE FROM THE BRICKYARD WAS USED IN TWO DIFFERENT MOVIES IN THE 1930S, ONE STARRING JAMES CAGNEY. Cagney played driver “Joe Greer” in the 1932 flick The Crowd Roars (co-starring Joan Blondell and directed by Howard Hawks), and apparently some of the same racing footage was lifted for the 1939 film Indianapolis Speedway — a word–forword remake of the Cagney picture. Speedway’s also notable for some shots that suggest Indy has some waterfront property on the Pacific. Thanks, guys!

EARHART 422 AMELIA ATTENDED THE ’35 RACE.

Earhart had joined the faculty of Purdue as a visiting member that year. She would disappear in 1937 attempting to circumnavigate the globe via the air.

ONE OF JIMMY 423 STEWART’S EARLIEST STARRING ROLES WAS

PARTIALLY SET AT THE 500. The 1936 rom-drama Speed includes Indy footage.

500 FOOTAGE ALSO 424 SHOWS UP IN THE MICKEY ROONEY FLICK THE BIG

WHEEL. This 1939 picture also includes a mention of Wilbur Shaw.

WINNING ALSO FOR A TIME, THE BORG432 MAY HAVE SPARKED 425 WARNER COMPANY NEWMAN’S INTEREST IN RACING. FLEW IN HOLLYWOOD ACTRESSES TO APPEAR IN VICTORY LANE. The first was Carole Landis in 1947, the last would be Erin O’Brien, who hugged winner Rodger Ward in ’59.

CLARK GABLE TURNED 426 UP AT INDY DURING THE SHOOTING OF TO PLEASE

A LADY. Gable’s 1950 flop about a midget-car driver saw Gable doing promo appearances at the Speedway. Gable became quite the fan.

TO PLEASE A LADY 427 INCLUDED FOOTAGE OF THE ’50 500. It also included Joie Chitwood driving the No. 17 car, and Mauri Rose turns up in one shot. GARNER WAS A 428 JAMES BIG INDY FAN.

Garner, who started coming to the track during his time on the TV show Maverick (1957-1962) saw racing at Indy through his Rockford days and on into the 2000s.

A.J. FOYT MET RAY 429 HARROUN IN 1961 WHEN THE PAIR WAS SENT TO

NEW YORK BY TONY HULMAN TO APPEAR ON THE TV QUIZ SHOW WHAT’S MY LINE? Foyt told some guy named Ed Wenck during a May 2011 interview on WIBC that A.J. asked Harroun one question: When do you know it’s time to retire? “He says, ‘Well, it’ll just come to you.’”

Although it’s been debated, Newman’s fascinating with motorsports may have been inspired by this role. In any event, Newman’s interest was at least cemented by his turn here, and he became a notable driver in his own right. Winning, however, was far from a hit. Quentin Tarantino: “I’d rather saw my fingers off than sit through that again.”

AN INDY-THEMED 433 STORY CALLED “THE PACER” IS FEATURED IN THE

AUGUST, 1968 ISSUE NO. 91 OF HOT RODS AND RACING CARS FROM CHARLTON COMICS. Now available in a reprint collection from ACE Comics, the capsule reads: “It’s the final day for qualifying at Indy! Hugh Hightower was determined to make the starting field of 33 cars! After turning in a brilliant first lap at 168.3 mph, he drifted too far out, hurtled in the air and bounced off the concrete! Is his misfortune an opportunity for Clint Curtis?” This book (No. 91) would’ve cost you 12 cents if you’d bought it in ’68.

THE FIRST HOME INDY 434 500 VIDEO GAME WAS RELEASED ON SEPT. 11, 1977 Atari introduced its “2600” home gaming console along with nine gaming cartridges, one of which was the insanely primitive “Indy 500” title.

THE BEATLES STAYED 430 AT THE OLD SPEEDWAY JANET GUTHRIE MOTEL IN 1964. 435 WAS PART OF THE “SUPERSISTERS” TRADING CARD After their two shows at the Fairgrounds on September 3, 1964, fans heard that the band would be staying at the Essex House Hotel downtown. The Fab Four’s management, fearing for the band’s safety, moved the group to the Speedway

SET RELEASED IN 1979. The cards — a reaction to the preponderance of male figures on trading cards — featured accomplished women from all walks of life. Guthrie, posing with her No. 51 Texaco car, appears on card No. 53, sequentially just after Hoosier

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Jane Pauley’s card, No. 52. There were 72 cards in all.

436

INDIANAPOLIS 500: THE SIMULATION MARKED A BREAKTHROUGH IN RACING VIDEO GAMES. This 1989 first-person computer game leaned on actual physics and telemetry for what’s regarded as the first true expression of “sim” racing. Unlike arcade style games, a proper line was required and wrecks and blowouts could take the driver completely out of the game.

437

THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 PINBALL MACHINE APPEARED IN 1995. Midway/Bally was responsible for the device.

SARAH FISHER HAD A 438 FAKE NICKELODEON “SPONSORSHIP” IN 2003. Sarah Fisher and the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team were looking for sponsorship, and Sarah’s crew always said they’d do anything to help. She told them that they had a chance to get sponsorship money from Nickelodeon and SpongeBob SquarePants. She said that a Nickelodeon crew wanted to shoot footage of the team working on her car wearing SpongeBob attire, which just happened to be SpongeBob SquarePants boxer shorts and white T-shirts. The crew members agreed and IMS Productions filmed Sarah’s crew working on her race car in the SpongeBob boxer shorts. When they finished filming in the garage, Sarah told them they needed one more shot to show that they were at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The crew agreed to walk through the garage in full view of the other teams and pose in front of the timing and scoring pylon. She had the crew practice saying together in front of the camera, “Hi, we’re the No. 23 SpongeBob SquarePants team.” When crew couldn’t get it right, she held up a sign that said “Gotcha — you’re on Speedway Spoofs.” When the crew read the sign, they chased her. No word on how they got her back. — Nora Spitznogle

439

HELIO CASTRONEVES WON THE 2007 EDITION (SEASON FIVE) OF ABC’S REALITY SHOW DANCING WITH THE STARS.

Not to diminish his achievement, but the man was dancing with Julianne Hough, for God’s sake. A vacuum cleaner could’ve won the thing, amirite?

neighborhoods around IMS. PICTURES OF THE TRACK 460 APPEAR ON EARLY TICKETS. Tickets from 1911 and 1912 show one of the turns at Indy. Through the Great Depression, ticket images were fairly generic. Tickets from the pre-war era often feature anonymous cars, checkered flags and the like.

JACK NICHOLSON 440 WOULDN’T COME OFF THE CROW’S NEST AFTER WAVING THE GREEN FLAG IN 2011. Nicholson got such a buzz off waving the start that he stayed above the track for several restarts.

“BACK HOME AGAIN IN 461 INDIANA” WAS FIRST PERFORMED AT THE 500 IN 1946.

AN INDYCAR WAS 441 PARKED IN THE DREAMWORKS STUDIO DURING

It made sense — first race after the war, and all.

THE PRODUCTION OF THE 2013 CARTOON FEATURE TURBO. It’s easier to animate an object when you can look at the real thing.

COLD MILK AND OTHER EATS AND DRINKS

442 IN 1936.

LOUIS MEYER STARTED THE MILK TRADITION

Upon winning his third 500, Meyer requested a thirstquenching glass of — wait for it — buttermilk.

443

TODAY, SEVERAL VARIETIES OF MILK ARE STANDING BY ON RACE DAY. A dairy farmer (and an Indy 500 “apprentice”) bring a cooler full of milk bottles to Victory Lane. They have a list of driver preferences, so the cooler may include whole, one or two percent and skim milk.

JIM HURTUBISE PUT 444 A QUALIFIER IN LINE IN 1972 THAT WAS ACTUALLY A

COOLER FULL OF BEER. Hurtubise, who seemed to have a part-time job pissing off USAC officials, lined up a second car (he’d already qualified one) just before time expired on Bump Day. When the gun went off, Jim pulled off the engine cover off his second ride, which held a cooler full of ice and cases of his sponsor’s product: Miller High Life, baby.

ENJOY A GIANT 445 SWIMMING POOL OF BEER ON RACE DAY. More than 13,000 gallons of suds are sold at the track on race day — not including what’s hauled in by fans, that would fill a 24-foot swimming pool.

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SHAW APPEARED 462 WILBUR ON THE 1947 TICKET.

Little Al, Big Al and A.J. Foyt. PHOTO BY PAUL WILLIS

TWO TANKER OR DO YOU WANT YOUR THOSE SILVER BADGES 446 AND TRUCKS FULL OF SODA. 452 18 BORG-WARNERS 456 ARE FOR BIGWIGS AND WITH BBQ SAUCE? SOME MEDIA FOLKS. That’s 20,000 gallons-plus of Coke products (the brands sold by IMS).

A TRAIN ENGINE 447 OVER FULL OF ROCKS. The ice used on race day is equal to the weight of a freight locomotive engine: 120 tons.

TRACK DOGS WOULD 448 THE LOOP THE OVAL TWICE.

If you laid all the hot dogs sold on race day end-toend, you’d have more than a footlong — you’d have over five miles of tube steak. When it comes to the length of German sausage, brats = bikes. Laid end-to-end, all the bratwurst sold on race day would circuit the length of the infield motorcycle track — and then some.

OR HOW ABOUT FIVE 449 CARS WORTH OF BURGERS? The more than 7,000 pounds of Brickyard Burgers grilled up during the 500 would equal the weight of five Indy Cars.

450

HOW ‘BOUT AN ELEPHANT FULL OF FRIES WITH THAT? Simple math here: the ten tons of Track Fries sold at the race equals one male African elephant. We all really need to work out, amirite?

THOSE FRIES IN A 451 DIP BATHTUB.

11, in fact — that’s equal to the 475 gallons of ketchup used at Indy.

The 2000 pounds of chicken tenders that fans order match the weight of the Borg Warner trophy — times 18.

453

AND A SIDE OF PORK FRITTERS, PERHAPS — LIKE 8,000 POUNDS WORTH. That’d be equivalent to 72 Borg-Warners.

BEFORE THE GREEN FLAG FLIES: TRADITIONS AND TICKETS

But access isn’t significantly greater than that bronze badge, which costs $150.

THE PRE-RACE 463 BALLOON-LAUNCH BEGAN IN 1948.

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE 457 COKE LOT STAYS IN THE COKE LOT.

“It’s believed to be the idea of Mary Fendrich Hulman, Tony’s wife,” according to The Official History of the Indianapolis 500.

With the exceptions, of course, of criminal records and STDs. Seriously, the night before the race around Speedway’s Coca-cola Bottling Plant makes Rome under Caligula look like a Mormon wedding reception. This is where civilization goes to die. You’ve been warned.

THE 6 A.M. DAY IS, OF COURSE, 458 ENJOY CANNON. 454 CARB NOW A MISNOMER. Gate workers are alerted to “Carburation Day” was a day of practice sessions so that one could adjust the carburetor of one’s car — for qualifying, a driver needed speed, for the 500, longevity. But, when it comes to Indy Cars, “There hasn’t been a carburetor for 50 years,” notes Donald Davidson.

FANS CAN BUY 455 DIEHARD A BRONZE BADGE.

The IMS site explains: For fans that plan to be at the Speedway for multiple days, this is a great way to save money on gate admission. With your month long access to Gasoline Alley you will be able to get up close and personal with the drivers and mechanics of the Indianapolis 500 and the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

This marked the first time a specific driver’s portrait appeared on the ticket — Shaw had won the race three times. Mauri Rose was the first reigning champion to appear on a ticket. Rose’s face was on the ’48 ticket after he’d won the previous year.

open the track on a race day with the firing of a gun that’s loud enough to cover all the acreage. A smaller gun is fired first to alert those within close proximity to cover their ears. Even if you know it’s coming, it’s quite a jolt. THE SPEEDWAY 459 MARCHING BAND GETS TO IMS ON FOOT. The Sparkplug marching band (HOW GREAT IS THAT MASCOT?) hikes from a marshaling area outside the high school through the streets of Speedway shortly after dawn to march to the track. The full band doesn’t play during the trip, but the percussionists get after it, providing a lovely wake-up for those poor hung-over souls crashed out in tents and campers in the

THE GORDON PIPERS 464 BEGAN MARCHING THE TRACK IN 1963. Their ranks will swell to 100 this year, according to reports from WISH TV. LARRY BISCEGLIA WAS 465 FIRST IN LINE TO GET INTO IMS IN 1950. “Mr. First in Line” at the gates had tried to be in the first car parked in front of the gates the previous two years, but discovered folks ahead of him — in ’49, he was second. From 1950 through 1985, Larry was first in line, originally in a ’33 DeSoto, then in a ’51 panel truck, then in a Ford Econoline van — the last a present from the IMS, along with a lifetime ticket and keys to the gates. The ’51 Chevy that Larry had until the van was gifted to him in 1967 was donated to the Museum, complete with all the racing stickers Larry collected over the years. Larry died in 1988 at the age of 90. 500 FESTIVAL 466 THE PARADE BEGAN IN 1957. Speedway historian Donald Davidson told the Indy Star that the notion was inspired

by the festivities that led up to the Kentucky Derby. It’s one of the biggest parades in the nation. THE PURDUE BAND 467 HAS HANDLED THE NATIONAL ANTHEM MORE THAN ANY OTHER PERFORMER. The band — World’s Largest Bass Drum Included — has performed the anthem or backed up other performers, on and off, since 1965.

JIM NABORS WAS 468 TALKED INTO SINGING “BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA”

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1972. I was there as a guest of Bill Harrah — you know, Harrah’s casinos? — he brought me to the race. We were sitting there, and Mr Hulman came over to speak to him. Mr. Hulman had seen my show in Lake Tahoe and he said, “How would you like to sing the song?” I thought he meant the “Star-Spangled Banner.” I said “OK.” He introduced me to the head of the Purdue band. I said “What key do you guys do this in?” He said “We’ve only got one key.” I said, “Well, no, the Star Spangled Banner can be done in two keys.” He says, “Well, you’re not singing that.” I said, “Well, what the hell am I singing?” He said “Back Home Again in Indiana.” I said, “Well, I’m from Alabama.” Anyway, they were laughing. He said, “Do you know the lyrics?” I said, “I know the tune, but I’m not sure about the lyrics.” So I wrote the lyrics on my hand — this was five minutes before I had to sing — and away we went. — Jim Nabors in a WIBC interview, May 2011

The story behind the women in tiaras riding in cars before the race — and in the parade? According to the 500 Festival website: Each year, 33 college-aged women are selected as 500 Festival Princesses and serve as ambassadors of the 500 Festival, their hometowns, and their colleges/universities. … Since the program’s founding in 1959, more than 1,800 Indiana women have experienced the honor of being selected as a 500 Festival Princess. In the months leading up to May, 500 Festival Princesses are involved with statewide outreach programs, including visits to hospitals, schools and various youth programs. Princesses will attend and volunteer at all 500 Festival events throughout the month of May, are present at various Indianapolis Motor Speedway functions, and participate in the pre-race ceremonies and Victory Circle celebration for the Indianapolis 500. The Princesses each get a $1,000 scholarship, too. “MINI” BEGAN IN 471 THE ’77.

The half-marathon foot race known as the “500 Festival Mini-Marathon” — one of the biggest — celebrated 40 years in 2016. The Mini is really the start of modern “Month of May” traditions.

472

THE PIT STOP CHALLENGE STARTED IN 1977, TOO. The timed event that includes a four-tire change and simulated refueling has been won six times by the driver/ team combo of Helio Castroneve’s Team Penske crew.

NABORS BECAME 469 FRIENDS WITH THE 1977 WAS THE FIRST COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE 473 TIME “GENTLEMEN, CORPS AS A RESULT OF HIS START YOUR ENGINES” WAS TRACK APPEARANCES — AND GOT A “PROMOTION,” TOO. The Commandant once asked Nabors how long he’d been a private (he played one on the Gomer Pyle show) and Nabors jokingly responded he still was. The Commandant, determining that Nabors had done quite a bit for the Marine Corps, so the Marine Corps gave Nabors a stripe as an honorary Marine. He’s a Lance Corporal.

470

THE 500 FESTIVAL BEGAN CROWNING “PRINCESSES” IN 1959.

ALTERED. After a bit of a tussle with the Speedway’s traditionalists, the “Most Famous Words in Racing” were altered to: “In company with the first lady ever to qualify at Indianapolis, gentlemen, start your engines.” Now the phrase begins simply, when applicable: “Lady/Ladies and gentlemen …”

474

TONY HULMAN ALWAYS READ “THE MOST FAMOUS WORDS IN RACING” FROM AN INDEX CARD. The “Gentlemen, start your en-

gines” command always came with a memory aid for Tony, whether he needed it or not.

475

A U.S. PRESIDENT 475 MARSHALED THE PARADE IN ’79 Gerald R. Ford had the honor.

THE 1981 TICKET 476 DROPPED THE IMAGES OF THE WINNING

CAR AND DRIVER — AND THE “SWEEPSTAKES” NAME. The event logo, marking the “65th Indianapolis 500” (and dropping the “International Sweepstakes” verbiage) makes up the bulk of the graphics on the stub. 1982 had a similar design, but drivers and cars were back on the tickets in ’83.

THE RACE TODAY

483

TEAMS GO THROUGH 5,000 TIRES IN MAY. All Firestone these days.

PULLS 4GS IN 484 ATHEDRIVER TURNS.

That’s four times the natural force of gravity, or the same Gs astronauts experience during the launch of the shuttle.

485

INDYCARS AT SPEED ARE TRAVELING THE LENGTH OF A FOOTBALL FIELD EVERY SECOND. At 220 mph, it’s actually slightly longer than 100 yards.

INDYCARS 486 CURRENT RUN AT 650 HORSES.

A SITTING U.S. VICE477 PRESIDENT MARSHALED THE PARADE IN 1990.

On average, that’s four times the horsepower of the ride in your driveway.

That’d be Indiana native Dan Quayle.

AN INDYCARS PISTON 487 MOVES A MILE A MINUTE.

THE PARADE’S ALSO 478 BEEN MARSHALED BY SOME OF INDIANA’S SPORTS

SUPERSTARS. The list includes Larry Bird in ’93, Reggie Miller after his retirement in 2005, Peyton manning in 2007 after his Super Bowl win with the Colts and the WNBA Champion Fever (2013), the Butler Men’s Hoops team (2010) and players and cheerleaders from the 1955 Crispus Attucks high-school hoops champions.

FLORENCE HENDERSON 479 BEGAN SINGING AT THE IMS IN 1991. Henderson is an Indiana native — and pals with the Hulman-George clan — and began her annual appearance at the track with “America the Beautiful.” BEGAN PLAYING 480 BANDS CARB DAY IN 2000.

Smashmouth was the first act to work a Carb Day infield gig.

481

CHANGING THE WORDS TO THE NATIONAL ANTHEM IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. In 2001, Steven Tyler changed “home of the brave” to “home of the Indianapolis 500.” This is not the best way to endear yourself to motorsports fans. A West Point cadet sang the anthem the following year.

That’s the distance you’d have if you take the up-anddown motion of each of the pistons and converted it to a straight line — and those pistons pull 70,000 Gs. The IMS tells us: “Each of the 8 pistons in an IndyCar Series engine is subjected to a maximum acceleration of 70,000 times the force of gravity.”

ALL THE LUG NUTS 493 TIGHTEN TOWARD THE FRONT OF THE CAR. None of that “lefty-loosey” business on the left side of the car — the lug nuts must tighten in the direction a tire’s moving, since a single lug like an IndyCar’s would be loosened as the car moved otherwise. THE TIRES ARE MELTING 494 DURING THE RACE, AND THAT’S A GOOD THING. The tires close in on the temperature at which water boils, and when they’re around 212 degrees Farenheit, the rubber becomes almost like a tar — and that improves traction.

495

WHEN AN INDYCAR’S UP TO SPEED, THE TIRES ARE ROTATING 43 TIMES PER SECOND. The front tires are somewhat smaller, so they turn more: 1,955 per lap versus 1,800 for the rears.

496

THE FOOTPRINT OF THE CAR IS PRETTY TINY. IMS says: “At any given moment, the total area of all four tires in contact with the track surface is equal to about 1 square foot, which

is about the size of a sheet of notebook paper.” BUT THE HOLE THEY 497 PUNCH IN THE AIR IS PRETTY BIG. The draft following a car extends a full 25 feet, allowing for some pretty incredible slingshot passing. A PLETHORA OF SPECIAL 498 EVENTS SURROUND THE 100TH RUNNING, INCLUDING A FILM CALLED “THE PEOPLE’S 100.” The Big Car-sponsored documentary features interviews with a variety of Hoosiers at IMS — including the fan writing these words.

THE 100TH RUNNING OF 499 THE INDY 500 OCCURS ON MAY 29, 2016. The pole-sitter is James Hinchcliffe, our cover model. (By the way, You can ride your bike to the track, which beats a lot of traffic.) OH, AND ONE MORE 500 THING: THE WINNER OF THE 100TH RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 IS:

__________________________ (Go ahead and fill ’er out yourself after the checkered flag flies.) n

MILEAGE IS 488 THE TERRIBLE.

Back to the Speedway’s PR guys: “The fuel mileage of an IndyCar Series car is less than 2 miles per gallon. A car burns approximately 1.3 gallons of fuel per lap at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

HERE’S TORQUE FOR 489 YOU: INDYCARS CAN DO 0-100 IN UNDER THREE SECONDS. That’d blow a Porsche 911 Turbo off the line by nine seconds.

THE CARS GENERATE 490 5,000 POUNDS OF DOWNFORCE. That’s what keeps a 1,565 pound car from sliding at over 200 mph. ONE OF YOUR CREDIT 491 CARDS IS ABOUT EQUAL TO AN INDYCAR’S TREAD DEPTH. OK, almost. At 3/32 of an inch, the tire tread’s a bit thicker.

NOW MRS. BRADY 482 SINGS “GOD BLESS AMERICA.”

THE FRONT TIRES OF AN 492 INDYCAR EACH WEIGH ABOUT 18 POUNDS.

It’s been her signature raceday song since 2003.

Kind of like picking up a toddler, right?

James Hinchcliffe, polesitter for the 100th Indy 500. PHOTO COURTESY OF INDYCAR PHOTOS NUVO // 100% RECYCLED PAPER // 05.25.16 - 06.01.16 // COVER STORY 27

VISUAL

REVIEW

KRISTY HUGHES: SEEING IS FORGETTING

THIS WEEK

VOICES

NEWS

ARTS

MUSIC

CLASSIFIEDS

SUBMITTED PHOTO

GALLERY 924

e Kristy Hughes was one of the 33 artists chosen by the Arts Council of Indianapolis to create a unique “Welcome Race Fans” work of art for the 100th running of the Indy 500. And in her particular contribution, on an otherwise abstract work, you see the logo “Welcome Race Fans.” But if you take away the words, what remains is the swirling abstraction that you see in the compositions of Hughes’ “Seeing Is Forgetting.” This series is informed by gestalt, which Hughes describes as “a theory of visual observation that studies our ability to acquire and maintain meaningful perceptions in an apparently chaotic world.” So how does this theory square with the artwork? Let’s start by looking at “They Raised Her Ugly,” a composition that employs both collage and décollage as well as acrylic and spray paint. But when you look past the unusual materials and techniques – the building up and the cutting away of layers of paint and paper with an X-acto knife – you start to see things. Certain images, among them perhaps a ghostly female form, arise amidst the swirling grays, blacks, and blues of the work. You get the sense here that, while the artist is trying to create order from the chaos that she unleashed, this chaos is not easily controlled. If “After January,” has a burnt look, the composition process itself is surely to blame here. It incorporates something called fumage, a technique employed by Salvador Dali which is basically painting with smoke. (Other mediums used here were charcoal and colored pencil.) Composing this way leaves a lot to chance but maybe that’s the point. The sense of three-dimensionality and the extreme contrasts of light and shadow are striking. If in viewing these compositions you can “forget the name of the things one sees,” as French poet Paul Valery would have it – to see the works as a whole rather than a combination of its processes and techniques – you’re in for a rich experience with this series. And although the elusive titles only add to the mysteries of the works, each piece speaks for itself — no text necessary. Certainly this was a welcoming experience for this visual arts fan. — DAN GROSSMAN Gallery 924, 924 N. Pennsylvania St., through May 27

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SUBMITTED PHOTO

An example of the Strauss trophy from the 1930s.

BEFORE THE BORG WARNER

There was a different piece of artwork given every year — and David Goss has two.

BY EM I L Y TA Y L O R ET A Y L O R @ N U V O . N E T

avid Goss owns two items that no one else in the world has. He is the proud owner of two Strauss trophies from the Indianapolis 500. The Strauss Trophy was given from 1911 to sometime in the 1970s. Each one was a different piece of artwork either commissioned by the owner of the Strauss Company — or acquired by that owner while traveling overseas. The trophies ranged from a small statue of birds in flight to an oil painting and everything in between. Goss is partner at a tax firm (and the former vice president of the National Indianapolis 500 Collectors Club), which means by the time the 500 rolls around he is ready for vacation. This year the day that tax season ended he decided to reward himself by indulging in a few of his passions — the 500 and antiques. He went down to Speedway to see the current Roger Penske exhibit, then went to the Main Attraction Antique

Mall nearby. (The mall is known for having race memorabilia.) Earlier that week the shop had received an old trophy. Amongst the cluttered booths and wide aisles, Goss knew he had a gem. When Goss looked at it he recognized the unique style as a Strauss. It turned out to be Floyd Davis’ 1941 Strauss Trophy, an ornate clock with a bronze woman seated next to it reading a book, all perched on a marble base. The trophy had been sold to the antique shop after it was purchased at a Goodwill outlet in Indy. The statue weighs about 40 pounds and sits on a 20-inch base. It — along with his second Strauss find — are currently being repaired. He found the second through an online estate auction out of Arizona. It was Louis Meyer’s 1933 Strauss — a bronze warrior on a horse holding a spear on a marble base. The trophy was owned by one of Meyer’s family members in California. Unfortunately it was damaged in an earthquake that caused a crack in the sculpture’s base.

Goss had a crate custom designed for shipping the trophy. With the piece and the weight of the crate, the package weighed 101 pounds. The trophy alone weighs about 75 pounds. It sits on a marble base that’s roughly 30 inches long and stands 18 inches high. Finding these trophies is not only uncommon, it’s a huge point of pride for 500 history buffs. “There is a fine line between a hobby and an obsession,” laughs Goss. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” The items are rare finds, not only because there was only one of each, but because there are only about 60 of them in the world. “You’re not going to find any two… that are the same [before the 1960s],” says Goss. Another Strauss is owned by one of Goss’ friends, a collector who Goss did not wish to name because of the high value of the items. His friend has a 1953 oil painting that was done by Indiana artist Ernest Rose (who may have been a professor at Herron, according to Goss). Rose was killed in the same

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trophy that was given to Davis marks a unique race in the books of the 500. Davis actually never led a lap in the 500. He was a co-winner due to having to switch out with another driver. The 1933 trophy that was given to Meyer notes that he’s the first threetime winner of the Indianapolis 500. According to Goss, the list of prize money for winners indicates that these trophies were given out past 1970, the programs stop mentioning the Strauss as an award around that time as well. He also noted that Strauss’ ads claim that they gave the winner an award starting in1911. The Borg Warner was first awarded in 1936 so many were given “I think the enormity of the event, the winners both. Goss has been history of the event and just the speed carefully tracing the and the excitement. It’s a very unique timeline of the race for years. He started sporting event, even comparing other collecting in 1991, beginning with a races … Everything about it is big. few programs from Everything about it is enormous.” the 1970s. After three years he had — DAVID GOSS nearly every one from the 500, missing only seven. “After being such a huge fan of the 500 and interested in it, I started expanding into other areas of collecting,” says Goss. “As I like to say it got out of hand after that.” He now has over 1,000 items. His favorite item’s a blueprint from an MGM movie called To Please A Lady starring Clark Gable which was filmed at the Speedway. The blueprint of the track was used for reference while filming. He also has some panoramic photos from 1911. For him, the items are a piece of the past and a reminder of going fishing with his six brothers and sisters on Memorial Day and listening to the race as a child. Now, it’s larger than life. “I think it’s the enormity of the event, the history of the event and just the speed and the excitement,” says Goss. “It’s a very unique sporting event, even comparing other races … Everything about it is big. Everything about it is enormous. “It’s exciting to me that this is something I can reach out to and touch every year,” says Goss. n plane crash that ended Wilbur Shaw’s life in October 1954. The work was commissioned by the Strauss company and awarded to the winning driver. “They’re unique,” says Goss. “There was only one given to each driver. So unlike the Borg Warner Trophy that’s given out now — where they give one to the car owner, one to the driver. Certainly the Borg Warner Trophies are very well known and very valuable, but unlike the Borg Warner Trophies, the Strauss Trophies are unique.” For collectors like Goss, they are a tangible piece of history. The 1941

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The Borg-Warner trophy, introduced in 1936.

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THE POEM A da m He nz

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TO B

A L LE N W O O D S FOR THOSE WHO LOVE FAST, LOUD THINGS

This poem is for the track folk who just love the smell of Ethanol. For the Carb Day cut sleeve sporters, the Snake Pit dancers, and Coke Lot campers with bald eagle bandanas.

The hot dog chompers and buttermilk sippers, and granddads with ledger pads in suede cases and locked zippers. This is for every kid that’s stood along the stretch — with toes on top of a cooler and their fingers gripping the fence. For the open-wheel gear heads, parade wavers, and Legends Day fans. For the moms smeared with baby sunscreen changing diapers in the stands. This poem is for the Brickyard pickers, marching band clappers, the bucket drummers and gasoline alley cats. This is for the pit crews, the announcers, the flyby pilots in the sky. For the girl who’d never seen her dad cry until the day Dan Wheldon died. This poem is for the Andy Griffith neighbors, the binocular watchers, and the concession yellers hawking cold brews. This poem is for every shoulder with a Memorial Day tattoo. This is for the drivers willing to go bumper to bumper, for the flag flappers, and the earbud- in-clutched palm fist pumpers. This is your poem Indianapolis, taking the turn with direct injection. Race fans, thank you for being the sparks that start the engines.

Dedicated to Evan, and all IndyCar fans, 2016 — ADAM HENZE, BLOOMINGTON, IN

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This is an anthem for the hearts that’ve surged at the scope of the Pagoda. For the hands that know the feeling of slapping the North Vista tunnel ceiling. For the lips that whisper along with Florence Henderson when she sings, yes. This poem is for the 500 fans who love fast, loud things.

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The Indy 500’s official poet brings verse to everyone

BY S ETH J O H N S O N ARTS@NUVO.NET

rowing up, Adam Henze found himself struggling with issues of self-worth and self-esteem, often leading him to get in a lot of trouble. Somewhere in between trips to the principal’s office, however, he discovered his love for writing poetry. “I was really battling depression when I was younger,” Henze says. “But, writing became an awesome outlet for me, and it really changed the direction of where I was going.” Since these early days, Henze has continued to pursue his passion for poetry, performing all over the U.S. and beyond. Recently, he was also named the official poet for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 —he wrote a poem about the race and recited it at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on qualification weekend. When he’s not pursuing his own writing endeavors, however, Henze can often be found spreading the word about poetry’s regenerative nature with children and prison inmates through various community-minded programs. Currently in his third year of Indiana University’s Literacy, Culture and Language Education doctoral program, the 33-year-old has personally experienced the therapeutic elements of poetry, thus fueling his desire to ensure that people young and old are aware of its healing power. “I had a really awesome theater teacher, a couple awesome speech teachers and a couple awesome English teachers who ignored the fact that I went to the principal’s office every once and a while and ignored the fact that I would act up and lash out in class,” Henze says. “They were really patient with me, and I feel forever indebted to them. I know I can never pay them back, so I’m hoping that I can pay it forward.” Fresh out of college, Henze was granted his first opportunity to try his hand at this community-minded poetry outreach, volunteering once a week at the Warren Juvenile Detention Center in Kentucky. It was this experience that also exposed him to the fact that prison inmates often struggle with literacy. “It really taught me about the chal-

Adam Henze (center), the official poet of the 2016 Indy 500.

lenges that we face as a country in regards to literacy,” says Henze. “Three-fourths of kids and adults who are incarcerated are illiterate or functionally illiterate, so it became a passion of mine.” With this same mindset, Henze and a fellow poet embarked on a tour of 10 different Florida prisons back in 2010. “That was the only time as a performer

“I think everyone deserves poetry in their life regardless of what they’ve done.” — ADAM HENZE

that I’ve felt like Johnny Cash,” Henze remembers. “They were just the nicest, most receptive audiences I had ever seen.” Since coming to this realization and moving to Indiana, Henze has began volunteering with a local nonprofit called Angel’s Wings that focuses on serving incarcerated mothers and their families. Specifically, he is involved with poetry “summer camps” at the Indiana Women’s Prison that consist of perfor-

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mances, workshops and more. “I think everyone deserves poetry in their life regardless of what they’ve done,” Henze says. “For some people who are getting out, I think it’s a chance to teach them communication skills. So if they can read a poem, they can hopefully land that job interview or talk to a judge. But for the people who aren’t getting out for a long time or ever, it can really be a way to improve their quality of life and help them find self-worth, and I think that’s really important.” In addition to his work at the Indiana Women’s Prison, Henze also heads up a performance poetry intensive called Slam Camp for high school-aged youths, scheduled this year for June 19-25 at the IU Bloomington School of Education. A multi-faceted event, Slam Camp’s mission is to promote literacy, communication skills, and critical citizenship through the practice of the poetry slam, and to inspire teens everywhere to embrace their identities as writers and performers. “I hope that my work helps young people and old people realize that they have the tools for their own empowerment,” he concludes. “I hope they realize that they can sharpen their voice and choose the right words, and that they empower themselves. That’s my ultimate goal.” n

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THE NICE GUYS w

RATED: R, NOW SHOWING IN WIDE RELEASE

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X-Men, pausing for a too-brief moment of character development in X-Men: Apocalypse.

X-MEH

The X-Men deserve better than an ordinary Apocalypse

BY ED JO H NSO N- O T T E J OHNSONOTT@ N U VO . N ET

’ve been a fan of the X-Men since the first issue came out in 1963. I was thrilled when the first X-Men movie opened in 2000. The special effects were far from ideal, but that didn’t matter. Director Bryan Singer understood why the X-Men resonated with so many people and he did a grand job bringing that to the big screen in the original film and its sequel, X2. Singer moved on after that and the series suffered a few missteps before righting itself with X-Men: First Class. Singer rejoined the franchise for 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past and now XMen: Apocalypse. Days of Future Past was a doozy. Apocalypse … not so much. The story begins in 3600 BCE in the Nile Valley. Apocalypse, an old mutant sourpuss, prepares to transfer his soul to the rocking body of another man. Alas, he barely gets acclimated before his pyramid collapses, killing his followers and trapping him for thousands of years. Oscar Issacs plays the pecs-a-poppin’ victim turned god-like mega-mutant, but the actor is buried beneath trowels of blue makeup and an underwritten role. Cut to the 1980s, where the rest of the movie takes place. We meet high school student Scott Summers/Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), who decides to change schools after shooting destructive beams from his eyes during an encounter with a bully.

REVIEW X-MEN: APOCALYPSE (2016) RATED: PG-13 y

He receives support from his big brother Alex/Havok (Lucas Till) as he relocates to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Sheridan is a more sympathetic Cyclops than his older successor in the early films (time travel, just accept it). We also meet/re-encounter younger versions of several other favorite characters, including Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a defurred Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult), and a more expressive Jean Grey (Sophie Turner). James McAvoy returns as Professor X, and Jennifer Lawrence makes what will likely be her last appearance as Raven/Mystique.

Too many scenes play like diminished retreads of scenes in previous X-Men movies. Meanwhile in Poland, Magneto (Michael Fassbender) lives a quiet life with his wife and young children until troops show up to try to take the fugitive into custody. Cut to Egypt, where CIA agent

Moira Mactaggert (Rose Byrne) accidentally triggers the awakening of Apocalypse. He soon gathers several mutants to serve as his Four Horsepersons: Magneto, Angel (Ben Hardy), Storm (Alexandre Shipp) and Psylocke (Olivia Munn). Everybody fights everybody. Multicolored ray beams tear through the sky. So many characters, so much spectacle. But somewhere in the middle of all the excess I realized I wasn’t having nearly as much fun as I should. The film has its moments, certainly, but too many scenes play like diminished retreads of scenes in previous X-movies. Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver (Evan Peters) returns and rescues a great many people using his super speed. The scene is cool, but not as cool as his “Time in a Bottle” scene from Days of Future Past, which was shorter, better edited and funnier. While Singer and company hurl new mutants at us, I thought about the wasted characters. So many X-Men movies and Storm still doesn’t get a decent storyline. She’s just one of many. And what about Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique, who looks disengaged? Meanwhile we watch Professor X yet again go into Cerebro, his gigantic mutant search engine that appears to exist only to be commandeered by others. Enough. X-Men: Apocalypse has too many characters, a boring villain, and not nearly enough personality. It’s not a bad movie; it’s an ordinary movie. And that’s even worse. The X-Men deserve better than ordinary. n

In a time when so many comedies play dirty, The Nice Guys arrives like a breath of fresh air. Amid countless remakes like Vacation and sequels like Neighbors 2, which doggedly push for crude atmospheres, this film creates a world that’s pure and naturally absurd. Set in the late ’70s, the film opens with porn star Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio) crashing to her death in the steep hills of Los Angeles. Around the same time, a teenage girl named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) goes missing. Unfortunately, the world’s worst detective, Holland March (Ryan Gosling), is on the case. Amelia hires private enforcer Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) to keep March off her tail, but the guys end up joining forces when they discover a connection between her, the city’s porn industry and corruption in the office of the District Attorney (Kim Basinger), who also happens to be Amelia’s mother. The fun of the film lies in watching these guys literally stumble upon one clue after another. March trips down hills, falls off balconies and lands on dead bodies. Gosling delivers the year’s best performance of physical comedy — the kind that leaves you gasping for air. Crowe is equally effective as the straight man, grounding the film in a reality that hilariously contrasts with Gosling’s cartoonish slapstick. You can tell that these largely “serious” actors are having a blast, taking a break from brooding and bouncing off of each other like kids in a sandbox. The men’s personalities amusingly clash with the film’s setting. Like Walter and the Dude in The Big Lebowski, Healy and March are relatively down-to-earth guys thrust into an outlandish world of extremes and excess. Fortunately, the film doesn’t make a big fuss about this obscene environment. While so many comedies lean on crude and sexual humor as a crutch, The Nice Guys allows its seedy material to subtly unfold in the background. That’s because it’s co-written and directed by Shane Black, whose comedies are smart and confident enough to avoid relying too heavily on lowbrow humor. Like Lethal Weapon, which Black also wrote, The Nice Guys emerges as an instant classic. It pulls viewers into a wild world, knocks the wind out of us and brings us back to warmly familiar reality through a couple of tough yet tender characters. What more could you want from a trip to the movies? — SAM WATERMEIER

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PHOTO BY CAVAN MCGINSIE

Coffee and pastry bar at Open Society.

OPEN SOCIETY OPENS TO SOCIETY

There’s a line and more people are coming in behind us. Despite it being only 10 a.m. there are very few baked goods left. The couple in front of us is indecisive. Is it too early to have a Spro’ni (an espresso based twist on the classic cocktail, Negroni)? They decide to go for a Cortado, a Tinker Coffee Colombia Caja Bamba espresso, and a croissant to split. For it being soft opening weekend the coffee bar team seems to have the drink-making down to a science. For over a year now I have been waiting for Open Society to open its doors. So, when I saw on Facebook that they were opening for coffee and pastry service over the weekend, I knew I had to stop in. I couldn’t have been more pleased by the experience. Well, other than that couple in front of me getting the last croissant. Luckily there was one final sample of the chocolate croissant, while my least favorite of all of the crumbly, buttery pastries, it didn’t disappoint at all. Plus, now I have one more reason to return. The place looks spectacular, and pretty similar to what you would imagine from a trendy restaurant opening in 2016. I think they call it rustic industrial. Wood. Iron. Brick. Cement. It looks hip, which sometimes can be a bad thing, when aesthetic overtakes food and drink quality, however that is not happening at Open Society. The coffee is superb. I try a latte with the house made cashew milk, you can actually taste the earthiness of the coffee beans, something lost at most coffee shops that err on the side of scorching their coffee (Looking at you Starbucks). My girlfriend has the cold coffee (not cold brew) on ice, the flavor is robust and missing the unenjoyable acidity found in most cold coffee. Plus, the service is friendly, fast, and knowledgable. Now just a few more days until full service starting this Thursday. Like the Terminator, I’ll be back. — CAVAN MCGINSIE Open Society, 4850 N. College Ave., 317-999-8706, opensocietyindy.com

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PHOTO BY JOEY SMITH

A look at the standard beer list at the 5th Quarter.

ALL BEERS FOR ALL BARS

Is a beer distribution monopoly in Indianapolis hurting small businesses? B Y CA V A N M CG I N S I E CM C G I N S I E @ N U V O . N E T

“W

hen I see places with six cases of Zombie Dust on their bar, it’s pretty obvious that there is an issue here.” Mona Demaggio looks exhausted as she says this. She worked until 4 this morning, a 20-hour shift, at her bar, The 5th Quarter Lounge. Now, it’s noon and she’s sitting at this table with me, drinking a Mountain Dew. As soon as this is done, she will be preparing for tonight’s show. “But, I want you to realize, this isn’t about the 5th Quarter to me, or about me, it’s about equality in an industry, it’s about small bars being unable to get the beers they want, the beers their clientele wants. If your bar holds 10 people or 2,000, you should be able to get the beer you want if it’s available.” Mona has been running the 5th Quarter Lounge, a well-loved music venue and bar just outside of Fountain Square, for over three years. She also worked at the now defunct Vollrath. Her main goal is to bring music to the Circle City and to have

a place for local bands to play, but as with any business owner, she wants to turn a profit and keep her bar-goers happy. While three dollar Miller High Life’s are always nice, they aren’t exactly a money maker for any bar owner. That is where highly-sought, locally-brewed beers come in and help bring in higher profits,

beers like Dreadnaught, Gumballhead, and the ever-popular Zombie Dust. “We’ve been trying to get Gumballhead all the way back to the Vollrath, so that’s six years,” Mona says, shaking her head. In those six years how many cases have they had? Four. Four cases in six years, all delivered at the same time. All

“If your bar holds 10 people or 2,000, you should be able to get the beer you want if it’s available.” —MONA DEMAGGIO

OWNER OF 5TH QUARTER LOUNGE

larger return rates of bar patrons, and even more important, happier drinkers. It is no secret that Indiana is home to an incredible craft beer scene, but despite the incredible amount of top-notch beers being made around this state, the brewery that people look for is Three Floyds. The Munster-based brewery has a cult following, and world-wide acclaim for their

gone within two days. The issue, according to Mona is that there is a local beer distribution monopoly here in the state of Indiana. Nearly all local beers are distributed through Monarch Beverage Company, the state’s largest beer and wine distributor. “What happens is, these big bars, with bigger orders and bigger budgets, what are called allocated >>>

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<<< bars, get anything they want and then when a smaller bar, a smaller account asks for the same things, we are told they don’t have any stock at all.” If you’re not in the restaurant industry, you may be thinking, ‘Well, I see Zombie Dust and Gumballhead at liquor stores around the city. Why don’t they just buy them from there?’ If only they could. It is illegal for a restaurant to purchase from anywhere other than through a distribution company. So, while they may not be the only beer distribution company in the state; Mona’s sentiment that Monarch has a monopoly on beer distribution has foundations in fact. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, “Monopolycomplete control of the entire supply of goods or of a service in a certain area or market.” There are other distributors in Indianapolis, like Zink and Cavalier, but there is no other way for a restaurant or bar to get the beers from Three Floyds, or a few other local breweries, for that matter. That fits the monopoly definition pretty much exactly. “I’m not asking for much. I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m asking that it be equally distributed to any bar. When I see a restaurant that is less than a year old getting six cases, and I am told that there are no cases available, it’s just wrong. Send me one case. If you have 100 bars that want it, and you have 100 cases, each bar should get a case.” Mona understands that some beers are more rare than others and that there is less in production. What she doesn’t understand, and why she is upset, is the

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The bands coming through want a thorough taste of Indiana’s craft beers.

fact that she should be able to get a case of these beers at least every few months instead of every few years. This is why she is finally speaking out after six years. She sees that it hurts her bar, and other smaller bars and restaurants that don’t have investment backers to buy huge orders. It seems like a simple enough situation to fix. Hell, it shouldn’t even be a situation; there is no reason that one paying customer should be held above another paying customer in any system (money is money, right?). When Mona first talked to Monarch to see what she needed to do in order to get these specialty beers, they told her she S E E , ALL B EE R S , O N P A GE 3 4

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