The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis. The event is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend, usually the last weekend of May. It is contested as part of the IndyCar Series, the top level of American open-wheel car racing, a formula colloquially known as "Indy car racing". The track itself is nicknamed the "Brickyard", as the racing surface was paved in brick in the fall of 1909. One yard of brick remains exposed at the start/finish line. The event, billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix, with which it typically shares a date.
Joe Dawson winning the 1912 Indianapolis 500
The Mercedes-Benz W154 entered by Don Lee at the 1947 Indianapolis 500 with Duke Nalon as driver
Emerson Fittipaldi driving the Penske PC-23 at the 1994 event
The Chrysler 300 pace setter used in 1963 in the 47th running of the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 and formerly the home of the United States Grand Prix and Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix. It is located six miles (9.7 km) west of Downtown Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway aerial in 2016
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway under construction
Carl Graham Fisher (1874–1938) of Greensburg, Indiana, an American vehicle parts and highway entrepreneur and the co-founder and first president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 1909
Artist's rendition of the original speedway plan (not a photograph)