Well, this is going to be one of the longest article in the history of this blog. If you’re new here, welcome! If you’re already a regular reader, then you know what this is about.
Many people may not know that Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana and the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – arguably one of the most recognizable brands in the world. It’s been over 70 years since the first AAA championship race was held at the Speedway, and over the years the event has grown to become one of the largest sporting events in the world, drawing in tens of thousands of visitors each year.
It’s not a coincidence that the largest municipal stadium in North America, the 65,000-seat Indianapolis Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium, shares the same name as one of the most historic motorsports sites in the world. We thought it was about time someone officially documents the connection between these three important pieces of American culture – the city, the stadium, and the race track!
When someone thinks of Indianapolis, they usually think of sports. The city is arguably one of the greatest places for sports fans to be. It’s hard to believe it, but even back in the early 20th century, football was only a small part of the city’s popular culture. Baseball was the dominant sport, and being a baseball fan made you very popular in society. Professional teams from both leagues made their home in Indianapolis, and people would travel from all over the country to attend their games. It was during this golden era of baseball in Indy that the first Indianapolis 500 was held – which we’ll get to in a minute.
While the Indianapolis Colts have only been around for 62 years, and the Indianapolis Indians have only been around for 35 years, both teams continue to be staples of Indianapolis society. You’ll still often see fans at their games dressed in traditional Indian costumes – as a testament to the strong connection between the city and its professional baseball team. Fans also continue to support the local university, the IUPUI, which also has a baseball team called the Bluejays. So there’s a whole Indian sub-culture that is dedicated to their professional sports teams. It’s crazy how much Indiana has managed to retain from the golden era of baseball.
Where Does The Indianapolis 500 Come From?
Like many big cities at the time, Indianapolis had several different namesakes that it decided to associate with a celebration of its passion for automobiles. In this case, the name “Indianapolis” referred to all of the Native American tribes that lived in the area at the time – the Delaware, the Shawnee, and the Miami (as well as a few other tribes, like the Wampanoag, whose names escape us). So the “Indianapolis 500” was initially just an annual auto race that took place on May 3rd, the third Sunday of the month. In 1914, the race was moved to its current date in the middle of the summer so that it would not conflict with the World’s Fair. That same year, two other races were added to the schedule – the Grand Prix and the American Grand Prize Championship. It was only in 1932 that the name “Indianapolis 500” was officially christened. Up until that point, it was just known as the “World’s Championship Game.”
The Indianapolis 500 was not the only automotive-related event the city hosted in those early days, either. The Speedway, the city’s famous race track, also put on several other auto-related events – the Spring Mobilization and Reunion, the Memorial Day Classic, and the Speedway Sallie Mae Marathon. In fact, the Indianapolis Area Chamber of Commerce even put on a race called the “Grand Prix of Indianapolis” that was similar to the Indianapolis 500. So, in addition to the baseball teams and the city’s strong connection to them, the Indy 500 also had its roots in the city’s larger automotive culture.
What Is The Connectedness Of The City, The Stadium, And The Race Track?
If you’ve been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you know that on the exterior it looks a little like a mall with a sports arena in the middle. In fact, it was originally envisioned as a community center with offices, hotels, and restaurants on the outside, and an exhibition hall, a movie theater, and shops and restaurants on the inside. The original plans called for the whole thing to be surrounded by a covered arcade, so that even fans of all ages could come together. Unfortunately, the design didn’t leave much room for nature, and the planned outdoor plaza is very small – there’s not even enough room for a garbage can.
The connection between the three structures is actually quite complex, and goes back to the early 20th century in Indianapolis. What was then known as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was actually the site of the Indiana State Fair, which had been taking place annually since 1871. The state fairgrounds were the location of several other exhibitions and fairs, including the American Horse Show, the Indy 500, National Police Exhibitions, and the National Hot-Wire Autoshow. In 1913, the state legislature passed a bill that allowed the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to be used for auto races – as it turned out, this was something that had been missing from the fairgrounds for several years. So when the bill was first proposed, many in the community objected, feeling that the race track would take away from the purity of the state fair. However, when push came to shove, the track’s design and location quickly won people over.
The American Association for Police Organizations (A.A.P.O.), a national organization that sponsors a police collegiate basketball tournament every year, had their headquarters in Indianapolis at the time and started an active chapter there. They regularly hosted their tournaments at the state fairgrounds, which were still called the Indianapolis Speedway back then, and eventually grew to adopt the entire facility as their home. So it was natural for them to want to keep the race track as part of their larger headquarters.
The Early Years Of The Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway began its life as the “Indianapolis Oval” in 1912, when Walter Brennan, a businessman and president of the Indiana State Fair Board, convinced the City Council to let him build a racetrack on the fairgrounds. This track, designed by the famous architect Harry Houdaille, would have a permanent surface and be equipped with a drainage system. What it lacked in size (with a circumference of only 600 yards) it more than made up for in innovation. For example, the track was one of the first in the world to have its turns contoured, instead of being flat like a traditional race track. This made for a much more exciting ride (and arguably much safer as well).
The Indianapolis 500 were originally only open to drivers from Indiana and Kentucky, as it was felt that there were enough car owners in those two states to make it a viable annual race. Other states were permitted to enter their cars, but only if they were “demonstrators,” a kind of precursor to the IndyCAR series. The first Indianapolis 500 was held on May 3rd, 1914, and was won by Louis “Red” Herring, a driving instructor at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While the Indianapolis 500 has always been associated with Indianapolis, it was actually initially a “sister” race to the Chicago Grand Prix, which was organized by the same group of businessmen in 1914. The Indianapolis 500 grew in popularity throughout the 1920s, and many racetracks all over the country started copying Houdaille’s innovative track design. In fact, the term “oval” became associated with race tracks around the country, since so many tracks followed Houdaille’s example.
The Indianapolis 500 was the king of the sports world in the 1920s and 1930s, drawing huge crowds and dominating newspaper sports pages. In 1924, the first Indianapolis 500 was covered by the New York Times, and for decades, the Times and the AP were the only two papers that would regularly cover the event. Naturally, all of this popularity attracted the attention of professional football teams, which were on the verge of expanding their reach into the mainstream. It wasn’t long before the National Football League (NFL) and the All-America Football Conference (formerly the American Football League) (the “AAFC”) sought to gain some foothold in Indianapolis.