III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 207 

Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 6, 2009 

Mr. BAYH (for himself and Mr. LUGAR) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor 

Speedway. 

Whereas the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest 

spectator sporting facility in the world, with more than 

250,000 permanent seats; 

Whereas founders Carl G. Fisher, Arthur C. Newby, Frank 

H. Wheeler, and James A. Allison pooled their resources 

in 1909 to build the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 5 

miles from downtown Indianapolis as a testing ground to 

support the growing automotive industry of Indiana; 

Whereas, on August 14, 1909, the first motorized races, 

using motorcycles, took place on the recently completed 

2.5-mile oval, which had a racing surface composed of 

crushed stone and tar; 


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•SRES 207 IS 

Whereas, on August 19, 1909, the first 4-wheeled automobile 

races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway took place; 

Whereas, for 63 days in late 1909, 3,200,000 paving bricks, 

each weighing 9.5 pounds, were laid on top of the 

crushed stone and tar surface to upgrade the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leading the facility to be nicknamed 

‘‘The Brickyard’’; 

Whereas a 3-foot horizontal strip of that original brick remains exposed at the start and finish line, known as the 

‘‘Yard of Bricks’’; 

Whereas, on May 30, 1911, the first Indianapolis 500-mile 

race (in this preamble referred to as the ‘‘Indianapolis 

500’’) took place and was won by Ray Harroun at an average speed of 74.602 miles per hour; 

Whereas the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a pioneer in 

introducing seating areas specifically for people with disabilities; 

Whereas the race car of Ray Harroun, the Marmon ‘‘Wasp’’, 

was the first automobile to use a rearview mirror, one of 

many innovations in automotive technology and safety devised or developed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 

including in 1911 the first use of a Pace Car, in 1921 

the first use of 4-wheel hydraulic brakes, in 1935 the 

first installation of color warning lights, in 1935 the first 

mandatory use of helmets, in 1993 the first use of crashdata recorders, and in 2002 the steel and foam energy 

reduction (SAFER) barrier, an energy-absorbing barrier 

affixed to concrete walls that has become the standard at 

all major oval tracks in the United States; 

Whereas the Indianapolis 500, the largest single-day spectator sporting event in the world, has occurred on every 


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•SRES 207 IS 

Memorial Day weekend since 1911, except during the involvement of the United States in world wars from 1917 

through 1918 and 1942 through 1945; 

Whereas, in 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to 

compete in the Indianapolis 500, making the competition 

the first and only major sport in which men and women 

compete, according to the same rules, against one another; 

Whereas, in 1991, Willy T. Ribbs became the first of several 

African-American drivers to compete in the Indianapolis 

500; 

Whereas, in 2005, Danica Patrick became the first female 

driver to lead the Indianapolis 500 when she took the 

lead near the 140-mile mark; 

Whereas, in 2009, Helio Castroneves became a 3-time winner 

of the Indianapolis 500 and Danica Patrick finished in 

third place, the best finish ever by a woman in the sport; 

Whereas the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, by hosting the 

IndyCar Series, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the 

MotoGP Series, and the Formula One Series, is the only 

facility in the world that has played host to 4 elite racing 

series; 

Whereas nearly every international motorsport icon has competed and won at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears, Dale 

Earnhardt, Mario Andretti, Graham Hill, Jeff Gordon, 

Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Michael Schumacher, 

Lewis Hamilton, and Valentino Rossi; 

Whereas every May since 1981 the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has served as the backdrop for the annual Armed 

Forces Induction Ceremony, in which citizens of Indiana 


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who have volunteered to serve in the Armed Forces are 

administered the oath of enlistment; 

Whereas, in 1987, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was officially listed on the National Park Service list of National 

Historic Landmarks as the oldest continuously operated 

automobile racecourse; and 

Whereas, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has played an 

enormous part in shaping and defining the City of Indianapolis, the State of Indiana, United States motorsports, and the United States automobile industry, and 

is a great source of pride to all citizens of Indiana: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the United States Senate recognizes 

2 the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speed3 way. 

Æ 


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