The fourth race of the series brings us here, to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
known worldwide as ‘The Brickyard’ due to its unique construction when back in the fall of 1909 Carl G. Fisher repaved the circuit with 3.2 million bricks.
A “Yard of Bricks” at the start-finish line is the only exposed part of the original surface left at the historic 2.5-mile track.
Of course, the track is most famous for being home to the legendary Indianapolis 500.
Run since 1911, the ‘Indy 500’ is the biggest motor race in the world,
drawing a Race Day crowd of over four hundred thousand people and a worldwide TV audience of millions.
The Indy 500 is the centerpiece of the series, and victory here is the crowning achievement of any racing career.
Largely unchanged since its construction, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has four turns, each banked at nine degrees
and measuring exactly 440 yards from entrance to exit,
linked together by a pair of long straights and two short straights to form a rectangular-shaped two and a half mile track
that fits the boundaries of the original plot of land almost exactly.
The uniqueness of the track is matched by its qualification procedure, which is designed to filter out the large list of entrants down to a field of thirty-three drivers.
This is the only race in the season where a poor qualification time could lead to you being ‘bumped’ off the starting grid.
Cars here are set up with the low downforce speedway wing configuration.
With practice, it’s possible to take the circuit flat out, but don’t forget though that this a tough race,
and victory does not go to the driver who leads the field at the first corner,
but to the one who most effectively combines stamina, skill and strategy.
Pace yourself, take it easy, and above all soak up the atmosphere and drama of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.