Indianapolis 500 Chronicle

In a world with its share of motivated and daring people, there are many places that have become symbols of achievement, the pinnacle of success, and for many race car drivers, it is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s 2 1/2 miles of track have been making heroes, breaking hearts, and creating indelible memories since 1911, when the first of the Speedway's famed 500-mile races was held on a brick surface that gave the track its deceptively quaint nickname—The Brickyard.Indianapolis 500 Chronicle captures the tradition and the excitement of racing's greatest spectacle. Along the way, it charts the changes that have left their marks on the cars, the drivers, the fans, and the Speedway itself. With thousands of photographs, it covers nearly every car ever entered for the race, and it affords a candid, action-packed view of more than 80 races that have woven themselves deeply into the fabric of American motor-sports history from 1911 to 1998.Author Rick Popely, a freelance automotive journalist and devoted racing fan, describes each 500 and the events leading up to them in an engaging "you are there" style that hums with all the excitement of race day. Meanwhile, Indianapolis native L. Spencer Riggs, who has written extensively about auto racing, dips into his considerable trove of Indy lore for behind-the-scenes stories of the people and events that have helped make the Indianapolis 500 the great sporting event that it is.While the story of the 500 starts in 1911, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway traces its beginning to 1909, when it was built by a group of four Indianapolis businessmen headed by Carl Fisher. The tale of those early years is told as well.Prior to World War I, which interrupted the races in 1917 and 1918, word of Indy's purse and prestige proved an irresistible lure to European drivers and car manufacturers. Their successes established the Indianapolis 500 as a truly international event in its earliest years. To this day, drivers from around the world still make the trek to the American Midwest in search of the riches and fame that can only be won by triumphing at Indianapolis.The vast majority of the men and women who have put their skills and sometimes their lives on the line have been homegrown favorites, however. Their names ring down through time, from Tommy Milton, the first multiple winner in the Twenties, to Louis Meyer, Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Bill Vukovich, A. J. Foyt, Bobby and Al Unser, Johnny Rutherford, and Rick Mears.Indianapolis 500 Chronicle is also the story of those who never won the race, but endeared themselves to fans nonetheless: Johnny Aitken, Barney Oldfield, Rex Mays, Ted Horn, Tony Bettenhausen, Eddie Sachs, Jim Hurtubise, Lloyd Ruby, and so many others. Not forgotten either are the mechanics and car owners whose vision (and sometimes odd hunches) created unforgettable racing machines. The stories of those who built and nurtured the great raceway are included, too, from Carl Fisher, to the Hulman and George families who keep the Indy 500 vital and exciting.