The month of May is upon us. Race fans across the country gear up for the Indianapolis 500. With that comes all the fun and excitement that the month of May brings the town of Speedway, Indiana. There is history rich in tradition in this little town and little known facts about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Here are some fun facts about the Indianapolis 500 as reported by Wikipedia.com and Indy500.com.
- Indy cars accelerate from 0 mph to 100 mph in 4 seconds.
- The first race was on May 30, 1911 and was won by Ray Harroun.
- Its is considered bad luck to enter and exit from the same side of the car.
- Fewest cars to finish the Indy 500 was 7 in 1966
- Green cars are also considered bad luck at the Indianapolis 500.
- In spring of 1909 the speedway was constructed of 328 acres of land 5 miles northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Ray Harroun race winnings were $14,250. Last years winner, Scott Dixon, took home $1.76 million.
- The Indy 500 seats more than 250,000 people, giving it the title of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing".
- The track was once paved with 3.2 million bricks giving it the name the "Brickyard".
- The fastest official lap turned at the speedway was 237.498 mph by Arie Luyendyk qualifying May 12, 1996.
- Troy Ruttman was 22 years old when he won the 36th Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1952, making him the youngest winner.
- Al Unser was 47 years, 360 days old when he won the 71st Indianapolis 500 on May 24, 1987, making him the oldest winner.
- When peanut shells were found in the seat of a crashed car in 1940's, they became known as bad luck.
- Indy car drivers experience up to 4 times their body weight in turns at the Indianapolis motor speedway.
- Louis Meyer was the first driver to drink milk after winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1936.
- When the track was built, the race was promoted as the "International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race" from 1911-1916.Adopted from www.associatedcontent.com
