Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500 automobile race Also known as: Indy 500 Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Aug 14, 2023 • Article History Listen to article 4 minutes Indianapolis 500 , byname Indy 500 , U.S. automobile race held annually from 1911, except for the war years 1917–18 and 1942–45. The race is always run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, a suburban enclave of Indianapolis , Indiana . Drawing crowds of several hundred thousand people, the race is among the world’s best-attended single-day sporting events. It is held on the weekend of the country’s Memorial Day holiday. Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909 as a testing facility for the local automotive industry . The track was first paved with crushed rock and tar but was soon repaved with brick; hence, the speedway is often called the “Brickyard.” Resurfacing with asphalt h...