The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and formerly the home of the United States Grand Prix and the Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix. It is located west of Downtown Indianapolis.
Constructed in 1909, it is the second purpose-built, banked oval racing circuit after Brooklands and the first to be called a 'speedway'. It was the brainchild of entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, who envisioned a proving ground for the budding automobile industry. It is the third-oldest permanent automobile race track in the world, behind Brooklands and the Milwaukee Mile. With a permanent seating capacity of 257,325,
The track is a rectangular oval with dimensions that have remained essentially unchanged since its construction. It has two straightaways, four geometrically identical turns, connected by two short straightaways, termed "short chutes", between turns 1 and 2, and between turns 3 and 4. The turns have 9°12' banking, considered relatively flat by American standards.
A modern, FIA Grade One infield road course was completed in 2000, incorporating part of the oval, including the main stretch and the southwest turn, measuring . In 2008, and again in 2014, the road course layout was modified to accommodate motorcycle racing, as well as to improve competition. Altogether, the current grounds have expanded from an original on which the speedway was first built to cover an area of over . Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, it is the only such site to be affiliated with automotive racing history.
In addition to the Indianapolis 500, the speedway also hosts NASCAR's Brickyard 400 and Pennzoil 250. From 2000 to 2007, the speedway hosted the Formula One United States Grand Prix, and from 2008 to 2015 the Moto GP. The speedway served as the venue for the opening ceremonies for the 1987 Pan American Games.
On the grounds of the speedway is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which opened in 1956, and houses the Hall of Fame. The museum moved into its current building located in the infield in 1976. Also on the grounds is the Brickyard Crossing Golf Resort, which originally opened as the Speedway Golf Course in 1929. The golf course has 14 holes outside the track, along the backstretch, and four holes in the infield. The site is among the most visited attractions in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, with 1 million guests annually. The track is nicknamed "The Brickyard", and the venue self-describes as the "Racing Capital of the World". The garage area is known as Gasoline Alley, though Indy 500 racecars have used methanol and currently ethanol.
The Speedway is owned by Penske Entertainment group which is 67% controlled by Roger Penske's company Penske Corporation, with Fox Corporation owing a 33% stake in the company since July 2025, following its 2019 purchase of Hulman & Company and its assets, which included the Speedway, the IndyCar Series, and associated enterprises. Carl G. Fisher, along with investors James A. Allison, Arthur C. Newby, and Frank H. Wheeler comprised the founding ownership group. World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker was the track's second owner (1927–1945), and incidentally he also drove in the Indianapolis 500 four times. Tony Hulman purchased the track from Eddie Rickenbacker following World War II, and the Hulman/George family owned the track for three generations (1945–2019).
History
Early history
thumb|left|[[Carl G. Fisher|Carl Graham Fisher (1874–1938) of Greensburg, Indiana, an American vehicle parts and highway entrepreneur and the co-founder and first president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 1909]]
Indianapolis businessman Carl G. Fisher first envisioned building the speedway in 1905 after assisting friends racing in France and seeing that Europe held the upper hand in automobile design and craftsmanship. Fisher began thinking of a better means of testing cars before delivering them to consumers. At the time, racing was just getting started on horse tracks and public roads. Fisher noticed how dangerous and ill-suited the makeshift courses were for racing and testing. He also argued that spectators did not get their money's worth, as they were able to get only a brief glimpse of cars speeding down a linear road.
Fisher proposed building a circular track long with smooth surfaces. Such a track would give manufacturers a chance to test cars at sustained speeds and give drivers a chance to learn their limits. Fisher predicted speeds could reach up to on a course. He visited the Brooklands circuit outside London in 1907, and after viewing the banked layout, it solidified his determination to build the speedway.
left|thumb|Artist's rendition of the original speedway plan (not a photograph)
Fisher began looking around the Indianapolis area for a site to build his track; he rejected two potential sites before finding level farmland, Pressley Farm, totaling about outside Indianapolis. In December 1908, he convinced James A. Allison, Arthur C. Newby, and Frank H. Wheeler to join him in purchasing the property for $72,000. The group incorporated the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company on March 20, 1909, with a capitalization of $250,000, with Fisher and James Allison in for $75,000 apiece and Frank Wheeler and Arthur Newby on board for $50,000 each. The event drew a reported 40,000 people. These early events were largely planned by one of the top names in early auto racing promotion, Ernest Moross, who earned fame for his bold and sometimes outlandish barnstorming events at fairgrounds tracks with racing star Barney Oldfield.
left|thumb|[[Louis Schwitzer won the first auto race held at the Speedway, a 5-mile, two lap event held on August 19, 1909]]
On August 19, 1909, fifteen carmakers' teams arrived at the track for practice. The track surface again became a concern with drivers being covered in dirt, oil, and tar and with ruts and chuckholes beginning to form in the turns. Speedway workers oiled and rolled the track prior to the gates opening to the public. Fifteen to twenty thousand spectators showed up, paying at the most $1 for a ticket. Louis Schwitzer won the first race held, a 5-mile, two lap event. Halfway through the first event, race leader Louis Chevrolet was temporarily blinded when a stone smashed his goggles. William Bourque, driving in a Knox, suffered a suspected rear-axle failure resulting in his car flipping end over end on the front stretch before crashing into a fence post. Both he and his mechanic, Harry Halcomb, died at the scene. Today, , or one yard, of original bricks remain exposed at the start-finish line.
In December 1909, eleven drivers and a few motorcyclists returned for speed trials. Drivers soon reached speeds of up to on the new surface. In the end, Johnny Aitken, in a Peugeot, would win all three events, his final victories at the facility. The Harvest Classic contests were the last races other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held on the grounds for seventy-eight years.
Racing was interrupted in 1917–1918 by World War I when the facility served as a military aviation repair and refueling depot, designated the Speedway Aviation Repair Depot, commanded by Captain Patrick Frissell. When racing resumed, speeds quickly increased.
In 1921, speedway co-founder Wheeler committed suicide.
At the 1925 event, Pete DePaolo became the first to average for the race,
In July 1926, the neighborhood around the racetrack voted to incorporate itself (along with the track) as the independent town of Speedway, Indiana.
In 1926, Fisher and Allison were offered "a fortune" for the speedway site by a local real estate developer. Rickenbacker built a golf course in the infield. It was also the first diesel entrant.
In 1933, a record 42 cars started the 500. For 1934, a maximum fuel consumption limit was imposed, .
Many of the locals expected that the speedway would be sold after the war and become a housing development. With the end of the war in sight, on November 29, 1944, three-time 500 winner Wilbur Shaw came back to do a tire test approved by the government for Firestone. Shaw was shocked at the dilapidated state of the speedway and contacted owner Eddie Rickenbacker, only to discover that it was for sale. Shaw then sent out letters to the automobile industry to try to find a buyer. All the responses indicated that the speedway would be turned into a private facility for the buyer. Shaw then looked around for someone to buy the speedway who would reopen the racetrack as a public venue. He found Terre Haute businessman Tony Hulman. Meetings were set up and the speedway was purchased on November 14, 1945. Though not officially acknowledged, the purchase price for the speedway was reported by the Indianapolis Star and News to be $750,000. Major renovations and repairs were made at a quick pace to the frail speedway, in time for the 1946 race. Since the record 42 cars that started the 1933 edition of the 500, the field size has been set at 33 drivers, with only three exceptions to this rule, the first being 1947, when only 30 cars started due to a strike by certain teams affiliated with the ASPAR drivers, owners and sponsors association.
1979 saw the second exception to the 1934 33-driver field rule. By the late 1970s there arose some resistance from certain car owners and drivers as to the direction being taken by USAC, the auto racing sanctioning body that among other things, governed the Indianapolis 500 event. Some of the dissident teams formed their own racing body, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). USAC responded by barring six of the most famous teams in the sport from qualification (including Roger Penske and Dan Gurney), for "undermining the well-being of USAC". The ruling would sideline former Indy winners Bobby Unser, Al Unser Sr., Gordon Johncock, and Johnny Rutherford. After a court injunction in favor of CART, and a controversy where exhaust pipe rules were clarified after qualifications began and certain teams with an altered exhaust pipe were "locked into" the field, USAC held an additional qualification round on the day before the race, announcing that any driver who could post a faster speed than the slowest qualifier (Roger McCluskey) would be allowed to start the race. Bill Vukovich and George Snider were added to the lineup, bringing the field to 35. A crisis was averted for the moment, but USAC's handling of both issues was seen as bungling by some people, and as outright manipulation by others, and that year spelled the beginning of the end for USAC's governance of the Indy Car series.
The 1980s brought a new generation of speedsters, led by four-time race winner Rick Mears who also broke the speed mark in qualifying (1989) and won six pole positions. Other stars of the decade included Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal, and F1 veteran Emerson Fittipaldi. The 1989 race came down to a final ten-lap, a thrilling duel between Fittipaldi and Al Unser Jr., culminating in Unser crashing in the third turn of the 199th lap after making contact with Fittpaldi's right front tire.
Buddy Rice became the first American driver since 1998 to win the race in the rain-shortened 2004 Indianapolis 500. At the time, Rice drove for the team co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and the Indiana native television talk show host and comedian David Letterman. In 2005, Danica Patrick became the first female driver to lead the race at Indianapolis, after acquiring it for a lap near the mark while cycling through pit stops. Dan Wheldon would go on to win the 2005 Indianapolis 500. The 2016 race saw another American race winner when rookie Alexander Rossi stretched his fuel mileage to record an upset win in a race where he had been off the leaders' pace.
The 2017 race saw former Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso take off from the Monaco Grand Prix to take part in a one-off event, being highly competitive up front before his engine blew. The races' polesitter and 2008 winner Scott Dixon escaped a huge airborne crash largely unhurt. In spite of heavy crashes, the speedway had now gone more than 20 years without a fatality as the SAFER barriers and the enhanced IndyCars absorbed more of the violent impacts. The race was eventually won by Takuma Sato, who became the first Japanese and Asian winner of the event.
In 2018, Australian former series' champions Will Power won the race after a decade of participation as the first Australian to win the 500, whereas his Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud repeated that feat, becoming the first French winner of the race since 1920, in 2019 after a last-lap duel with 2016 winner Rossi.
Start of Penske era (2020s)
In 2020, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as with IndyCar Series and other related holdings, was sold to Penske Entertainment Corp., a subsidiary of the Penske Corporation, owned by Roger Penske.
In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indianapolis 500 was not held in late May and instead was held in August. 2017 winner Takuma Sato won the race for the second time after taking lead at lap 186.
In 2021, Brazilian three-time winner Hélio Castroneves won the race after a late-race duel with Álex Palou; he joined A. J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears as four-time winners; this race was also the first victory for Meyer Shank Racing.
In May 2022, IMS announced it had become a Caesars Sportsbook partner beginning with the NTT Indy car series' GMR Grand Prix on May 14. As part of the deal, the gaming operator opened the Caesars Sportsbook Lounge at the track's Pagoda Plaza.
Overview of different track layouts
Since 2000, various road course layouts have been used for additional races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
Other racing events
NASCAR
From 1919 to 1993, the Indianapolis 500 was the only sanctioned race held at the Speedway. When Tony George (Hulman's grandson) inherited the track, he spearheaded an effort to bring more racing events to the track. In August 1994, the Brickyard 400 for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series made its debut, and at the time, featured the largest crowd and largest cash purse in NASCAR history. From 1998 to 2003, an IROC event was held as a support race. The Cup race followed suit in 2021 and was renamed the Verizon 200.
Formula One
thumb|right|The [[2000 United States Grand Prix was the first event at IMS to be held clockwise.]]
In 1998, Tony George arranged for Formula One to return to the United States for the first time since 1991. A two-year renovation and construction project added an infield road course, new pit garages and a new Pagoda building containing race control and the media center. The road course had been designed internally by IMS in 1992, with the Brickyard golf course redesign taking the future road course into account.thumb|Cars wind through the infield section at the start of the 2003 United States Grand Prix.
The short history of the event, however, was littered with controversies. The 2002 United States Grand Prix was marred by a bizarre ending, in which Michael Schumacher, having already clinched the championship, seemingly tried to stage a dead heat with teammate Rubens Barrichello. The official timings showed Barrichello ahead by 0.011 seconds at the line, leading fans and media to dub the event a farce. The 2002 race was also the first-ever Formula One race to use SAFER barriers. In 2003 Schumacher once more set himself up for the title with an Indianapolis win in a dramatic wet-dry event. The 2005 race turned out to be one of the most controversial races in motorsport history. Michelin realized their tires were ill-equipped for the banking after two heavy crashes for Toyota both for Ralf Schumacher and stand-in Ricardo Zonta, and at the last second, the Michelin teams pulled into the pits at the end of the formation lap, leaving only the three Bridgestone teams (six cars) to contest the race. In 2012, the U.S. Grand Prix relocated to the Circuit of the Americas.
MotoGP
From 2008 to 2015, the speedway hosted a round of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The race marked the first motorcycle racing event at the facility since 1909.
Modifications approved by the FIA and FIM were made to the combined road course, bringing the new layout to a total of 16 turns. The motorcycle course was designed to run counter-clockwise, the same direction as the oval events. The banking of oval turn one was bypassed by a new infield section, dubbed the "Snake Pit Complex". In addition, the double-hairpin after the Hulman Straight was replaced with traditional esses.
On September 12, 2019, the Speedway announced motorcycle racing will return on the FIM-approved circuit with the MotoAmerica Championship of Indianapolis, which will be part of the Motorcycles on Meridian motorcycle festival. The Indianapolis festival will join Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (American Flat Track) and Daytona Beach Bike Week (Daytona 200 American Sportbike Racing Association championship) as hosts of major motorcycle racing events that run with motorcycle festivals. It will mark MotoAmerica's first race at the Speedway since 2015, and the first as a stand-alone race with the five major championships participating.
IndyCar Grand Prix
thumb|Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the [[2026 Sonsio Grand Prix]]
Beginning in 2014, the IndyCar Series began holding a race on the combined road course in early May, serving as a lead-in to the Indianapolis 500. The infield road course was modified once again, to make the circuit more competitive, better for fans, and more suited for Indy cars.
Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational
The Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, held in mid-June, is a racing meet for vintage racing, held on the road course. The event is sanctioned by the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association. In addition to multiple classes of racing on the road course, oval track exhibitions featuring historical Indy cars have also been part of the event. The feature event of the weekend is the annual Indy Legends Charity Pro–Am race.
Indy Autonomous Challenge
In October 2021 the IMS was the location for the first race with full autonomous race cars as a successor of the DARPA Grand Challenge. University teams from all over the world competed in developing software for high speed autonomous driving on the IMS oval. All teams were using a Dallara Indy Lights vehicle equipped with sensors (lidar, radar, camera) and computation hardware. The teams development a full autonomous driving software stack that enables perception, planning and control on the racetrack. The competition was won by the team "TUM Autonomous Motorsport" from the Technical University of Munich which was awarded prize money of $1 million.
Brickyard Crossing Golf Course
From 1960 to 1968, the Speedway Golf Course hosted a PGA Tour event, the 500 Festival Open Invitation; its earlier editions were held during the days surrounding the Indy 500 race week. In 1968, it also held an LPGA tournament, the 500 Ladies Classic in mid-June, won by Mickey Wright. A reconstruction project was completed in 1993, converting the 27-hole layout (18 holes outside, nine in the infield) to an 18-hole championship course designed by legendary golf architect Pete Dye. Renamed "Brickyard Crossing", it features 14 holes outside, and four holes in the infield, with an infield lake. At par 72, it measures from the back tees with a course rating of 75.1 and a slope of 149.
A senior tour event, the Brickyard Crossing Championship, was played there from 1994 through 2000, and it has also hosted college tournaments. An LPGA event, Indy Women in Tech Championship, debuted in 2017.
Other events
alt=A row of runners|thumb|[[500 Festival Mini-Marathon participants at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2018]]
thumb|IMS hosted the [[2016 Red Bull Air Race World Championship's seventh round.]]
- The 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, a half marathon held annually in May since 1977 (except 2020), includes one lap around the track. The event marks the official start to the "Month of May" events preceding the Indianapolis 500.
- August 8, 1987: IMS hosted the opening ceremonies for the 1987 Pan American Games before 80,000 spectators. IMS also hosted the games' speed roller skating competition on August 9, 11–12.
- IMS hosted the Centennial Era Balloon Festival presented by AT&T on May 1–3, 2009; May 8, 2010; and May 7, 2011.
- Since the mid-2000s, the speedway has occasionally hosted USAC quarter midget races on an infield oval.
- January 31, 2012: The Pagoda at IMS hosted nearly 3,500 guests for the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee kickoff event leading to Super Bowl XLVI.
- October 2016–October 2018: IMS hosted rounds of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
- 2016–2019: IMS hosts a 2-mile drive of Christmas lights in the infield and on the main straightaway of the track during the holiday season. It was cancelled in October 2020 and has not returned since.
- April 16, 2020: IMS hosted the track's first funeral, a service for Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Breann Leath.
- May 23, 2020: IMS hosted a mobile food drive serving thousands of residents experiencing food insecurity.
- May 30, 2020: Speedway Senior High School held its 2020 graduation ceremony at IMS due to the ability for attendees to practice social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- March 2021: IMS hosted mass vaccination clinics in partnership with the Indiana Department of Health in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- May 17, 2022: Judge Tanya Walton Pratt presided over the track's first naturalization ceremony at Pagoda Plaza.
- April 8, 2024: The Speedway hosted an eclipse-viewing event in conjunction with Purdue University.
- May 23, 2025: The Speedway and Oscar Mayer host the Wienie 500, a race between six Wienermobiles, representing 6 sections of the United States.
Event list
; Current
- May: IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 & Sonsio Grand Prix, Indy NXT Grand Prix of Indianapolis, USF Pro 2000 Championship, USF2000 Championship
- June: Sportscar Vintage Racing Association Indy Legends Charity Pro–Am race, Trans-Am Series Indy SpeedTour, Formula Regional Americas Championship
- July: NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400, NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Pennzoil 250
- September: IMSA SportsCar Championship IMSA Battle on the Bricks, Michelin Pilot Challenge, Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, Mazda MX-5 Cup
- October: Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hour, GT World Challenge America, GT America Series, GT4 America Series, TC America Series, McLaren Trophy America, Toyota Gazoo Racing Cup North America
; Former
- Atlantic Championship Series (2017)
- F1600 Championship Series (2017)
- F2000 Championship Series (2017)
- Ferrari Challenge North America (2000–2002, 2019–2022, 2024–2025)
- FIM eRoad Racing World Cup (2013)
- Formula 4 United States Championship (2017)
- Formula BMW USA (2004–2007)
- Formula One
- Indianapolis 500 (1950–1960)
- United States Grand Prix (2000–2007)
- Grand Prix motorcycle racing
- Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix (2008–2015)
- IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge (2024)
- IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge (2007)
- IndyCar Series
- Gallagher Grand Prix (2020–2023)
- Indy Autonomous Challenge (2021, 2024)
- Indy Lights
- Freedom 100 (2003–2019)
- International Race of Champions
- IROC at Indy (1998–2003)
- MotoAmerica
- MotoAmerica Superbikes at the Brickyard (2015, 2020)
- NASCAR Cup Series
- Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (2021–2023)
- NASCAR Xfinity Series
- Pennzoil 150 (2020–2023)
- NASCAR Winston Transcontinental Series (1994)
- Porsche Sprint Challenge North America (2021–2023)
- Porsche Supercup (2000–2006)
- Rolex Sports Car Series
- Brickyard Grand Prix (2012–2013)
- SCCA National Championship Runoffs (2017, 2021)
- Stadium Super Trucks (2014)
Headquarters
thumb|right|USAC headquarters in Speedway, Indiana, in 2016. The building was located on 16th Street, less than a block from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (track is visible behind).
The opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909 dates back close to the birth of the sport of American Championship car racing. Since its inception, the Speedway has been metonymous within the sport. Many Indy car teams, suppliers, and constructors have been and are based in the greater Indianapolis area, some within blocks of the track. When USAC was formed in 1956, the sanctioning body's headquarters were constructed nearly across the street. The current sanctioning body, IndyCar, is headquartered in buildings directly across the street.
The track, and occasionally the headquarters, is sometimes referred to as "16th & Georgetown", owing to the track's address at the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, and particularly the administration building's physical location at the corner of that intersection (which is now a roundabout).
The Speedway and the city of Indianapolis are closely tied to Indy car racing, analogous to the link NASCAR has to the greater Charlotte area. The term "Indy" and its variations synonymous with motorsports ("Indy 500", "Indy car", etc.) derive directly from the shorthand nickname ("Indy") of the city ("Indianapolis") itself.
Records
Indianapolis 500 (IndyCar Series)
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!rowspan=2|Type
!colspan=3|Distance
!rowspan=2|Date
!rowspan=2|Driver
!rowspan=2|Time
!colspan=2|Average speed
|-
!Laps
!mi.
!km
!mph
!km/h
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Practice
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 2.500
| style="text-align:center;"| 4.023
| style="text-align:center;"| May 10, 1996
|| Arie Luyendyk
| style="text-align:center;"| 0:37.6160
| style="text-align:center;"| 239.260
| style="text-align:center;"| 385.052
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Pole (First Qualifying)
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
| style="text-align:center;"| 10.000
| style="text-align:center;"| 16.109
| style="text-align:center;"| May 19, 2024
|| Scott McLaughlin
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:33.7017
| style="text-align:center;"| 234.220
| style="text-align:center;"| 376.940
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| (Second Qualifying)
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 2.500
| style="text-align:center;"| 4.023
| style="text-align:center;"| May 12, 1996
|| Arie Luyendyk
| style="text-align:center;"| 0:37.8950
| style="text-align:center;"| 237.498
| style="text-align:center;"| 382.216
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| (Second Qualifying)
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
| style="text-align:center;"| 10.000
| style="text-align:center;"| 16.109
| style="text-align:center;"| May 12, 1996
|| Arie Luyendyk
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:31.908
| style="text-align:center;"| 236.986
| style="text-align:center;"| 381.392
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Race
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 2.500
| style="text-align:center;"| 4.023
| style="text-align:center;"| May 26, 1996
|| Eddie Cheever
| style="text-align:center;"| 0:38.119
| style="text-align:center;"| 236.103
| style="text-align:center;"| 379.971
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Race
| style="text-align:center;"| 200
| style="text-align:center;"| 500
| style="text-align:center;"| 804.7
| style="text-align:center;"| May 30, 2021
|| Hélio Castroneves
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:37:19.3846
| style="text-align:center;"| 190.690
| style="text-align:center;"| 306.886
|}
Brickyard 400 (NASCAR Cup Series)
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Type
!Distance
!Date
!Driver
!Time
!Average speed
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Qualifying<br />(1 lap)
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;" | July 26, 2014
|| Kevin Harvick
| style="text-align:center;" | 0:47.647
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Race<br />(1 lap)
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| September 10, 2018
|| Kevin Harvick
| style="text-align:center;"| 0:48.638
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Race<br />(160 laps)
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| August 5, 2000
|| Bobby Labonte
| style="text-align:center;"| 2:33:55.979
| style="text-align:center;"|
|}
United States Grand Prix (Formula One)
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Type
!Distance
!Date
!Driver
!Time
!Average speed
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Practice*<br />(1 lap)
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| June 19, 2004
|| Rubens Barrichello
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:09.454
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Qualifying<br />(1 lap)
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| June 19, 2004
|| Rubens Barrichello
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:10.223
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Race<br />(1 lap)
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| June 20, 2004
|| Rubens Barrichello
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:10.399
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Race<br />(73 laps)
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| June 19, 2005
|| Michael Schumacher
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:29:43.181
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|colspan="6"|<nowiki>*</nowiki> All-time track record, IMS original (2000–2007) road course
|}
Grand Prix of Indianapolis (IndyCar Series)
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Type
!Distance
!Date
!Driver
!Time
!Average speed
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Practice<br />(1 lap)
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| May 12, 2017
|| Will Power
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:07.7684
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Qualifying*<br />(1 lap)
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| May 12, 2017
|| Will Power
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:07.7044
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Race<br />(1 lap)
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| May 13, 2017
|| Josef Newgarden
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:09.3888
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Race<br />(85 laps)
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| May 13, 2017
|| Will Power
| style="text-align:center;"| 1:42:57.6108
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|colspan="6"|<nowiki>*</nowiki> All-time track record, IMS reconfigured (2014) road course
|}
Race lap records
As of October 2025, the fastest official race lap records at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are listed as:
{| class="wikitable"
!Category!!Time!!Driver!!Vehicle!!Event
|-
! colspan=5 | Speedway (1909–present):
|-
| IndyCar || 0:38.119 || Eddie Cheever || Lola T95/00 || 1996 Indianapolis 500
|-
| CART || 0:39.281 || Michael Andretti || Lola T92/00 || 1992 Indianapolis 500
|-
| Indy Lights || 0:45.4307 || Santiago Urrutia || Dallara IL-15 || 2017 Freedom 100
|-
| NASCAR Cup || 0:48.638 || Kevin Harvick || Ford Fusion || 2018 Brickyard 400
|-
| NASCAR Xfinity || 0:52.878 || Tyler Reddick || Chevrolet Camaro SS || 2018 Lilly Diabetes 250
|-
! colspan="5" |Dirt Track (2018–present):
|-
| USAC National Midget Championship || 0:12.398 || Mitchel Moles || USAC Midget || 2025 BC39
|-
! colspan=5 | Current Grand Prix Circuit (2014–present):
|-
| IndyCar || 1:09.3888 || Josef Newgarden || Dallara DW12 || 2017 IndyCar Grand Prix
|-
| LMDh || 1:15.524 || Matt Campbell || Porsche 963 || 2023 IMSA Battle on the Bricks
|-
| Indy Lights || 1:15.6953 || Oliver Askew || Dallara IL-15 || 2019 Indy Lights Grand Prix
|-
| LMP2 || 1:16.619 || Ross Gunn || Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH || 2025 IMSA Battle on the Bricks
|-
| Indy Pro 2000 || 1:19.3332 || Kyle Kirkwood || Tatuus PM-18 || 2019 Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of Indianapolis
|-
| DP || 1:19.550 || Ryan Dalziel || Riley MkXXVI || 2014 Brickyard Grand Prix
|-
| LMPC || 1:21.087 || Jack Hawksworth || Oreca FLM09 || 2014 Brickyard Grand Prix
|-
| LMP3 || 1:21.420 || Keith Grant || Swift 016.a || 2017 Indianapolis Atlantic Championship round
|-
| GT3 || 1:22.439 || Raffaele Marciello || Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo || 2022 Indianapolis 8 Hours
|-
| Formula Regional || 1:22.611 || Nicolás Ambiado || Ligier JS F3 || 2025 Indianapolis FR Americas round
|-
| LM GTE || 1:23.248 || Matthew Brabham || Ford Mustang Trans-Am || 2023 Indianapolis Trans-Am round
|-
| Ferrari Challenge || 1:24.561 || Massimo Perrina || Ferrari 296 Challenge || 2025 Indianapolis Ferrari Challenge North America round
|-
| US F2000 || 1:24.7440 || Braden Eves || Tatuus USF-17 || 2019 USF2000 Grand Prix of Indianapolis
|-
| Lamborghini Super Trofeo || 1:24.845 || Ryan Norman || Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 || 2023 Indianapolis Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America round
|-
| Porsche Carrera Cup || 1:25.516 || Riley Dickinson || Porsche 911 (992 I) GT3 Cup || 2023 Indianapolis Porsche Carrera Cup North America round
|-
| McLaren Trophy || 1:26.643 || Jesse Lazare || McLaren Artura Trophy || 2025 Indianapolis McLaren Trophy America round
|-
| SRO GT2 || 1:27.599 || Dan Knox || Mercedes-AMG GT2 || 2024 Indianapolis GT America round
|-
| NASCAR Cup || 1:29.168 || Chase Elliott || Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 || 2023 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard
|-
| GT4 || 1:30.035 || Jesse Lazare || McLaren Artura GT4 || 2023 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 240
|-
| NASCAR Xfinity || 1:30.522 || Austin Cindric || Ford Mustang GT NASCAR || 2020 Pennzoil 150
|-
| Formula 2000 || 1:30.535 || John LaRue || Citation F2000 || 2017 Indianapolis F2000 Championship round
|-
| Formula 4 || 1:31.331 || Kyle Kirkwood || Crawford F4-16 || 2017 Indianapolis F4 United States round
|-
| TCR Touring Car || 1:31.473 || Tyler Gonzalez || Cupra León VZ TCR || 2025 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120
|-
| TA2 || 1:31.557 || Dillon Machavern || Ford Mustang Trans-Am || 2017 Indianapolis Trans-Am round
|-
| Mustang Challenge || 1:34.927 || Tyler Maxson || Ford Mustang Dark Horse R || 2024 Indianapolis Mustang Challenge round
|-
| Formula 1600 || 1:35.031 || David Osborne || Mygale SJ 2012 || 2017 Indianapolis F1600 Championship round
|-
| Toyota GR Cup || 1:39.748 || Spike Kohlbecker || Toyota GR86 || 2025 Indianapolis Toyota GR Cup North America round
|-
| Mazda MX-5 Cup || 1:40.8962 || Michael Carter || Mazda MX-5 (ND) || 2020 Indianapolis Mazda MX-5 Cup round
|-
! colspan="5" | Hybrid Grand Prix (SCCA Runoffs) Circuit (2014–present):
|-
| Formula Atlantic || 1:30.650 || James French || Ralt RT41 || 2021 SCCA National Championship Runoffs Formula Atlantic round
|-
| GT3 || 1:34.089 || Alessandro Pier Guidi || Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 || 2021 Indianapolis 8 Hours
|-
| Porsche Carrera Cup || 1:37.294 || Parker Thompson || Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup || 2021 Indianapolis Porsche Carrera Cup North America round
|-
| SRO GT2 || 1:40.519 || Elias Sabo || Audi R8 LMS GT2 || 2021 Indianapolis GT America round
|-
| GT4 || 1:42.675 || Nathan Byrd || Mygale M14-F4 || 2021 Indianapolis Skip Barber Formula Series round
|-
| TCX || 1:48.351 || Jacob Ruud || BMW M2 ClubSport Racing || 2021 Indianapolis TC America Series round
|-
| Spec Miata || 1:58.837 || Brian Henderson || Mazda Miata || 2021 SCCA National Championship Runoffs Spec Miata round
|-
! colspan=5 | Modified Motorcycle Circuit (2014–present):
|-
| MotoGP || 1:32.625 || Marc Márquez || Honda RC213V || 2015 Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix
|-
| Superbike || 1:36.825 || Lorenzo Zanetti || Ducati Panigale V4 R || 2020 MotoAmerica Superbikes at the Brickyard
|-
| Moto2 || 1:37.275 || Mika Kallio || Kalex Moto2 || 2014 Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix
|-
| Supersport || 1:40.064 || Joe Roberts || Yamaha YZF-R6 || 2015 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Indy
|-
| Moto3 || 1:40.800 || Álex Rins || Honda NSF250RW || 2014 Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix
|-
| Twins Cup || 1:45.144 || Rocco Landers || Suzuki SV650 || 2020 MotoAmerica Superbikes at the Brickyard
|-
| Supersport 300 || 1:50.489 || Rocco Landers || Kawasaki Ninja 400 || 2020 MotoAmerica Superbikes at the Brickyard
|-
! colspan=5 | Modified Grand Prix Road Course (2008–2013):
|-
| DP || 1:22.191 || Scott Pruett || Riley MkXXVI || 2013 Brickyard Grand Prix
|-
| Porsche Carrera Cup || 1:28.858 || Marco Andretti || Dallara IPS || 2005 Grand Prix of Indianapolis
|-
| Porsche Carrera Cup || 1:35.723 || David Saelens || Porsche 911 (997) GT3 Cup || 2005 2nd Indianapolis Porsche Supercup round
|-
| Formula BMW || 1:37.082 || Matt Jaskol || Mygale FB02 || 2004 Indianapolis Formula BMW USA round
|-
| Ferrari Challenge || 1:53.763 || Lewis Bakes || Ferrari 360 Challenge || 2000 Indianapolis Ferrari Challenge North America round
|-
|}
Notes
Seats
In 2004, The Indianapolis Star journalist Curt Cavin counted 257,325 seats, a world record. The number of seats was reduced to an estimated 235,000 in 2013.
Race winners
Oval dimensions
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Region
!Number
!Distance
!Width
!Banking
|-
!Long straightaways
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| each
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 0°
|-
! Short straightaways
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| each
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 0°
|-
! Turns
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
| style="text-align:center;"| each
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 9°12'
|-
!Total/average
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 3°3'
|}
In popular culture
Weather and climate
Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a transitional climate with influences of both subtropical and continental. The nearest official weather station is at the Indianapolis International Airport, located just a few miles from the speedway.
Due to the cold winters, including snow on the track, Indy 500 testing is often impossible during winter months. During the main event in late May, the local climate is transitioning from spring to summer. May is the rainiest month of the year, which makes rain delays a large risk during various parts of the event. Ambient temperatures on average for the month is in the lower 70s Fahrenheit/lower 20s Celsius, with temperatures in the 80s not being uncommon later in the month when the race takes place.
For the Brickyard 400 in the summer, the track is much more prone to heatwaves, with the wet season carrying on into July as well.
The defunct Formula One and MotoGP roval infield road course events ran in June/September and August respectively. Since oval racing is not conducted in wet conditions, the inaugural Formula One Grand Prix became the track's first race under wet conditions, using the oval's Turn 1 in a reverse direction with rain tires. The IndyCar Grand Prix, which is usually run two weeks before the 500, is the main existing road course event and can be run in wet conditions, as can the autumnal race events in September and October, the 6 Hours of Indianapolis for IMSA and the 8 Hours of Indianapolis for the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
See also
- Donald Davidson – historian of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- Ron McQueeney – former IMS Director of Photography from 1977 until 2011
- List of fatalities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- List of attractions and events in Indianapolis
- List of auto racing tracks in the United States
- List of motor racing venues by capacity
- List of IndyCar Series racetracks
- List of NASCAR tracks
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Indiana
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Marion County, Indiana
Notes
References
External links
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Official website
- BBC's circuit guide
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway Page on NASCAR.com
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway from Indianapolis, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway Collection
- Historic Purpose Built Grand Prix Circuits on Google Maps