Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. Constructed in 1909, it is the original speedway, the first racing facility so named.

In 1909, the track was paved with bricks. Before the work was completed, locals nicknamed the track the "Brickyard". The final brick added to the track was made of gold and laid in a special ceremony by Governor Thomas R. Marshall.

Today, 3 feet (0.91 m), or one yard, of original bricks remain at the start-finish line.

Considered relatively flat by American standards, the track is a two-and-a-half mile, nearly rectangular oval with dimensions that have remained essentially unchanged since its inception: four quarter-mile (400 m) turns, two 5⁄8-mile-long (1,000 m) straightaways between the fourth and first turns and the second and third turns, and two 1⁄8-mile (200 m) short straightaways, termed "short chutes", between the first and second, and third and fourth turns.