Indy 500

May 24, 2009

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Profile America — Sunday, May 24th. Excitement has been building during the month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for today’s 93rd running of the annual 500-mile race. This year’s event has a special significance, as this is the 100th anniversary of the opening of the famed track. The first 500-mile race took place in 1911, when the course had been paved with the now legendary bricks, resulting in the enduring nickname, “The Brickyard.” When the first Indy 500-mile race was held, horses outnumbered cars by more than 30-to-1. Now, there are 15 registered passenger cars for every horse in the country. In recent years, the most popular automobile races across the U.S. are NASCAR events, witnessed by 12.5 million fans each year. Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau, now preparing for the 2010 Census.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 283
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 716
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 1206
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009edition.html