Interesting racing history for you fans.....

[Big Muddy]

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That’s a lot of asphalt! This core sample from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway shows just how much resurfacing has taken place since the track was built in 1909. According to this core sample, the racetrack first began as creek gravel and limestone course back when it first opened. After that, a layer of bricks was put down, giving the track its iconic nickname. In fact, some of that brick remains in the form of a one-yard wide strip at the start/finish line when the entire surface was transitioned into asphalt in 1961. We all know that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is home to the Indianapolis 500, but did you know the famed racetrack isn’t really in Indianapolis? It is technically in the adjacent town of Speedway, Indiana.

[DeputyDog]

It’s pretty cool that they have never torn up the old surfaces. That’s why a lot of people claim to have one of the bricks that used to pave the track but there aren’t many of them out there. The only place the bricks were removed and not just paved over is where tunnels have been put in for access to the infield.

I have a brick that is supposedly one of the bricks from the track. It’s from the same time period and from one of the companies that provided bricks for the track but there is no way to verify if it was actually one that was part of the track at any time or not.


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[Thumper]

Nice core sample ... but now they have a big ol' hole in the track! ;)

[DeputyDog]

That sample was taken either last fall or early this spring before the 500 was ran. I think they kept that sample and put it on display at the museum inside the speedway.

The track president, Doug Boles, posted that photo on his Twitter account when they took the sample and it got a huge response and a lot of retweet’s so they decided to keep it.


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[Chicken Dinner]

That’s pretty cool.


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