100 years ago today, 17 December 1909, the last brick was laid in the original paving of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It soon gained the name "The Brickyard." The bricks came from the Wabash Clay Company. Over the years, more and more of the track was covered with asphalt.
Today, there is a single yard of bricks at the Start-Finish line. The yard wide strip extends through the pits and across the Pagoda Plaza behind the inside grandstand.
Several important pieces of Indianapolis Motor Speedway history -- bricks from the racing surface and the contract between IMS and Wabash Clay Company for purchase the bricks in September 1909 -- will be on display today in the IMS Administration Building lobby. That's the large glass building beside the Main Gate at the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road. Fans are invited to view and take photos of the pieces on display.
I remember an incident during the original U.S.G.P. at Indy in 2000. It was the first time they held a race with a standing start. It was soon discovered that the F1 cars really didn't like the sudden change in paving with Launch Control. To solve the problem, the grid was moved back one line. This gave the front row cars enough space to get a grip on the asphalt.