May 30, 1911: The 1st Indianapolis 500

May 30, 1911: The 1st Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is held. It is won by Ray Harroun, a 32-year-old Pennsylvanian.

(I had resisted adding auto racing events to this feature, because I don't like the event, and consider it to not be a sport. I finally changed my mind, given how many people are interested.)

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909, about 6 miles west of downtown Indianapolis, by Carl G. Fisher, who got rich in the automotive and real estate businesses. He combined the two with what is often said to be the 1st automobile dealership in America.

With a permanent capacity of 257,325 seats, it is the largest structure in the world built for the purpose of sports. (The largest stadium currently in use for sports other than auto or horse racing is the Narendra Modi Stadium, a 132,000-seat cricket facility in Ahmedabad, India.)

The oval track is 2.5 miles in length, and before it was asphalt, the track was brick, giving the track the nickname "The Old Brickyard." Today, 3 feet of original bricks remain exposed at the start-finish line. In addition to the "Indy 500," the Speedway is home to the Brickyard 400, and also hosted the United States Grand Prix and the Indianapolis Motorcycle Grand Prix. A major renovation was completed in 1992.

A tech facility was built over the finish line, among its purposes to aid in determining photo finishes. Because of its resemblance to the tiered towers of Japan, it is known as the Pagoda. The current version was erected in 2000.

The 1909 Bricks and the 2000 Pagoda

Why 500 miles? The math worked out: 2.5 miles times 200 laps, a nice round number, equals 500 miles, also a nice round number. Someone pointed out that this was the estimated distance a race car could, with refills of gasoline, run before dark descended on the track. In other words, if the Speedway had lights, they could have run a 24-hour race, as was already being done in places around the world, most notably in Le Mans, France. 

At the inaugural race, Harroun's use of what would now be called a rear-view mirror, rather than the riding mechanic specified in the rules, created controversy, but was ultimately allowed. Harroun went on to win at an average speed of 74.602 miles per hour. His historic Firestone-shod yellow #32 Marmon "Wasp" is on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.

In 1927, Eddie Rickenbacker, a successful racer and a hero pilot of World War I, bought the Speedway from Fisher. He operated it through the 1941 racing season, then shut it down, to preserve gasoline for the World War II effort. Upon the war's end in 1945, he sold the Speedway to Tony Hulman, who restarted the 500 in 1946, and sold it to television as an annual Memorial Day Weekend spectacle. He died in 1977. Since 2019, the Speedway has been owned by the biggest man in auto racing, Roger Penske.

Just as "My Old Kentucky Home" is sung before every Kentucky Derby near the beginning of May, so, too, is "Back Home Again in Indiana" sung before this race, near the end of May. From 1972 to 2014, it was sung by entertainer Jim Nabors, known for his high-pitched Alabama drawl, but also having a deep operatic singing voice that shocked people with his ability.

The race begins with the words, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" Starting in 1955, it was always a member of the Hulman family saying it, until 2020, when Penske himself took over the duties. In 1977, Janet Guthrie became the 1st woman to qualify for the race. Not wanting to change the classic phrase, Tony Hulman, in what turned out to be his last race as owner, said, "In company with the first lady ever to qualify at Indianapolis, gentlemen, start your engines!" It became, "Lady (or Ladies) and gentlemen, start your engines!" Penske has made it, "Drivers, start your engines!" Danica Patrick has the best finish in the race by a woman, 3rd in 2009.

Because of the South's love of auto racing, the Atlanta-based comedian Jeff Foxworthy has included as part of his act, "If you think the last four words of the National Anthem are, 'Gentlemen, start your engines!' you might be a redneck!"

Sadly, there was a fatal crash in the 1st 500. With Harroun the only driver with a rear-view mirror, every other car was a two-seater, with a driver and a "riding mechanic." Sam Dickson, riding with Arthur Greiner, was killed on the 12th lap when one of the car's wheels came off and the car crashed. Greiner sustained only minor injuries, but survivor's guilt led to a mental breakdown, and he died in a sanitarium in 1917.

In 1919, Arthur Thurman and Louis LeCocq became the 1st 2 drivers killed in the race, followed by Bill Spence in 1929, Mark Billman and Lester Spangler in 1933, Clay Weatherly in 1935, Floyd Roberts (the defending Champion) in 1939, Shorty Cantlon in 1947, Carl Scarborough in 1953, Bill Vukovich (the defending Champion) in 1955, Pat O'Connor in 1958, Dave MacDonald and Eddie Sachs as a result of a crash between them in 1964, and David "Swede" Savage in 1973, for a total of 14. In addition, 9 drivers have been killed in qualifying runs, and 20 drivers have been killed in practice runs at the Speedway.

Between racing and qualifying, Jim Murray, the great sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times, claimed to have lost 3 friends at the Speedway. As the Kentucky Derby is "The Run for the Roses," Murray named the 500 "The Run for the Lilies," in honor of the flowers traditionally associated with funerals. He would end his annual column about the race, "Gentlemen, start your coffins."

Immediately after taking the checkered flag, the race winner drives to Victory Lane. The celebration to honor the winner begins with the car being wheeled onto a black and white checkered periphery. Since 1936, the driver is presented with one of the largest trophies in sports, the Borg-Warner Trophy. A floral wreath, containing 33 lilies to commemorate the 33 drivers of the field, is placed around the winner's neck. Since 1956, the winner is presented a bottle of milk for refreshment, sponsored by the American Dairy Association. 

In 1913, Jules Goux of France became the 1st non-American winner. Four drivers have won it 4 times: A.J. Foyt, whose last win was in 1977; Al Unser, in 1987; Rick Mears, in 1991; and Brazilian driver Hélio Castroneves, in 2021. Still active, Castroneves could become the 1st driver to win it 5 times.

Foyt remains the only driver to have won the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona.

In 1961, the TV show I've Got a Secret -- which, like the similar game show To Tell the Truth, would be almost impossible with today's social media -- honored the race's 50th Anniversary, by bringing both inaugural winner Harroun and then-reigning champion A.J. Foyt on as guests.

Carl Fisher died in 1939, Ray Harroun in 1968, Eddie Rickenbacker in 1973.

*

May 30, 1911 was a Tuesday. Until 1970, Memorial Day was always celebrated on May 30. In 1971, it was moved to the last Monday in May.

Since this was Memorial Day, baseball was full of doubleheaders:

* The New York Highlanders were swept by the Philadelphia Athletics, 3-0 and 8-5 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Harry Krause pitched a 6-hit shutout in the opener. Over the 2 games, Eddie Collins was 1-for-7 with 2 walks and an RBI. The Highlanders became the New York Yankees in 1913.

* The New York Giants swept the Brooklyn Superbas, 4-1 and 3-0 at the Polo Grounds. Rube Marquard won the opener. In the nightcap, Arthur "Bugs" Raymond had to leave the game in the 5th inning, and Arthur Ames pitched the rest of the way, completing a 4-hit shutout. The Superbas became the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1911.

* The Philadelphia Phillies swept the Boston Rustlers, 3-0 and 11-4 at the South End Grounds in Boston. The 1st game went 10 innings, and Earl Moore pitched a 3-hit shutout. William Hepburn Russell had bought the Boston franchise of the National League from the Dovey family, and changed its name from the Doves to the Rustlers. But he died a few weeks after the 1911 season ended. He was involved in New York's Tammany Hall political machine, and one of his friends in that machine, James Gaffney, bought the team. In connection with their namesake being a Native American chief, a Tammany officer was called a "Brave," and so, Gaffney renamed the team the Boston Braves.

* The Boston Red Sox swept the Washington Senators, 6-5 and 5-4 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. The 1st game went 10 innings. Smoky Joe Wood outpitched Walter Johnson in the 2nd game. The following season, they would have one of the most famous pitchers' duels of all time. Tris Speaker went 2-for-8 with 3 walks. Wid Conroy went 5-for-9 with an RBI for the Senators.

* In the only single game of the day, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-1 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Honus Wagner went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Detroit Tigers swept the Cleveland Naps, 3-2 and 6-5 at League Park in Cleveland. The 1st game went 10 innings. Over the 2 games, Ty Cobb went 2-for-8 with a walk; Sam Crawford went 5-for-9 with an RBI; and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson went 2-for-7 with a walk. Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, the manager and 2nd baseman for whom the Cleveland team was named, did not put himself into either game. The Naps became the Cleveland Indians in 1915, and the Cleveland Guardians in 2022.

* There was a split at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The St. Louis Browns won the 1st game, 4-1. The Chicago White Sox won the 2nd game, 2-0, when Irv Young (no relation to Cy) pitched a 2-hit shutout.

* And there was a split at Robison Field in St. Louis. The St. Louis Cardinals won the 1st game, 4-2. The Cincinnati Reds won the 2nd game, 6-2.