Back to Indianapolis, Indiana an a Tour of the track

After the rally, we head toward Red Bay, Alabama and the Tiffin Motorhome Company, to get the hole in the side of our motorhome fixed, but on the way, we passed through Indianapolis.  Bob had not  been able to take a tour of the Indianapolis  Motor Speedway Track when we visited last month, so since we were in the area, he took the opportunity to take the tour.  I opted to stay at the motorhome and have some quality alone time. When you travel in a motorhome there is not much of that.

The tour started at the museum.  Bob and I had toured it last month, but this car reminded him of the racing cars of he 50's, when he was a kid and watching racing. (Champ Racing not NASCA like today.)

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is call the "Brickyard" because when it opened in the Fall of 1909, 3, 200,000 street paving bricks were laid into the sand to make the first track surface.

In October of 1961, the bricks were covered with asphalt on the main straight, leaving the 3-foot strip at the start/finish line still of bricks.  Shown above.

This is the front stretch. For those of us who don't know what the front stretch is, it is the beginning of the race.  It is also where the race ends.  In other words the start and finish line.

This is the Indianapolis Pagoda.  It is one of the most recognizable structures at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in world wide motor sports.  It was built during the massive construction project from 1998-2000 that included a 2.6-mile road course, Formula One-style pit side garages and media center.  Housed in the new Pagoda are state-of-the-art facilities for race control, safety, timing and scoring and radio broadcast booths.  Bob had a wonderful day and so did I.