By Dick Mittman
indy500.com
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
The storied 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval is being completely resurfaced, and if history holds true, that means something special is going to happen in the 2005 Indianapolis 500. Maybe even spectacular. "The place is the greatest spectacle in racing," said four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser, who was on hand when workers began removing the old asphalt on Aug. 16. "The old days with the bricks, I never did run on that. That would have been a handful. Today, it's so smooth. And they're going to make it better." The sequence of fresh asphalt and great happenings started in 1936. Prior to the race that year, asphalt patches were applied for the first time to the rougher area of bricks in the turns. Louis Meyer promptly became the first three-time winner as he turned in a record race speed average of 109.069 mph. A few minutes later, in Victory Lane, he requested a cold bottle of buttermilk, establishing the world-famous tradition of the Indy 500 winner taking a drink of cold milk. More asphalt was applied through 1937 and 1938, and in 1939 the entire track except for the mid portion of the main straightaway was repaved. Most of the 3.2-million bricks disappeared under the new surface. In the next race, in 1940, Wilbur Shaw brought his Boyle Special home first to become the first driver to win back-to-back "500s." Unser is one of only four others who have won back-to-back races. He did it with his first two Indy victories in 1970-71. A.J. Foyt raced to the first of his four Indy victories in 1961, becoming the last driver to take the checkered flag over the brick-paved front straightaway. In October 1961, asphalt was applied to the front straightaway, leaving only the 36-inch strip of bricks at the start-finish line - the now-famous "Yard of Bricks" - exposed as a tribute to the track's former surface. As if on cue, in 1962 Rodger Ward charged around the smooth surface to his second victory, setting a record race average speed of 140.293 in the process. He had finished first, second and third the previous three races and then added a fourth- and second-place finish in 1963 and 1964, respectively, recording one of the greatest six-year runs in Speedway history. Fourteen years later the Speedway got another resurfacing during the summer of 1976. Of course, this meant something special had to happen in 1977. And it did. Foyt, after being absent from Victory Lane since 1967, became the first four-time Indy champion. He played a waiting game in the race as he chased Gordon Johncock until the leader's car broke 15 laps from the finish. There was another historic occurrence in 1977 on that new surface. Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify and drive in the race. She finished 29th. In 1988, the repaving machines were out there again. This time the track and pit area were resurfaced. The stage thus was set for a spectacular race in 1989, and Emerson Fittipaldi and Al Unser Jr. didn't let the fans down. They engaged in a pulsating wheel-to-wheel, late-race battle that had fans on their feet cheering their duel. It ended on Lap 199 when they touched wheels in Turn 3, and Unser Jr. spun into the outside retaining wall. Fittipaldi's did not crash, and he took the checkered flag to become the first Brazilian champion of the Indianapolis 500. Tony George, Hulman's grandson, was in charge of the Speedway by 1995 and called for another track paving during the fall. The next May, veteran driver Buddy Lazier and other drivers such as Arie Luyendyk and Eddie Cheever Jr. pushed the boundaries of speed at IMS to new heights all month. Luyendyk recorded the fastest unofficial practice lap in Speedway history, and also new one and four-lap qualifying records. Cheever recorded the fastest race lap in "500" history. It was Lazier, however, who would take the ultimate prize by beating Davy Jones to the finish line by .695 of a second after a stirring duel in the final laps. The win was the first at Indy for both Lazier and team owner Ron Hemelgarn. Who knows what will happen in 2005 on the newest and smoothest pavement yet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? Buy 2005 Indianapolis 500 Tickets Online!
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