Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is arguably the most famous racetrack in the world. Built in 1909 as a testing facility for Indiana's burgeoning automobile industry, the 2.5-mile rectangular oval was originally surfaced with crushed rock and tar before being paved with 3.2 million bricks, earning it the nickname "The Brickyard". It is the home of the Indianapolis 500, one of the three most prestigious motorsport events in the world, which has been run annually since 1911. The track's layout, with four distinct 9-degree banked turns and long straights, has remained fundamentally unchanged for over a century. A yard of the original bricks remains exposed at the start-finish line, where winners traditionally "kiss the bricks" to celebrate victory. The facility has also hosted Formula 1, NASCAR, and major sports car races on an infield road course, solidifying its status as "The Racing Capital of the World".