On This Day August 19

The first five-mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was held on August 19, 1909. 12,000 spectators watched a car win with the average speed of 57.4 mph. The track, made of crushed rock held together by tar, broke apart killing two drivers and a spectator in the course of a race that lasted just two laps. The speedway was rebuilt that same year with 3.2 million paving bricks to create a safer environment, reopening in December 1909.  

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