Ladies and gentlemen, we’re officially just days away from the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500.
To start your engines + get you fueled up for the big day, we’re sharing 10 fast facts that make this the greatest spectacle in racing.
- The tradition of the winner chugging milk after the race started in 1933 when driver Louis Meyer requested it . His mother always used to tell him that there’s nothing better to drink on a hot day — so he was just taking mom’s advice.
- Four drivers have won the Indianapolis 500 four times — A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears, and Helio Castroneves.
- Nine women have competed in the race — Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James, Sarah Fisher, Danica Patrick, Milka Duno, Ana Beatriz, Simona de Silvestro, Pippa Mann, and Katherine Legge.
- Willy T. Ribbs qualified for the 76th Indianapolis 500 on May 19th, 1991 becoming the first Black driver to ever participate in the prestigious motor race sport.
- The distance of one lap around the oval is 2.5 miles — and just as the name implies, the full race is 500 miles.
- The fastest lap ever turned during the month of May at the track was 237.498 mph by Arie Luyendyk during qualifying on May 12, 1996.
- Only five drivers have ever won back-to-back events, and no one has been able to do it three times in a row .
- The tradition of kissing the bricks was started by NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett after his Brickyard 400 victory in 1996.
- The youngest winner of the Indianapolis 500 was 22-year-old Troy Ruttman when he won the 36th running on May 30, 1952.
- The Indianapolis Motor Speedway spans 253 acres + includes a golf course. Churchill Downs, Yankees Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Roman Colosseum, and Vatican City can all fit inside the property.