[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 207 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 207

 Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 6, 2009

     Mr. Bayh (for himself and Mr. Lugar) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Whereas the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest spectator sporting 
        facility in the world, with more than 250,000 permanent seats;
Whereas founders Carl G. Fisher, Arthur C. Newby, Frank H. Wheeler, and James A. 
        Allison pooled their resources in 1909 to build the Indianapolis Motor 
        Speedway 5 miles from downtown Indianapolis as a testing ground to 
        support the growing automotive industry of Indiana;
Whereas, on August 14, 1909, the first motorized races, using motorcycles, took 
        place on the recently completed 2.5-mile oval, which had a racing 
        surface composed of crushed stone and tar;
Whereas, on August 19, 1909, the first 4-wheeled automobile races at the 
        Indianapolis Motor Speedway took place;
Whereas, for 63 days in late 1909, 3,200,000 paving bricks, each weighing 9.5 
        pounds, were laid on top of the crushed stone and tar surface to upgrade 
        the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leading the facility to be nicknamed 
        ``The Brickyard'';
Whereas a 3-foot horizontal strip of that original brick remains exposed at the 
        start and finish line, known as the ``Yard of Bricks'';
Whereas, on May 30, 1911, the first Indianapolis 500-mile race (in this preamble 
        referred to as the ``Indianapolis 500'') took place and was won by Ray 
        Harroun at an average speed of 74.602 miles per hour;
Whereas the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a pioneer in introducing seating 
        areas specifically for people with disabilities;
Whereas the race car of Ray Harroun, the Marmon ``Wasp'', was the first 
        automobile to use a rearview mirror, one of many innovations in 
        automotive technology and safety devised or developed at the 
        Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including in 1911 the first use of a Pace 
        Car, in 1921 the first use of 4-wheel hydraulic brakes, in 1935 the 
        first installation of color warning lights, in 1935 the first mandatory 
        use of helmets, in 1993 the first use of crash-data recorders, and in 
        2002 the steel and foam energy reduction (SAFER) barrier, an energy-
        absorbing barrier affixed to concrete walls that has become the standard 
        at all major oval tracks in the United States;
Whereas the Indianapolis 500, the largest single-day spectator sporting event in 
        the world, has occurred on every Memorial Day weekend since 1911, except 
        during the involvement of the United States in world wars from 1917 
        through 1918 and 1942 through 1945;
Whereas, in 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to compete in the 
        Indianapolis 500, making the competition the first and only major sport 
        in which men and women compete, according to the same rules, against one 
        another;
Whereas, in 1991, Willy T. Ribbs became the first of several African-American 
        drivers to compete in the Indianapolis 500;
Whereas, in 2005, Danica Patrick became the first female driver to lead the 
        Indianapolis 500 when she took the lead near the 140-mile mark;
Whereas, in 2009, Helio Castroneves became a 3-time winner of the Indianapolis 
        500 and Danica Patrick finished in third place, the best finish ever by 
        a woman in the sport;
Whereas the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, by hosting the IndyCar Series, the 
        NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the MotoGP Series, and the Formula One Series, 
        is the only facility in the world that has played host to 4 elite racing 
        series;
Whereas nearly every international motorsport icon has competed and won at the 
        Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears, 
        Dale Earnhardt, Mario Andretti, Graham Hill, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, 
        Jimmie Johnson, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Valentino Rossi;
Whereas every May since 1981 the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has served as the 
        backdrop for the annual Armed Forces Induction Ceremony, in which 
        citizens of Indiana who have volunteered to serve in the Armed Forces 
        are administered the oath of enlistment;
Whereas, in 1987, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was officially listed on the 
        National Park Service list of National Historic Landmarks as the oldest 
        continuously operated automobile racecourse; and
Whereas, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has played an enormous part in shaping 
        and defining the City of Indianapolis, the State of Indiana, United 
        States motorsports, and the United States automobile industry, and is a 
        great source of pride to all citizens of Indiana: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the United States Senate recognizes the 100th 
anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
                                 <all>