[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 99 (Monday, July 6, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7149-S7150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 207--RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                      INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

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

                              S. Res. 207

       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

[[Page S7150]]

     (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.

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