[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6170]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Carson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I 
rise today to pay tribute to a very special event that will take place 
later this month in my hometown of Indianapolis.
  On May 29, the world's finest automobile racing teams will compete 
for the very prestigious Borg-Warner Trophy at the 100th running of the 
Indy 500.
  Mr. Speaker, every Memorial Day weekend since 1911, with the 
exception of a few years during World War I and World War II, the 
Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been the site of the greatest spectacle 
in racing. Over the last century, Mr. Speaker, the Indianapolis 500 has 
become the most attended single-day sporting event on the planet Earth, 
with estimated crowds of over 400,000 people. Now, these fans add 
nearly $500 million to the central Indiana economy each year.
  The race is also incredibly popular around the world, Mr. Speaker. 
With millions of fans around the world, they have been listening to the 
race on the Motor Speedway Radio Network and watching it on television.
  Now, what very few people realize is that the Indy 500 has been a 
very important influence in the development of passenger automobiles. 
Rearview mirrors, four-wheel hydraulic brakes, color warning lights, 
and the first mandatory use of helmets can be traced back to the great 
Hoosier State in the city of Indianapolis at the Indy 500. Now part of 
the excitement of watching the race every year, Mr. Speaker, is seeing 
how these high-tech automobiles have evolved and wondering which 
technology we will see on our roads in the near future.
  I stand here today as a very proud Hoosier who is proud of our 
State's long racing heritage. I ask my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to join 
me and to join the rest of the Indiana delegation in recognizing all of 
those involved with the race over the last century, from the staff to 
the pit crews, to the drivers, and especially the fans who come out to 
the track each and every year. So congratulations to all the folks 
involved.
  Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.

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