Editing Indianapolis 500 (section)

===Early years===
[[File:1912 Indianapolis 500, Joe Dawson winning.jpg|thumb|[[Joe Dawson (racing driver)|Joe Dawson]] winning the [[1912 Indianapolis 500]]]]

The [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]] complex was built in 1909 as a gravel-and-tar track and hosted a smattering of small events, including ones for [[motorcycle]]s.<ref>Kettlewell, Mike. "Indianapolis:  The Richest Race in the World", in Northey, Tom, ed. ''World of Automobiles'' (London: Orbis, 1974), Volume 9, p.1012.</ref> The first long-distance event, in "fearful conditions", was the 100-lap [[Prest-O-Lite]] Trophy in 1909, won by [[Bob Burman]] in a [[Buick]].<ref>He averaged {{convert|53.77|mph|abbr=on}} Kettlewell, p.1013.</ref> The breakup of the track surface led to two fatal accidents in the first two long-distance events (a {{convert|250|mi|abbr=on}} and {{convert|300|mi|abbr=on}}, which was shortened to {{convert|235|mi|abbr=on}} after two severe wrecks).<ref>[[William Bourque]] (Kettlewell, p.1013, mistakenly identifies him as William) and his [[riding mechanic]] were killed after hitting a pothole in the 250, and [[Charlie Merz]]'s riding mechanic, Claude Kellum, as well as two spectators, were killed in the 300; following Merz's crash, there was another serious crash, also. Kettlewell, p.1013.</ref>

The fact that these spectacles had attracted 15,000 paying customers (and crowds of up to 40,000)<ref>Kettlewell, pp.1012–3.</ref> persuaded principal owner [[Carl G. Fisher]] to spend $155,000<ref name="Kettlewell, p.1013">Kettlewell, p.1013.</ref> on repaving the track with 3.2 million bricks;<ref name="INDY2">{{cite web|title=Yard of Bricks|url=http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/facility/35549-Yard-of-Bricks/|publisher=Indianapolis Motor Speedway|access-date=May 27, 2010|archive-date=May 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515131035/http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/facility/35549-Yard-of-Bricks/|url-status=live}}</ref> he also added a {{convert|33|in|m|2|adj=mid}} concrete wall around the track's circumference.<ref name="Kettlewell, p.1013" /> During the 1910 [[Decoration Day]] weekend, the first events on the newly paved circuit drew 60,000 spectators; [[Ray Harroun]] won the {{convert|200|mi|adj=mid}} Wheeler-Schebler Trophy in a [[Marmon Motor Car Company|Marmon]].<ref name="Kettlewell, p.1013" />

The crowds grew progressively smaller for the rest of the season, however, so the track owners chose to focus on a single race, and considered a 24-hour contest, in the fashion of [[24 Hours of Le Mans|Le Mans]], or a {{convert|1000|mi|adj=on|spell=in}} event.<ref name="Kettlewell, p.1013" /> They decided on {{convert|500|mi}}, the estimated distance a race car could run before dark descended on the track,<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Martin|first1=J. A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AgChAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA24|title=American Auto Racing: The Milestones and Personalities of a Century of Speed|last2=Saal|first2=Thomas F.|date=2004-03-05|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786412358|pages=24|language=en}}</ref> and a spectacular [[prize money|purse]] of $25,000, [[Gold Standard Act|equivalent]] to {{convert|82.93|lb}} of pure [[gold]].<ref name="Kettlewell, p.1013" /> The combination allowed the track to rapidly acquire a privileged status for automobile races.

The [[1911 Indianapolis 500|first "500"]] was held at the Speedway in 1911 on [[Memorial Day|Decoration Day]], May 30,<ref name="INDY3">{{cite web|title=IMS Milestones: 1906–1911|url=http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/history/35207-1906-1911-Milestones/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606234641/http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/history/35207-1906-1911-Milestones/|archive-date=2010-06-06|publisher=Indianapolis Motor Speedway}}</ref> (as it was known from its inception in 1868 to 1967, when federal law made "Memorial Day" the official name), run to a {{convert|600|cid|adj=mid}} maximum engine size formula.<ref name="Kettlewell, p.1013" /> It saw a field of 40 starters,<ref name="Kettlewell, p.1013" /> with Harroun piloting a Marmon Model 32-based ''Wasp'' racer—outfitted with his invention, the [[rear view mirror|rear-view mirror]].<ref name="INDY4">{{cite web|title=The Marmon Wasp|url=http://www.marmon.com/MarmonWasp.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616001944/http://www.marmon.com/MarmonWasp.asp|archive-date=2010-06-16|publisher=The Marmon Group}}</ref> Harroun (with relief from [[Cyrus Patschke]])<ref name="Kettlewell, p.1014">Kettlewell, p.1014.</ref> was declared the winner, although [[Ralph Mulford]] protested the official result. Eighty thousand spectators were in attendance, and an annual tradition had been established. Many considered Harroun to be a hazard during the race, as he was the only driver in the race driving without a [[riding mechanic]], who checked the oil pressure and let the driver know when traffic was coming.<ref>Leerhsen, Charles, "100 Years of the Indy 500", ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'', 30 May 2011, pp. 52–56.</ref>
{{Wikisource|Train and Trolley Bear in Thousands}}
In 1912, the purse was raised to <!--US-->$50,000,<ref name="Kettlewell, p.1014" /> the field was limited to 33 (where it remains), and a riding mechanic was made mandatory.<ref>Kettlewell, p.1014</ref> This second event was won by [[Joe Dawson (racing driver)|Joe Dawson]] in a [[National Motor Vehicle Company|National]],<ref>The company was owned by Speedway investor [[Arthur C. Newby]].</ref> after [[Ralph DePalma]]'s [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]] broke.<ref name="Kettlewell, p.1014" /> Although the first race was won by an American driver at the wheel of an American car, European makers such as the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Fiat]] or [[France|French]] [[Peugeot]] companies soon developed their vehicles to try to win the event, which they did from 1912 to 1919. The 1913 event saw a change to a {{convert|450|cid|adj=mid}} maximum engine size.<ref name="Kettlewell, p.1014" />

After [[World War I]], the native drivers and manufacturers regained their dominance of the race, and engineer [[Harry Arminius Miller|Harry Miller]] set himself up as the most competitive of the post-war builders.<ref name="INDY5">{{cite web|title=Miller History|url=http://www.milleroffy.com/Racing%20History.htm#Miller_History|publisher=The Miller/Offenhauser Historical Society|access-date=May 27, 2010|archive-date=April 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425221353/http://www.milleroffy.com/Racing%20History.htm#Miller_History|url-status=live}}</ref> His technical developments allowed him to be indirectly connected to a history of success that would last into the mid-1970s.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

For musical entertainment before the start of the race, the [[Purdue All-American Marching Band]] has been the host band of the race since 1919. In 1946, American [[opera]]tic tenor and car enthusiast [[James Melton]] started the tradition of singing "[[Back Home Again in Indiana]]" with the [[Purdue All-American Marching Band|Purdue Band]] before the race when asked to do so on the spur of the moment by Speedway president [[Tony Hulman]]. This tradition has continued through the years, notably by actor and singer [[Jim Nabors]] from 1972 until 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=James Melton Autorama|url=http://www.lostparks.com/melton.html|publisher=Florida's Lost Tourist Attractions|access-date=March 5, 2011|archive-date=June 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618182147/http://lostparks.com/melton.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Nabors announced in 2014, citing health-related reasons, that the 2014 Indy 500 would be the last at which he would sing the song. In 2015, the [[a cappella]] group [[Straight No Chaser (group)|Straight No Chaser]] sang the song before the race, and in the two races held after Nabors' retirement (and before he became the regular singer), the singing of the song was done on a rotating basis, with the Spring 2014 winner of ''[[The Voice (U.S. TV series)|The Voice]]'' [[Josh Kaufman]] performing in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Watch Straight No Chaser step into Jim Nabors' shoes, sing to kick off the Indy 500|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/24/straight-no-chaser-performs-indy-500|access-date=1 May 2016|work=Entertainment Weekly's EW.com|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126094930/https://ew.com/article/2015/05/24/straight-no-chaser-performs-indy-500/|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, the Speedway has returned to a standard singer with [[Jim Cornelison]] doing it since 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|title='(Back Home Again in) Indiana': Reaction to Jim Cornelison's booming rendition|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/indy-500/2019/05/26/indy-500-jim-cornelison-back-home-again-in-indiana/1245174001/|access-date=2019-05-28|website=Indianapolis Star|language=en|archive-date=October 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026051025/https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/indy-500/2019/05/26/indy-500-jim-cornelison-back-home-again-in-indiana/1245174001/|url-status=live}}</ref>