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The venue first came to life in 1909 as a gravel track kept in place with tar. The first major race event occurred in August of that year, a series of motorcycle races followed shortly by an automobile race sanctioned by the American Automobile Association. Due to poor track conditions the surface was replaced in 1910 with over 3 million bricks and the first 500-mile race took place in 1911. The annual Memorial Day weekend race has been held every year since 1911 with the exception of two years during World War I and four years during World War II.

Perhaps the greatest turning point in the Indianapolis Motor Speedways history took place at the end of 1944. Largely abandoned during the war, IMS fell into a state of general disrepair. A former Indianapolis 500 winner, on site to test tires for Firestone on behalf of the US Government, found the conditions deplorable and working with other fans of the race found a new owner in Indiana businessman Tony Hulman. Under Hulman’s ownership the facility was restored to its former glory, the 500-mile race resumed in 1946, and the modern era of the track started.

Tony Hulman’s grandson, Tony George, continued in the footsteps of Hulman when he became president of the facility in 1989 and introduced the NASCAR race, FI race, and motorcycle events to the track. Widely questioned for altering what had become the home to just one race a year, the Indianapolis 500, George’s decisions have proven to be good to the facility and under George’s oversight the facilities have continued to expand and evolve.

Not just a venue for racing, The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is also home to a world-class 18-hole golf course and the Speedway Hall of Fame Museum making it a tourist destination for race fans and others alike. The golf course has been home to many tournaments and the museum is a pantheon of racing legend and history. Visitors to the museum can also, at certain times of the year, take a trip around the famous 2.5 mile track via tour bus and walk the grounds.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a direct impact on the town in which it is located: Speedway, Indiana. Incorporated in 1926, Speedway is an enclave, or separate town, within Indianapolis and sees its population of less than 15,000 expand to more than 300,000 persons on race day events. Speedway was conceived as a city of the future and was intentionally designed for automobiles during its planning stages. As the Mecca of open-wheel racing, Speedway is proud to be associated with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and serves as a wonderful guest to race fans throughout the year.

The 52nd annual Indianapolis 500 Parade will get underway at noon on Saturday 23 May, just 24 hours before the big race.  The streets of downtown Indianapolis are already lined with bleachers and flags and banks of portable bathrooms are arriving this week in anticipation of more than 300,000 spectators.

All 33 starting drivers will serve as honorary grand marshalls while the legendary basketball hall of famer and college basketball analyst Dick Vitale will be the 2009 Grand Marshall.  This year’s pole position sitter, Helio Castroneves, will certainly be a favorite in the parade, as will SpongeBob Squarepants.

Finding a place to stand and watch the parade for free is difficult along the route, as the bleacher seats use up almost every inch of sidewalk space.  It is adviseable to purchase a ticket for the bleacher seats which are very reasonably priced.  Indianapolis 500 parade tickets can be purchased through CircleCityTickets.com until they are sold out.

My last check at CircleCityTickets.com showed ony 92 tickets left, so HURRY!!!! Those tickets will not last.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a number of great places to sit, all of which require some sort of ticket. So, where do you sit?

There is nowhere to sit at IMS to see the entire track. The closest you can get to that is by sitting in a corner and seeing about half the track. For instance, sitting in turn 4 you could see the cars coming in and out of turn 3, around the corner, and back up the main straightaway. Broadly speaking, though, the higher up you can get the better the view. The wall around the track may block your view if your seats are too low. Sitting up higher allows you to easily see over the fence, depending on what section your seat is in. This lets you get a broader view of the track. Stand E is very popular, but the high seats up there have many obstacles in your line of sight: support beams, camera cages, and a roof.

All of these obstructions are because of the upper decks in those stands (A, E, Paddock).

Despite the drawbacks I mentioned it is good to remember this rule of thumb for Indianapolis 500 tickets: There are no bad seats. Unfortunately, there are no best seats, either. It all depends on what it is you want to see. There are great seats for any possible view, whether the pits, the front straight, the front line, the first turn, the winner’s circle, or the crowds in the infield is your spectacle of choice. Maps of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are readily available. So, pick a place where you can get the view you most want. Once you’ve done that then think about comfort.

Most of the stands are typical bench-style seats like you’d find in most sports park seating, from little leagues to arena football. Stand B has folding chairs, if you’d prefer a more supportive seat. The Penthouse (those upper decks in A, E, and Paddock we mentioned earlier) have benches with backs. The Paddock sections have backs as well, but the box seats in that area do not. The Tower Terrace has aluminum benches with backs, too. Of course, you could grab some general admission tickets and sit on one of the grassy viewing hills in the infield.

Besides general seat comfort, another thing to consider is weather. Indiana weather is as fickle as can be. One year the weather might be 95 degrees and high humidity, the next rainy, in the 40s, and windy. The top row of most of the stands tend to be the most vulnerable to wind and rain.

An Indianapolis 500 ticket is a ticket to a great time. Good weather or bad, it’s a blast! And the only bad seat is the one not at the track.