On August 19, 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had its first race. The American race track was envisioned by businessman Carl G. Fisher in 1905 as a way of elevating the standards of American cars after seeing what motorsports in Europe led manufacturers there to improve on in terms of dynamics and quality.
It was not the first race track in the U.S., but it did things a lot differently from the ones that existed at the time, offering longer straights and better views to its spectators.
During the first race in 1909, fifteen carmakers’ teams participated. Though the event did end up with plenty of unfortunate crashes, the first day of car racing resulted in two land speed records. However, concerns over safety led AAA officials to consider cancelling the remaining events. Fisher promised the track would be repaired by the next day and convinced officials that the show should go on. The second day saw 20,000 spectators, no major incidents, and additional speed records broken.
