Sigur Whitaker is an acclaimed auto racing history book author. First Super Speedway and Sigur are collaborating with this platform for her articles. You can receive her articles directly by subscribing to her e-mail newsletter. If you would like to be added to my subscriber list, please let her know at sigurwhitakerbooks881@gmail.com.

Speedway, Indiana

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not inside Indianapolis. Rather, it is part of Speedway, Indiana, a 4.79 square mile independent town surrounded by Indianapolis.
 

Maude Yagle--Ahead of Her Time

Maude A. Yagle is a unique part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway history. She is the only woman to ever own the winning car. This is particularly unusual as women, even those that owned race cars, were not permitted in the pits until the 1970s. Yagle followed her car’s progress from the grandstands across from the pits.
 

Kissing the Bricks Tradition

Marcus Ericsson won the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday in a two lap shootout. After celebrating by drinking whole milk, Ericsson eventually went to kiss the three-foot-wide strip of bricks which were original to the track. This is a relatively new tradition. How it started is probably not what you think.
 
A decision by Tony George in 1992, then the CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, led to the treasured tradition of the winning driver and his crew kissing the bricks as part of the victory celebration. 
 

Tradition of the Indianapolis 500 winner drinking milk

This Sunday is the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500. At the conclusion of the race, one of the traditions is the race winner drinks milk. What is the story behind this tradition?
 
Louis Meyer, after winning his second Indianapolis 500 in 1933, drank a glass of buttermilk in Victory Lane. After a long day, he wanted buttermilk to quinch his thirst. His mother had always told him that buttermilk was refreshing and who would know better than mother.
 

Polo at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Carl Fisher, the driving force behind the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was a man of big ideas. Fisher first visited the barrier islands off of Florida’s east coast in 1910 and immediately had a vision of a thriving beach community. He dug in, clearing mangrove swamps and developing what became Miami Beach to appeal to wealthy Northeasterners and Midwesterners. What was there not to like? While the skies back home were gray and depressing, with snow and temperatures that could make you shiver, Miami Beach offered sunshine, clear blue water, warm temperatures and pleasant breezes.

Book Review: Victory Road: The Ride of My Life by Helio Castroneves

Helio Castroneves joined the elite group of race car drivers who have won the Indianapolis 500 four times in May 2021. At the end of the race, he lived up to his nickname “Spiderman” by climbing the fence at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as racing fans cheered.
 

Indy Autonomous Challenge

Today’s news is filled with articles about driverless vehicles. How appropriate that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is contributing to making autonomous vehicles safer.
 

Why a balloon is painted on the side of a restroom at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

On the outside of the restroom in turn 4 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway there is a balloon painted on the outside.  Here is the backstory.
 
The first race held at the Speedway was not auto, but rather manned hot air balloons. One of the founders of the Speedway, Carl Fisher, had experienced balloon flight in Europe and wanted to bring the national balloon races to Indianapolis. Fisher was always on the cutting edge and I believe if he was alive today, he would be clamoring to experience outer space on one of the SpaceX flights.
 

Book Review: Mark Donohue, Technical Excellence at Speed

This book chronicles the life of Mark Donohue, the race car driver who along with Roger Penske started what has become Team Penske. Despite having suffered from polio as a child, Donohue had a remarkable career, winning 119 of the 311 races he entered (38%). The vast majority of these races were sponsored by the Sports Car Club of America. He started racing in 1960 after completing the SCCA Drivers School in his own Elva Courier and later he drove for Carroll Shelby. His association with Penske started in 1966 on a part-time basis.
 

The Great Zoline Caper

In 1904, Carl Fisher, one of the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), was approached by P.C. Avery with a cylinder containing acetylene gas. At the end of the cylinder was a long metal tube which when lit produced a steady light.  Fisher immediately recognized that this could be the solution to one of the early automobile issues—namely that it would provide a steady source of light for driving at night. The headlights of the time were famous for going out as they were basically lanterns.