Oiling IMS and Surrounding Roads

This article, published in the Indianapolis Star on April 18, 1909 offers some interesting details about the construction of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway not commonly known or frequently discussed. Most interesting is that the Speedway had let a contract with the Indian Refining Company (Which has a shared lineage with Texaco) to provide the "asphaltum oils" used in surfacing the track and providing adhesive material expected to keep layers of crushed stone in place. The contract called for 200,000 gallons of the stuff.
 
Also interesting is that this article references collaborative work the Speedway was doing with residents in the surrounding community. It alludes to an agreement between track management and local citizens where the Speedway would improve the public roads of Crawfordsville and Georgetown (the intersection was the main entrance to the gounds) in return for property owners lining the highways with fences, trees and flowers to beautify them. Asphaltum oil in a quantity the article reports would be similar to that applied to the track would be required to coat the streets. Residents were reportedly quite pleased with the Speedway's efforts which also included building a roadbed on the facility's grounds to enable people in cars and wagons to avoid the rough interurban and train tracks at the Crawfordsville-Georgetown intersection.
 
The article ledes with information about how cities across the nation were popping up with plans to build speedways. Among those listed are: Louisville, Providence, St. Louis, Salt Lake City and Dallas.