Speedway Transformation - 1909

The brief article in attachment IMSchanges100109 was originally published on October 1, 1909 in the Indianapolis Star. It is an update on the brick paving work going on at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that reportedly began September 16.
 
The article reports that Speedway management was still gunning for a November 1 race date prior to the November 9 through 14 race meet at the new two-mile Speedway in Atlanta. According to an earlier report (see the first link above) Speedway Director of Contests  Erinie Moross was concerned that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway would be displaced by Atlanta as the record-setting course for America. The Speedway would fall short of this goal and not open for record busting until the December time trials.
 
The main point of the article was that the facility had gone through a tremendous transformation that visitors would immediately notice. Among those changes were new grandstands, a second and larger aerodrome as well as other buildings such as restaurants the most substantive alteration was the paving of the track with 3.2 million bricks.
 
The new running surface, Speedway management proclaimed, would not only result in faster speeds but a safer track as well. Safety was the impetus for the change as a result of five fatalities in the track's opening auto race meet in August. The promise of speed had the newspaper talking of new records - and prizes such as gold medals "for the drivers making onslaughts into the fortress of Father Time."
 
Interesting to note is that this article provides a list of drivers it calls "stars" which is good insight to the men considered the big names in the sport during this era. They are:
 

• Barney Oldfield
• Ralph DePalma
• Lewis Strang
• George Robertson
• Bob Burman
• Louis Chevrolet
• Herb Lytle
• Johnny Aitken
• Len Zengel
• Al Poole
• Charles Basle
• Louis Disbrow

 
While the aviation show that the track had mentioned frequently to the newspapers is not noted in this article the final paragraph suggests that the "largest airship in America" would appear at, we can assume, the November 1 race meet (which did not take place as noted above). The article reports that the vessel - presumably a dirigible - was owned by Speedway Founder and President Carl Fisher who planned to attempt a record distance flight and ascend during the auto races.