Que Buena Idea!

If you have ever wondered when Carl Fisher and the management team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway first announced their intentions to stage their once-a-year spectacular, the Indianapolis 500 Mile International Sweepstakes, check out my article of the week, just published today. This article comes in the days following the Speedway's September (Labor Day weekend) race meet in 1910. So, the announcement came about eight months in advance. Crowds were dwindling as the Speedway had a very busy year in 1910, running race meets over two to three days around the Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day holidays. The problem was that the races looked too much alike and the regional market was simply not all that big. They struggled to attract the great stars of Europe. In typical Fisher fashion, a giant extravaganza offering more prize money than any other venue was planned. I guess you could say after 98 years it has proven to be a pretty darn good idea.