I was only able to attend the last day of this year’s Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational (on Father’s Day!). As in previous years, one of the highlights of this event is the Ragtime Racers who bring several 100+ year old race cars to the track for display and a semi-competitive few laps around the oval track. This year, the following cars, among others, were in attendance:
- 1909 Locomobile Model “I” Racer–the only survivor of two cars built by the factory for racing. This car finished 3rd in the Cobe Trophy Race in Crown Point, IN in 1909
- 1911 Bergdoll–abandoned on a farm in 1919 and discovered in 1949
- 1911 National Indy Car 20 Racer–built by the National Motor Vehicle Company in Indianapolis; the car competed in the augural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 finishing 7th (driven by Charlie Merz) as well as the 1912 Indianapolis 500 which it won (driven by Joe Dawson)
- 1911 E-M-F Model 30 Racer–one of 3 E-M-Fs sent to Savannah, GA to compete in the Tiedeman Trophy Race in 1911; the cars made a clean sweep of 1st to 3rd
- 1911 Hudson–during WW1, a truck bed was added to this car so it would avoid being scrapped for the war effort; it has been restored to its original condition
- 1912 Packard “30” Racer–this car was found in Argentina in the 1950s, in racing configuration; it is believed to be the oldest surviving Packard race car
- 1919 Buick Racer–the Buick racing team was founded in 1909 by Louis Chevrolet (yes, that Chevrolet) and Bob Burman as drivers; this car was found on a farm in 2000 and restored
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is now home to quite a few events beyond the Indianapolis 500 in 2025:
- Grand Prix of Indianapolis–IndyCar race held on the infield road course instead of the oval used for the Indianapolis 500
- Brickyard 400–NASCAR race held on the oval since 1994
- Ferrari Challenge–single make racing series featuring Ferraris
- BC39–USAC Midgets
- Indiana Sprint Week–USAC Sprint Cars
- Battle on the Bricks–IMSA sports cars
- Indianapolis 8 Hour–Intercontinental GT Challenge endurance race
In years past, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has also hosted:
- United States Grand Prix–Formula 1 race held from 2000 to 2007 on the road course
- Red Bull Air Race World Championship–airplane racing conducted at the track in 2016, 2017, and 2018
- Indianapolis Motorcycle Grand Prix–Grand Prix motorcycle race held on the road course from 2008-2015 (the first race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a motorcycle race in 1909)
- IROC–International Race of Champions was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1998 to 2003
- 1987 PanAm Games Opening Ceremony
- and quite a few others
If you are a fan of auto or motorcycle racing, there is most likely an event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway featuring whatever racing series you prefer.