Carl Fisher's Test Track

Carl Fisher was a businessman that wanted better tires after a trip to Ohio resulted in a lot of stops due to poor road conditions. It was Autumn of 1908, and highways did not exist. Wagon trails and horse paths were the roads that people drove on to go from town to town. The automobile was becoming the hot new technology item that everyone had to have. The technology was outpacing the roads needed to drive on. Carl thought that a test facility to develop new tire designs would be beneficial to Indiana's growing auto industry. He convinced some of the top businessmen in Indianapolis to join him in the effort. In 1909 the track opened and the rest is history. Competitive events began in spring. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been the testing location for many automotive innovations. Racing gives the opportunity to push a car beyond it's daily expectations to see what works and what fails under the extreme stress. The first 500 mile race was held in 1911 and has since been the standard to which all racetracks and races have been held. This weekend another race will be added to the history books. There is great history at the track. In 1952, Freddie Agabashian put the Kurtis Kraft Cummins Diesel Special on the pole, breaking the one lap record in the process. We love diesels. Carl's dream grew larger than he may have expected. Tires are still tested on that track.

Testing is a huge part of developing a car. We have been testing the Vincitore' 1000 for months to prepare it for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize. Like Carl Fisher's desire to improve tires led to the greatest race in the world, our desire to improve the MPGe of our car may lead to something big!

Here's a quiz. What was the first competitive event held at the Speedway?