My favorite weekend in Indianapolis is here! No, I’m not talking about Memorial Day weekend – I’m talking about Indianapolis 500 weekend! This weekend, we’re proud to show off our bustling, Midwestern city to the world. In a recent Los Angeles Times article, Chris Erskine said, “And as a sporting destination — the Colts, the Pacers, the NFL Combine, NCAA tourneys — it seems a Midwestern overachiever.” Add in what has been dubbed “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” and he’s absolutely right.

Many of us at BLASTmedia attend the race regularly, and have family and friends in town to witness the largest sporting event in the world. Even in record heat, this day filled with excitement and prestige (okay, and a day in the sun with adult beverages and tailgating activities) is not one we’d miss.

For those of you not familiar with the Indianapolis 500, or are attending for the first time, we’ve put together 10 fun Indy 500 facts that might surprise you:

1. Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Roman Colosseum and Vatican City all can fit inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, which covers 253 acres.

2. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the world’s largest spectator sporting facility, with more than 250,000 permanent seats. If the seat boards from the grandstands at IMS were laid end-to-end, they would stretch 99.5 miles.

3. Worldwide television distribution of the Indianapolis 500 broadcast: 213 countries, with an audience reach of over 292 million households.

4. The first race was on May 30, 1911 and was won by Ray Harroun.

5. The track was once paved with 3.2 million bricks giving it the name the “Brickyard.”  The original bricks still lay at the Start / Finish line.

6. Indy cars accelerate from 0 mph to 100 mph in 4 seconds.

7. Indianapolis celebrates the Indianapolis 500 through a month-long celebration in May hosted by the 500 Festival committee and its numerous volunteers.

8. The founder of the Indianapolis 500, Carl G. Fisher, is credited with the idea of using a pace car to start the race versus a standing start. In recent years, celebrities such as Jay Leno, Morgan Freeman, Lance Armstrong, Patrick Dempsey, and Josh Duhamel have been chosen to drive the pace car.

9. If the speedway itself were a city, on race day, its population would rank as the 45th largest city nationwide. Over 400,000 individuals are estimated to attend the Indianapolis 500 race on race day.

10. A tradition starting in 1936, the Indianapolis 500 winner drinks milk in Victory Lane.

This year marks the Indy 500′s 100 year anniversary! In 1911, Ray Harroun won at an average speed of 74.602 mph–this year proves to be more exciting with average speeds of 230 mph. Will you be there?

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