Tony Hulman

ASPAR Almost Derails the 1947 Indianapolis 500

June 24, 2024 by Leave a comment

In the years immediately following World War II, most racing teams were small private companies dependent upon racing for their livelihood. One of their goals was to increase the prize money. As a result, in 1946, a group of West Coast racers led by Joel Thorne formed the American Society ...

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Janet Guthrie: The First Woman to Drive in the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500

May 6, 2024 by Leave a comment

Janet Guthrie was the first woman to drive in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. The year was 1977.

Her vocation was as an engineer but her passion was automobile racing. She developed her driving skills participating in road races with the Sports Car Club of America. On ...

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The Crash of a Pace Car

May 6, 2024 by Leave a comment

One of the traditions of the Indianapolis 500 is the pace car leading the field of 33 through the pace lap. It began at the very first Indianapolis 500 in 1911 when Carl Fisher drove his white Stoddard-Dayton with his initials in bold letters on the radiator grill.

Having the ...

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F. W. Cook Brewing Company

March 4, 2024 by Leave a comment

With a German heritage, Tony Hulman was familiar with beer. Following World War II, Hulman explored purchasing a brewery. It became a reality in 1949 when he purchased fifty-two percent of F. W. Cook Brewing Company in Evansville, Indiana.

F. W. Cook Brewing had a long history dating back to ...

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Brickyard Crossing

January 8, 2024 by Leave a comment

Brickyard Crossing, Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s golf course, can trace its origins to the 1920s in Miami Beach. Golf was becoming a pastime of the rich and the people who wintered in Carl Fisher’s Miami Beach resort demanded it. Interestingly, Fisher really didn’t care for golf. In fact, he was terrible ...

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