History
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the World Wars
World War One
In 1916, the Indianapolis 500, then known as the International Sweepstakes, was scheduled for only 300 miles, which was partially due to conservation efforts toward the War in Europe. The race was won by Dario Resta.
Although a 500-mile race was planned for 1917, it was not officially announced until the early part of March. No sooner had it been so than track management was almost immediately obliged to cancel it due to the United States’ increasing involvement in World War I. The date on which the race was canceled was Friday, March 23.
During World War I, the facility was offered to the government as a part of the war effort. There were three aviation maintenance battalions that operated out of the infield. The infield became, among other things, a refueling point between military establishments in Dayton, Ohio and Rantoul, Illinois. In addition, several experimental aircraft were tested at the track, flown by leading test pilots of the day. There were also barracks that operated just a few blocks south on Main Street in the Town of Speedway.
World War Two
On Dec. 29, 1941, three weeks after the United States had suddenly found itself drawn into World War II, WWI flying “ace” Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, the track’s owner since 1927, had canceled the 1942 “500,” stating that there would be no further activities there until after the hostilities had been resolved.
In the closing days of 1941, Rickenbacker made an offer to the United States government to again use IMS as an aviation repair depot. However, it was politely declined, the Speedway’s infield considered not spacious enough to accommodate the much larger and faster aircraft of WWII. With that, Rickenbacker ordered the facility padlocked for the duration, and on July 31, 1942, due to the government’s vastly increased demand for fuel, rubber and other supplies, ALL forms of motor sport were brought to an end by federal mandate. IMS remained closed through the end of the War, in 1945.