1293: "Traditions of the Indy 500"
Interesting Things with JC #1293: "Traditions of the Indy 500" – Before the engines roar, 300,000 people stand still. Milk is chosen. Bricks are kissed. A race becomes ritual. A track becomes sacred.
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Episode Anchor
Episode Title: Traditions of the Indy 500
Episode Number: #1293
Host: JC
Audience: Grades 9–12, college intro, homeschool, lifelong learners
Subject Area: U.S. History, Engineering, Media Literacy, SociologyLesson Overview
Students will:
Define key cultural and mechanical traditions of the Indianapolis 500.
Compare historical changes in racing technology and safety protocols.
Analyze the social and cultural significance of Indy 500 traditions over time.
Explain how memory and ritual shape public events and historical narratives.
Key Vocabulary
Endurance (en-DUR-ance) — The 1911 shift to a 500-mile race was designed to test the endurance of both drivers and their vehicles.
Methanol (METH-uh-nol) — From 1965 to 2005, Indy cars ran on methanol to reduce fire risk.
Brickyard (BRICK-yard) — The Speedway was once fully paved with bricks, earning the nickname “The Brickyard.”
Superstition (soo-per-STISH-un) — The number 13 is never used in the Indy 500, not due to rules, but deep-seated superstition.
Pace Car (PACE kar) — After a crash in 1971 involving an amateur driver, only professionals are now allowed to drive the pace car.
Narrative Core
Open – A powerful, emotional image: 300,000 fans in silence as “Taps” plays.
Info – The chaotic beginnings of the Speedway and evolution to the 500-mile format.
Details – Iconic moments: Harroun’s rear-view mirror, kissing the bricks, Janet Guthrie’s struggles, and Alexander Rossi’s coasting victory.
Reflection – The traditions are more than rituals; they preserve memory and identity through endurance, respect, and engineering.
Closing – “These are interesting things, with JC.”
Transcript
See Transcript in Next Expander below
Student Worksheet
What safety innovation did Ray Harroun introduce in 1911?
Why was gasoline banned in Indy 500 racing?
How did “kissing the bricks” become a tradition?
Describe the cultural importance of the “Snake Pit” then and now.
Create a short fictional diary entry from the perspective of a first-time Indy 500 driver or fan.
Teacher Guide
Estimated Time: 1–2 class periods
Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Strategy: Use visual examples and context sentences to reinforce specialized racing terms and historical context.
Anticipated Misconceptions:
Students may think the Indy 500 is only about speed, not tradition or engineering.
Confusion between types of racing fuel and their historical timelines.
Discussion Prompts:
Why do public rituals (like “Taps” or milk toasts) matter in sporting events?
How does the Indy 500 reflect changes in American culture and technology?
Differentiation Strategies:
ESL: Use visuals of the traditions (milk, bricks, fuel types) and simplified vocabulary glossaries.
IEP: Provide structured note templates and key idea sentence starters.
Gifted: Encourage exploration of comparative traditions in other major sports or international races (e.g., Le Mans, Monaco Grand Prix).
Extension Activities:
Research another American cultural tradition and present its evolution.
Design a future Indy car using principles of both safety and speed.
Cross-Curricular Connections:
Physics (aerodynamics, G-force)
Sociology (gender equity in sports, cultural rituals)
Media Studies (how sports traditions are shaped by media coverage)
Quiz
What material originally paved the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
A. Concrete
B. Bricks
C. Asphalt
D. Gravel
Answer: B
Which innovation did Ray Harroun use in the 1911 race?
A. Seat belts
B. Rear-view mirror
C. Anti-lock brakes
D. Turbocharger
Answer: B
What is the purpose of banning gasoline in the Indy 500?
A. Cost reduction
B. Performance
C. Safety
D. Tradition
Answer: C
Who was the first woman to qualify for the Indy 500?
A. Danica Patrick
B. Sarah Fisher
C. Janet Guthrie
D. Shirley Muldowney
Answer: C
What symbolic act do winners perform at the finish line?
A. Throw their helmets
B. Sign the track wall
C. Kiss the bricks
D. Drink orange juice
Answer: C
Assessment
How have technological and safety changes shaped the evolution of the Indy 500? Use examples from the episode.
In what ways do Indy 500 traditions—like the milk, the bricks, or the pre-race silence—help preserve its legacy?
3–2–1 Rubric:
3 = Accurate, complete, thoughtful
2 = Partial or missing detail
1 = Inaccurate or vague
Standards Alignment
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2 — Determine a central idea and analyze its development over the course of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2 — Write explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas clearly.
C3.D2.His.14.9-12 — Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects in historical events.
NGSS HS-ETS1-3 — Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem (e.g., car safety, fuel choice) using engineering practices.
ISTE 3D — Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories.
International Equivalents:
IB MYP Individuals & Societies Criterion B: Investigating — Students develop research questions and formulate arguments based on source material.
Cambridge IGCSE History 0470/2 — Understand the significance of events and their longer-term implications on societies and traditions.
UK National Curriculum KS4 History — Understand and analyze how aspects of national history contribute to identity and change over time.
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Interesting Things with JC #1293: "Traditions of the Indy 500"
There’s a moment each May when a racetrack in Indiana becomes one of the loudest places on Earth, and also one of the most sacred. Not because of speed alone, but because of what 300,000 people do in unison. They wear hats that haven’t been washed in 40 years. They chant names like Foyt, Unser, and Mears. And they stand as a trumpet plays “Taps,” remembering drivers who never came home.
The Indianapolis 500 isn’t just a race. It’s America’s mechanical cathedral.
The first race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway wasn’t 500 miles. In 1909, short-distance events tested early cars on a track paved with crushed stone and tar. It was a disaster. Cars crashed. Tires exploded. And by the end of one race, a driver, two mechanics, and two spectators were dead. The public was horrified.
So in 1911, organizers rolled out a new vision: a single 500-mile (805-kilometer) race, just once a year. Safer, simpler, a true test of endurance and engineering. The first winner, Ray Harroun, drove a car called the Marmon Wasp, famous not only for its name but for having no front-seat passenger. Instead, Harroun installed what may have been the first rear-view mirror in racing history. His average speed? Just under 75 miles per hour (121 kilometers per hour).
Compare that to today’s cars, which routinely qualify at over 230 miles per hour (370 kilometers per hour). That’s three times faster, without tripling the danger. And yes, there’s still a Wasp in the museum. Bright yellow. Still armed with a mirror.
The track itself tells its own story. In 1909, it was paved with 3.2 million bricks, earning it the name “The Brickyard.” Drivers hated it. Bricks shattered. Dust flew. But fans came anyway. Over time, asphalt covered the surface. Today, just one yard of bricks remains, precisely at the start-finish line. Every winning driver still kisses those bricks, helmet off, knees down. That ritual didn’t exist before 1996, when Dale Jarrett started it after a NASCAR win. Indy 500 winners adopted it soon after. It stuck.
So did the milk.
It wasn’t always part of the show. In 1936, driver Louis Meyer asked for buttermilk after winning. A dairy executive saw it on film and turned it into a tradition. But the tradition was shaky at first. In 1947, Maurice Rose drank orange juice. It wasn’t until the 1950s that race officials codified milk as the victory beverage. Today, drivers pre-select their milk preference before the race: whole, 2%, or skim. One year, a driver requested chocolate milk and got politely overruled.
Then there’s the fuel.
After several horrific gasoline fires, including one that killed two crewmen and hospitalized driver Eddie Sachs, officials banned gasoline outright. From 1965 to 2005, cars ran on methanol. After that, ethanol. To this day, gasoline is still forbidden in the Indy 500. Not for performance reasons. For safety.
The 500’s fan culture has grown in tandem with the race’s history. The "Snake Pit," a notoriously wild infield party zone, has existed in one form or another since the 1950s. At one point, police reportedly made over 100 arrests a day in that section alone. Today, it’s a controlled music festival, but the name and spirit remain.
Some traditions evolved more painfully.
Janet Guthrie was the first woman to qualify for the Indy 500 in 1977. She was booed, blocked, sabotaged. Male mechanics refused to work with her. But she finished 9th the next year. In 2005, Danica Patrick became the first woman to lead laps. And in 2009, she placed 3rd, still the highest finish by any female driver.
Not all chaos happens on the track. In 1971, a Dodge dealership owner named Eldon Palmer was chosen to drive the pace car. He practiced all week. But on race day, with VIPs inside and the crowd on their feet, Palmer missed his braking mark and smashed the Dodge Challenger into a camera platform. It injured a dozen people and nearly killed track owner Tony Hulman. After that, the Speedway changed its policy. Pace car drivers would need professional racing experience, or at the very least, a backup brake plan.
In 1992, one of the most thrilling finishes in race history unfolded. Al Unser Jr. beat Scott Goodyear by just 0.043 seconds. That’s about 24 inches (61 centimeters), a full-speed blink. The announcer’s call: “You just won the Indy 500!” And Unser’s reply? “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
It wasn’t a joke. It was history.
That history is strangely cautious when it comes to car numbers. Until 1947, there were no official regulations on number assignments. Drivers could duplicate each other, 13s, 77s, whatever. But after a string of crashes and confusion, the Speedway standardized numbering. The number 13, however, has never been officially banned. It’s just never used. The superstition runs too deep.
Winning the race doesn’t even guarantee glory.
In 2016, Alexander Rossi won the 100th running of the Indy 500, a rookie with guts and no fuel left in the tank. He coasted across the line and barely made it to Victory Lane. But by season’s end, he ranked only 11th in the overall IndyCar championship. That’s the strange reality: You can win the biggest race in the world and still finish the year forgotten.
Unless you’ve earned the milk.
Or survived the heat.
Cockpit temperatures can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius). Drivers lose between 5 and 10 pounds (2.3 to 4.5 kilograms) during the race, mostly sweat. That’s three hours of nonstop driving, G-force stress, and zero relief. Pit crews train like athletes. So do the drivers. Because endurance wins where engines fade.
And yet, for all its speed and spectacle, the Indy 500 endures not just because of what happens on the track, but because of what’s built around it. Memorial Day. “Back Home Again in Indiana.” The roar of the crowd. The waving of checkered flags. The bricks. The milk. The silence before the start.
It’s more than tradition. It’s a promise that every year, for one day, the loudest machine in America will run on memory, pride, and asphalt.
These are interesting things, with JC.
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This episode of Interesting Things with JC explores the powerful blend of tradition, innovation, and memory that defines the Indianapolis 500. Beyond racing, the Indy 500 serves as a national ritual, blending engineering marvels with deep-rooted cultural practices. This lesson is ideal for teaching students how traditions evolve, how safety and innovation coexist, and how memory shapes public identity. Perfect for linking U.S. history with STEM and social reflection.
This episode is dedicated to “Love Shack BBQ” and his Dad “Hook” on tiktok. Hook has been going to the race since he was 7. His friends call him “Hook” because he was always able to “hook everyone up” with tickets!
