History Sunday - August 19, 1909 On this date in history, August 19, 1909, the first automobile race took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. The inaugural race, which was a two-lap, five-mile race, was won by automotive engineer Louis Schwitzer. The race itself was far from a success, as poor construction of the racing surface led to a total of six deaths: two drivers, two mechanics and two spectators. The initial surface consisted of crushed rock and tar that broke in several different places during the race. The track was resurfaced shortly after the first race with 3.2 million paving bricks laid on top of a bed of sand. The first Indianapolis 500 race at the speedway took place in 1911 and has run consecutively for the past 101 years. Source: History.com