The year was 1929.
The Scottish Rite Cathedral was completed downtown. And the Indianapolis Motor Speedway started to offer another "drive." Thanks to the addition of a golf course.
There was a new sound around the track as well. Thanks to state-of-the-art speakers used for the public address staff. And a second row of garages was added.
On Memorial Day, a record crowd of 160,000 fans watched as defending champ Louie Meyer led most of the race before losing oil pressure on lap 158.
29 year-old Ray Keech took the lead when Meyer's car was unable to re-fire on pit-road. Keech was a man who knew speed. He set the land-speed record of 207.55 miles per hour on the sands of Daytona Beach the year before. But in 1929? He was an Indianapolis 500 champion.
Sadly, his celebration lasted just 16 days before he was involved in a fatal accident at a board race track in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
But his memory lives on forever on the Borg-Warner trophy.
MORE ON THE ROAD TO 100
1928 | 1927 | 1926 | 1925 | 1924 | 1923 | 1922 | 1921 | 1920 | 1919 | 1916 | 1915 | 1914 | 1913 | 1912 | 1911 | Special Section: Road to 100 | Enter to win tickets to the Indy 500 | Start your engines: 100 stories in 100 days
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