SPEEDWAY, Ind. -- It's a relic of the late 1960s low-rise roadside motels, a type of structure one might see in an old Hitchcock movie.

Up the concrete steps and one turn of your oversized metal key into a mint green door takes you back in time, a time where mauve floral bedspreads are still en vogue and the guests know not to ask for wireless service or chocolate on their pillows.

“

Everyone stayed there. So many stories are told behind that motel ... it should be turned into a museum.

”

-- STANTON BARRETT

Room upgrades really don't exist, but a dorm-size refrigerator can be added to the king size rooms free of charge. Wake up calls are an option, but unnecessary. Everyone virtually wakes up at the same time once the crank of race car engine blares just a stone's throw from your window.

You could say the accommodations at the Brickyard Crossing Inn leave something to be desired. The building's faulty plumbing leaves guest feeling hot and cold, literally; it's shower-at-your-own-risk -- and travel reviewers don't speak highly of the motel's chipped paint and crumbling infrastructure.

But all of these details are irrelevant. What you need to know is that A.J. Foyt couldn't care less and considers the place to be a palace.

It was fit for a king; Richard Petty chose to stay there. Paul Newman didn't mind, either. And it was good enough for Jeff Gordon, before the influx of million-dollar motor homes. The Brickyard Crossing Inn was suitable for Mario Andretti and his clan, as well as for Penske executives.

But economic feasibility has prevailed over historic preservation. This piece of racing lore will be razed in a few months, taking with it decades of memories and victory celebrations.

"To bring the motel up to the standards and quality of what guests expect at the Speedway would require significant capital expenditures," said Joie Chitwood, president and chief operating officer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. "After reviewing the alternatives, we have decided to discontinue its operation."

Room 244 will no longer exist. It's the same room Foyt retired to after winning three of his record-tying four Indianapolis 500s -- 1964, '67 and '77. He also won the 1961 race.

The driver grew old with this motel and both are worse for wear. Foyt recognizes the need for progress and renewal, nevertheless he wishes for just one more year, one more month of May to spend in the place he called a home away from home.

The landscape driving down 16th Street on the way to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be changed forever. The landmark's destruction will hopefully make way for a new racer's haven and create future decades of memories. However, use of the space has not been determined once the 96-room motel built in 1963 is removed, Chitwood said.

"IMS has been looking at alternatives to the future of the motel property for several years, including constructing a new motel," he said. "We continue to evaluate how a new motel operation on Speedway property might fit in with the planned redevelopment of the Town of Speedway.

"To date, we have reviewed proposals from several groups and have met with some of these firms. We're farther along than we've ever been in the process to build a new motel at IMS."

New isn't always better, according to NASCAR driver Stanton Barrett who remembers traveling to the motel to pick up his godfather, Newman, before one of the Indy 500 in the mid-90s.

"That was the place to hang out," he recalled. "Everyone stayed there. So many stories are told behind that motel ... it should be turned into a museum."

To preserve the room where Gordon ordered a pizza after winning the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994 might be worth it. The same goes for the rooms where scenes from Newman's movie Winning were filmed. Not to mention an appearance from the Beatles.

The star power of this tiny no-frills motel is unbelievable. It's allure and unsophisticated charm provided a sanctuary for the racing community. They could escape to a simpler time away from the pomp and pageantry of racing when all that really mattered was good conversation and good company.

Steeped in tradition, Foyt enjoyed starting his day with breakfast at the Brickyard Crossing restaurant where many team owners and racers gathered before track activities.

These men certainly had other lodging options more suited to their income levels, but the Brickyard motel was convenient, a golf cart ride away to the garage inside the speedway. They chose the motel's modest accommodations over five-star hotels with concierge service because you can't put a price on true comfort and familiarity.

Thankfully, a few mainstays of the Brickyard property -- the restaurant, the Flag Room Pub and the Crossing Golf Course Shop -- will remain.

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