Travel Log: Indianapolis

There are historical places like Daytona, Charlotte and Darlington that will always be held closely to stock-car racing hearts. And then there's Indianapolis.

Going to Indy as a stock-car fan is special. Fans know they're going into someone else's backyard for just a short period of time. They know that another race is the track's signature event. Yet they also know none of that matters late in the summer when the fenders of NASCAR roll onto the Brickyard.

This weekend is special, make no mistake. So to treat it as a show-up-on-Sunday kind of excursion is not the way to celebrate the moment.

• Purchase tickets
• Book your travel

DID YOU KNOW
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened in 1909, and its first motorsports event on the gravel-and-tar surface was a series of seven motorcycle races held on Aug. 14. The two-day event was cut in half due to concerns regarding the surface. The speedway held a variety of races before settling into one main open-wheel event per year, the Indianapolis 500. NASCAR first raced on the track in 1994.

• Although his home is considered to be in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln moved with his parents, Thomas and Nancy, to Indiana when he was 7. He spent the majority of his childhood there.

• Indiana's state motto is "Crossroads of America," referring to the state's abundance of highways. Indiana has more miles of interstate per square mile than any other state.

• Ball State University gets its name from one of its largest philanthropists, also the founder of the Ball Corporation -- the company most noted for its glass canning jars with the logo blown on the side.

• Fountain City was known as Grand Central Station for the Underground Railroad. Quaker, abolitionist and businessman Levi Coffin was nicknamed President of the Underground Railroad due to his major role in helping thousands of slaves travel north for their freedom.

IN THE KNOW ...
Best Burger: Bub's Burgers & Ice Cream
Best Local Spot: Long's Bakery
Best Restaurant: Tata Cuban Café

Admitted as a State: Dec. 11, 1816, as 19th state
Capital: Indianapolis
Nickname: Hoosier State
Population Rank: 16th
Largest City: Indianapolis

AT THE TRACK
Indianapolis Motor Speedway knows how to put on a spectacle. Get there early, stay there late. On the track's Web site, fans can find the usual -- ticket info, track maps, etc. But they can also interact with other Brickyard fans with chat and social network applications, one of which allows fans to design their own cars, helmets and transporters.
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Weekend Schedules: Cup Series | Nationwide Series | Truck Series