Registration is now open for a new fall session of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Historian Donald Davidson’s popular Indy 500 History class, offered through the continuing education department of IUPUI. As in the spring session, the class will meet on consecutive Tuesdays from October 2 - 23. See this post for registration details (the instructions are the same) and follow some of the related posts below to see some of the topics discussed in previous classes.

The final class in Donald Davidson’s Indy 500 History course is always bittersweet. I’m sad to see the course come to an end, but excited to be that much closer to Opening Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Last Tuesday’s class may have been a “newwwwww traaaaaack recorrrrrd…” as many of us were there until 11:15pm!   read more »

It was “engine specs night” at Donald Davidson’s Indy 500 History class on Tuesday April 17th. I have to admit that the mere thought of engine specs makes my eyes glaze over at times, but if you ignore the actual specifications themselves and just focus on the impact they had on determining who came to compete and some of the mechanical innovation that took place over the years, the discussions can still be quite entertaining.   read more »

Week two of Donald Davidson’s Indy 500 History class was held in the Brickyard Pavilion last Tuesday night. After covering a few topics while waiting for some A/V problems to get sorted out, the class kicked off with some great film footage of the first 500 mile race in 1911. It’s always amazing to compare the state of the facility and the general chaos of that first race with the highly refined, choreographed event we all enjoy today. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to attend an event so unique and so grand by today’s standards.   read more »

By the time April rolls around each year, many of us are impatiently counting the days until Opening Day kicks off another glorious month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And like kids waiting for Christmas, the last few weeks of anticipation can be brutal. A great way to “scratch the itch” a little is to take Donald Davidson’s Indy 500 History class which is held at the Brickyard Crossing Inn & Resort (next to the Speedway) for four nights in April.   read more »