For this week’s small town breakdown we’re going from Oldenburg in Franklin County to Speedway in Marion County. Speedway is tucked inside the city of Indianapolis, sitting about 15 minutes west of downtown Indy. It is 1 hour north of Bloomington, 1 hour south of Lafayette, and 1 hour and 15 minutes east of Terre Haute.
What’s it like in Speedway, Indiana?
Known as the "Racing Capital of the World," Speedway has nearly 120 years of motorsports heritage and a revitalized Main Street that helps it maintain its small-town feel.
The History of Marion County and Speedway, Indiana
Marion County was created by an act of the General Assembly on Dec. 31, 1821. It was named in honor of Revolutionary War General Francis Marion of South Carolina, who was known as the "Swamp Fox" for his guerrilla tactics. The state capital moved to Indianapolis from Corydon on Jan. 10, 1825.
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Speedway's story began in 1909, when Carl Fisher, James Allison, Arthur Newby, and Frank Wheeler purchased 320 acres of farmland west of Indianapolis and founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company on March 20, 1909. The first Indianapolis 500 ran in 1911, and a year later, real estate developer Lemon Trotter platted "Speedway City" right next door. The four founders envisioned an attractive "horseless city” of automotive industries on the east side and worker housing on the west side. The town was officially incorporated in 1926.
Jobs were supplied by Fisher's Prest-O-Lite factory, along with Allison’s 1915 founding of the Speedway Team Company, the business that would eventually evolve into the Allison Engine Company, to support his Indianapolis 500 racing activities. Rolls-Royce North America later acquired Allison Engine Company in 1995 and has approximately 4,000 employees today specializing in manufacturing, assembly, test, engineering, and support roles. Fun fact: More Rolls-Royce products are built in Indiana than any place in the world.
As of the 2024 census, Speedway’s population is 14,268, making it the fourth-largest incorporated town/city in Marion County behind the county seat and state capital Indianapolis (891,484), Lawrence (49,817), and Beech Grove (14,566). It is the 65th-largest town in Indiana. The town spans 4.79 square miles and is its own municipality even though it is geographically surrounded by Indy on all sides.
Things to Do In or Near Speedway, Indiana
You don’t need to overthink this one. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the main attraction. Every Memorial Day weekend, the 2.5-mile oval track hosts the Indianapolis 500, the largest single-day sporting event in the world. The 100th running of the 500 in 2016 was a sellout, and it sold out again in 2025 and this year with over 350,000 tickets sold. That means 1 out of every 1,000 people in the United States are at IMS on race day.
Other IMS races include the Sonsio Grand Prix, an INDYCAR SERIES road course race held a couple weeks before the Indy 500 in May, and the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race in the summer.
If you're not in town for race day, the IMS Museum located on the track grounds reopened in April 2025 following a $61 million renovation. It is home to one of the world's most impressive collections of race cars, including more than 30 Indy 500 winners, the $3.5 million Borg-Warner Trophy on display, rotating exhibits, immersive experiences, and more. Track tours can be added on to museum admission, allowing guests to kiss the bricks, stand atop Victory Podium, and more.
Less than a half-mile from the track on Main Street is the Dallara Experience Hub, featuring an interactive exhibit space with hands-on simulators, an IndyCar blueprint tunnel, and garage tours.
If you and the family want to get behind the wheel or test your skills in a full swing multi-sport and golf simulator, head to Speedway Indoor Karting on Main Street. The facility is open daily, but you can reserve the track or a bay for your party days in advance.
Just two miles east of IMS is the Wilbur Shaw Memorial Soap Box Derby Hill, the longest soap box derby track in the country at 1,000 feet. Built in 1953, it was later named after the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and Shelbyville native Wilbur Shaw, who won the Indy 500 in 1937, 1939 and 1940, and is the most recent Indiana native to win the race. The hill hosts rallies all summer long, where youth build and race gravity-powered cars.
Outside of the racing scene, Speedway has two great public parks.
Meadowood Park on the north side of town spans nearly 13 acres with three shelters, two playgrounds, an interactive climbing rock area, sand volleyball courts, baseball and softball diamonds, and a 0.75-mile walking trail. Every Thursday from 5–8:30 p.m. in July and August, Meadowwood Park hosts the popular Speedway Parks Market and Speedway Summer Concerts series. Plus, it’s home to the West Indy Art & Musical Festival, a free one-day event in August for guests to purchase arts and crafts, meet neighbors and enjoy live music.
A few blocks west of Main Street is Leonard Park, home to a playground, tennis and pickleball courts, and Speedway Little League's opening-day parade each spring.
For golfers, Brickyard Crossing is a historic 18-hole course with 14 holes to the East of the IMS backstretch and four holes in the infield. The idea of having a golf course to generate revenue outside of race day came from IMS founders Carl Fisher and James Allison. It was designed by Indiana architect Bill Diddel and first opened as the Speedway Golf Course in 1929 with nine holes outside and nine inside the infield. Nine more holes were added to the outside of the track in 1965, and the 27-hole layout remained until Pete Dye redesigned it to its current 18-hole layout in the early 1990s.
And in 2024, the town approved Main Street as a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, meaning those 21 and older can walk between participating bars and restaurants with a drink in their hand.
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Places to Eat or Drink in Speedway, Indiana
The heart of Speedway's food scene runs right down Main Street.
On the south end of Main sits Big Woods Speedway with two full bars, two semi-private spaces, and an outdoor beer garden. Guests love their pulled pork nachos and hickory-smoked wings, and the Peanut Butter Busted Knuckle porter brewed by Quaff ON! is a must.
Just up the street from Big Woods is the Daredevil Speedway Taproom, a brewery, taproom, and restaurant all in one. It has a spacious outdoor seating area, and locals love their thin crust tavern style pizza.
A few doors down from Daredevil is the first four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt’s Foyt Wine Vault. The space is part winery, part private lounge, part Foyt Racing Museum. Visitors can sip on wines from Napa and Sonoma while viewing racing memorabilia from one of the sport's all-time greats.
On the north end of Main closer to IMS are three popular spots – Dawson’s on Main, O’Reilly’s Irish Bar and Restaurant, and Barbecue and Bourbon. Dawson’s is best known for Gary’s Meatloaf Dinner, tenderloin sandwiches, steaks, and seafood, O’Reilly’s reels you in with its fish and chips, and Barbecue and Bourbon brings it home with delicious catfish nuggets, cornbread and brisket.
If you’re looking for a quick bite, pull up to the Mug-n-Bun drive-in or sit in its outdoor picnic area and enjoy burgers, shakes, and more. It’s located off 10th Street just a few blocks west of Main.
Speedway Senior High School
Speedway Senior High School is home to one of the coolest mascots in Indiana… the Sparkplugs. The mascot serves as a constant reminder to the town’s automotive roots. The school is small by Indianapolis-metro standards and competes in Class 2A across most sports, but they’ve found success on the field, diamond, and court, winning two IHSAA state championships in school history.
The school’s first state title came courtesy of boys basketball in 2002 (2A), when the Sparkplugs never trailed in a 62-48 win over Bluffton. Boys hoops has secured three regional titles (1973, 2002, 2013) and 12 sectional titles (1948, 1950, 1952, 1955, 1965, 1967, 1973, 2001–02, 2012–14) in program history.
The most recent state title was in softball in 2018 (2A), when Speedway blanked Bremen, 5-0. In addition to that 2018 postseason run, softball won 2A sectional titles in 2019 and 2021.
Football has been a consistent winner in the postseason as well with eight 2A sectional titles (1998, 2001, 2003–06, 2008, and 2010) and regional championships in 1998, 2001, and 2005.
That's it for small town breakdown No. 68. Where should we head next?
Frequently asked
Quick answers.
Why is Speedway, Indiana called the Racing Capital of the World?
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Speedway earned the nickname because the town was built around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, founded in 1909 by Carl Fisher, James Allison, Arthur Newby, and Frank Wheeler. The Indianapolis 500, first run in 1911, is the largest single-day sporting event in the world, with over 350,000 tickets sold in each of the last two years. That means 1 out of every 1,000 people in the United States are at IMS on race day.
What is there to do in Speedway, Indiana besides the Indianapolis 500?
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Even outside the month of May, Speedway has plenty to offer. The IMS Museum reopened in April 2025 following a $61 million renovation and features more than 30 Indy 500-winning cars and the Borg-Warner Trophy. Other attractions include Brickyard Crossing golf course, the Dallara Experience Hub, Speedway Indoor Karting, the Wilbur Shaw Memorial Soap Box Derby Hill, and a revitalized Main Street with breweries, restaurants, and the Foyt Wine Vault owned by four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt.
Is Speedway part of Indianapolis?
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Geographically, yes. Politically, no. Speedway is its own municipality with a population of 14,268, but it is completely surrounded by the city of Indianapolis on all sides. It sits about 15 minutes west of downtown Indy and spans 4.79 square miles, making it the fourth-largest incorporated town in Marion County.
Originally from small-town Iowa and a Hawkeye at heart, Cheyne has proudly called Indiana home for nearly a decade. Following 12 years of media relations, communications, and broadcasting duties in minor league baseball, Cheyne joined Get Indiana as content manager to write weekly Get Indiana, Get INvolved, and Small Town Breakdown newsletters, blog posts covering everything from travel guides and small towns to Indiana sports, and scriptwriting for social content.
