New Bricks in the Bickyard's Future

INDIANAPOLIS August 9, 2004; The AP reported that The Brickyard is getting new bricks.

Work began Monday to tear up the 2 1/2-mile oval track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and replace it with new asphalt and bricks.

Track officials said 36,500 tons of asphalt will be laid in two or three layers and the track should be completed by mid- to late-October, in plenty of time for the next scheduled event: the Indianapolis 500 in May.

Speedway spokesman Ron Green said the famed yard of bricks that marks the start/finish line, as well as pieces of the old asphalt, will be sold to the public through a licensed company. The bricks will be replaced by others that have been lifted from the track in previous construction projects.

"They've salvaged bricks from those projects and those will be used to replace the ones sold," Green said.

There are plenty leftover. The 3.2 million bricks were first laid in 1909, hence the nickname "Brickyard," and some still remain under the asphalt. By 1961, the track was completely covered in asphalt.

This is the first repaving since 1995, and it is the first time the warmup lanes and current pit lane will be resurfaced since they were built in 1993 and 1994, respectively.