Image Up Advertising & Design

30 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | JUNE 2019 | Yiddish Culture Club Cruzin' Cronies The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the most famous auto racetracks in the world. It officially opened with balloon races on June 5, 1909, followed by motorcycle races on Aug. 14 and automobile races on Aug. 19. It is also known as "The Brickyard," because its original surface was paved with bricks. Located in Speedway, IN, it is home to the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Brickyard 400. From 2000 to 2007 it hosted the United States Grand Prix for Formula One. The first USGP race had about 400,000 spectators, setting a Formula One record. No driver has won any combination of the three major events, with only two drivers, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve, having competed in all three. Johnny Aitken holds the record for total wins at the track, with 15 victories during the 1909, 1910, and 1916 seasons. In 2008, the speedway added the Indianapolis Motorcycle Grand Prix. The stadium has a permanent seating capacity estimated at 235,000, with additional infield seating raising its capacity to about 400,000. It is the highest-capacity sports venue in the world. Indianapolis businessman Carl G. Fisher first envisioned building the speedway in 1905. At the time, racing was just getting started on horse tracks and public roads, and he noticed how dangerous those courses were for racing and testing. He also argued that spectators couldn't get their money's worth, as they could only get a brief glimpse of cars speeding down a linear road. He envisioned an oval track that could test cars at sustained speeds and give drivers a chance to learn their limits. The speedway track is a 2½ mile, rectangular oval, that has remained unchanged since 1909. An infield road course was constructed between 1998 and 2000. The current grounds expanded from 320 acres to over 559 acres. In 1975 the Speedway was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It became a National Historic Site in 1987, the only site to be affiliated with automotive racing history. Cruizin' Cronies is a Classic Car Club, but you don't need a classic car to join. Meetings are held on the first Saturday of each month. We display our cars at 8 am in the Main Clubhouse parking lot, have a short meeting in the Multipurpose Room, and then go to breakfast. There are no dues, no extra fees, just friendship, stories, and laughter. Call Sandra Glickman, (951) 267-3187. It's nostalgia time again for the YCC. On Wed., June 12, at 7 pm we will meet in the South Clubhouse for our yearly triple header event ice cream social where we'll eat, greet, meet and treat ourselves to an evening filled with fun, old friends and memories while making new ones as we view the award-winning film, Welcome to Kutsher's, the Last Resort in the Catskills. If you are an easterner and familiar with the family style vacation resorts, or if you have seen the film Dirty Dancing, you will be familiar with this last surviving family-owned legendary resort which operated for more than 100 years in the area known as the Borscht Belt before its sale and demolition in 2014. These family-style vacation resorts were places where many new, young entertainers got a start and were very well known and important in that era. Although similar family resorts could be found in other parts of the U.S., particularly in areas around the Great Lakes, they did not have the same popularity as those resorts in the Catskills. This award-winning film captures a last glimpse of a lost world as it disappears before our eyes. All are welcome to join us for this evening. There is no charge to members but there will be a $4 charge to guests. We hope to greet many new guests to the YCC this evening.

• Cover