The IMS was an aviation repair depot before it was famous for racing
In 1918, the U.S. Army turned the Indianapolis Motor Speedway into an aviation depot. JN-4 Jennys flew test flights from the grounds. The depot repaired 313 aircraft and 350 engines that year. Italian engineers from the Pomilio Brothers Corporation developed aircraft here for the Liberty engine, and Allison Experimental supplied the parts. The Speedway's aviation chapter is largely forgotten.