May 2009 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by Carl Fisher, James Allison, Arthur Newby, and Frank Wheeler as a testing facility. The history can be found in this article: Centennial: Four Founders’ Vision Created Indianapolis Motor Speedway The first Indianapolis 500 race was held in 1911, so we have two years of Centennial Celebrations to anticipate; thus, the “Centennial Era.” Events held from Friday – Sunday, May 1-3, kicked off the start of the Indy 500 Festival celebrations here in Speedway, Indiana. One event I was looking forward to was the Centennial Era Balloon Festival, an event to celebrate the first race held…