<Tr> <Th> Previous </Th> <Th> Next </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1909 - 1910 events </Td> <Td> 1912 </Td> </Tr> <P> The 1911 International 500 - Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1911 . It was the inaugural running of the Indianapolis 500, which is one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world . Ray Harroun, an engineer with the Marmon Motor Car Company, came out of retirement to drive, and won the inaugural event before re-retiring for good in the winner's circle . </P> <P> Over the previous two seasons (1909 and 1910), the Speedway had scheduled numerous smaller races during a series of meets over the two years . In a departure from that policy, for 1911 the management decided to instead schedule a single, large - scale event attracting widespread attention from both American and European racing teams and manufacturers . It proved to be a successful event, immediately establishing itself both as the premier motorsports competition in the nation, and one of the most prestigious in the world . </P>

Who won the first indy 500 race in 1911