Mickey Andretti?

I've been watching a lot of old IndyCar/Champ Car races on Youtube lately.  Then I remembered that the Indy Racing League's first ever race, the first race in the famous IRL/CART "split" took place at Disney World.  No, the IRL didn't have a street race through the Magic Kingdom (although that would have been pretty cool), but instead they raced on Disney's brand new (as of 1996) "Walt Disney World Speedway," dubbed the "The Mickyard." 

I had never watched the inaugural IRL event at The Mickyard, and it didn't take a lot of searching on Youtube to find the event.  So, in honor or this weekends inaugural 2015 IndyCar race at St. Petersburg, I present the first ever race of the series that would one day become the modern incarnation of IndyCar.

Walt Disney World Speedway will never be more then a foot note in professional racing history, but it is an interesting foot note.  After the Indy Cars left in 2000, the track spent most of it's life as a home for the Richard Petty Driving Experience.  It is also rather fitting to watch this race as IndyCar kicks off it's 2015 season, because in June of 2015, The Mickyard, home of the first ever Indy Racing League event, will be permanently closed.

So, grab some pop corn, put on your mouse ears, and enjoy this little oddity of American open wheel racing.