The 1950s and early 1960s are considered by many to be the Golden Era of Racing at the Indianapolis 500, and photographer Ben Lawrence was on hand taking photos of the Greatest Spectacle for the Indianapolis Times. During that era, Ben captured many images of the race and race events that surrounded the Indy 500. He was there when Bill Vukovich met his fate in 1955. He photographed the first Indianapolis 500 Parade, which has become an annual event. He captured A.J. Foyt winning his first race at the Brickyard. He was on hand to photograph the breaking of the 150-mph barrier. Then he saw the transition from the front-engined Offenhauser to the rear-engined Lotus-Fords, which ended the Golden Era.

Author and historian W.C. Madden helped in writing this book. His other Arcadia titles are Baseball in Indianapolis, Indianapolis in Vintage Postcards, and Indianapolis Then & Now. Local sports historian Christopher Baas further assisted in the research for this book. Together, with the images of Ben Lawrence, they leave the reader with a greater understanding of what the Indianapolis 500 was like during its Golden Era of Racing.