There was a time when record speeds were, if not routine, then at least regular at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
For decades, the fastest average speeds around the rectangular 4.0 km superspeedway rose inexorably from 135 km/h to 382 km/h, creating huge anticipation before each year's Indianapolis 500.
From 1946 to the mid-'90s, crowds of more than 100,000 attended qualifying in the hope of hearing legendary track announcer Tom Carnegie bellow "Aaand it's a nnnew track record!".
Speeds didn't increase every May, but it happened often enough that ever-increasing velocities was a major drawcard of the Indy 500, with race records also climbing.
But it is almost 20 years since Carnegie's famous refrain has been heard as safety concerns and cost-saving measures have held back speeds.
After Dutchman Arie Luyendyk won pole position for the 1996 Indy 500 at a record four-lap average speed of 381.5 km/h (236.9 miles per hour), the performance of the Indycar open-wheel racers was reduced dramatically.
In the past decade, pole-winning speeds have crept from 366.2 km/h (227.5 mph) to 372 km/h (231 mph) last year, the first time the 230 mph (370 km/h) barrier had been broken since Luyendyk's effort.
There were hopes that his mark would finally be threatened this year with the introduction of new superspeedway body kits for the Chevrolet and Honda turbocharged V6-powered Dallara cars and a 104 kW (140 horsepower) boost for qualifying runs.
With reduced air drag from the slipperier body shapes, the leading contenders were posting average lap speeds of 371 km/h (231 mph) in practice – with more to come in qualifying with engine power increased to close to 560 kW (750 bhp).
But after two cars became airborne and another nearly flipped in practice crashes, questions and concerns were raised about the new aerodynamic configurations.
As a precautionary measure, race officials ordered the teams to run their cars in last weekend's rain-disrupted qualifying time trials in race trim with more conservative aero settings and no power boost.
Brisbane-born New Zealander Scott Dixon was the fastest qualifier at 365 km/h (226.7 mph), which is among the slowest pole-winning speeds of the past 10 years.
Indy 500 organisers are still hoping that new track records will be a highlight of next year's 100th running of the self-proclaimed "Greatest Spectacle In Racing".
IndyCar Series technical officials are investigating whether the design of the underside of the cars in their low-drag configuration contributed to Helio Castroneves and Josef Newgarden flying upside down.
Their cars were thrown backwards onto the track after hitting the outside wall of the track, allowing air to get underneath the rear of the flat-bottom chassis and flip them over.
Modifications to the superspeedway body kits will be made if any element of their aerodynamic configuration is found to have caused the cars to loop in the air.
Along with any changes that might be necessary, IndyCar technical bosses are confident a further year's development will allow new track record speeds to be set safely at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next year.
All going well, the untapped power reserve of the 2.2-litre Chevy and Honda V6 turbo motors will also be authorised for an unrestrained assault on the track record in qualifying.
Indy 500 officials would like nothing better than to headline the 100th Indy 500 celebrations with record lap speeds that break the 240 mph (387 km/h) barrier.
With more power and additional streamlining, the latest generation Indycars are capable of going much faster on the track's pair of long straightaways and through the four lightly banked left-hand turns.
The reduced downforce of the superspeedway body shape and low-drag wings will also make the cars more difficult for the drivers to control at the limit in qualifying, which is something Indy 500 fans say has been missing in the modern era.
Since 1997, Indycars have been restricted to relatively high-drag, high-downforce aerodynamic configurations that mean the top drivers can lap the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a wide-open throttle.
Lap speeds of 380 km/h or more would force them to ease off the accelerator going into the corners at the end of the straights and be even more precise with steering inputs, which are already very delicate in oval track racing compared with road and street circuits.
