INDIANAPOLIS -- Step inside the "pagoda,'' the most visible landmark at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and get perhaps the best views of the Memorial Day weekend race.

Pick a turn, a wall or any other nook of the track, and watch the Indianapolis 500 on 24 wall-mounted TV sets. Cameras on the track zoom in on everything from oil spills, debris or even a face so officials can tell paramedics about an unconscious driver after a crash.

	The pagoda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway may be the track's most recognized feature.

"We're becoming proficient at using technology to improve the efficiency of the event,'' said Kevin Forbes, the speedway's director of engineering and construction.

That's exactly what speedway officials envisioned with the construction of the 160-foot-high pagoda-style tower that blends the latest in racing technology with corporate suites. It's also where timing and scoring, public address and broadcast, race control and security are housed.

Nearly 75 people will pack the second floor Sunday for the Indianapolis 500, including 33 who are in charge of keeping a manual tally, as a backup, for each car. If there were a total power failure, a winner could still be declared.

That's how a victor was determined in 1913 when the original pagoda was built, the history of which is largely unknown. Not even the speedway's historian knows where the concept came from.

"I have read newspapers every day in May from 1913 to 1926, and there is no mention of the pagoda,'' said Donald Davidson, who has attended every 500 since 1964. "It's one of the more common questions, and I've tried to find out. I'm not sure at this point if we'll ever find out.''

There are two theories: One is that Frank Wheeler, one of the four original co-founders of the track, was believed to have been a fan of Asian architecture. The other is the design may have been influenced by a judge's stand at the Indiana state fairgrounds that looked like a pagoda.

The first wooden pagoda was being completed when the track opened for practice in 1913. It stood until the day after the 1925 race when it was razed by track officials.

A slightly larger wooden one was built farther back from the track in 1926 and was torn down in 1956. It was replaced by a six-story master control tower the next year.

The control tower was 5,000 square feet; the pagoda is 50,000.

In the early 1990s, speedway officials saw the need to replace the control tower, which was old and obsolete, lacking the technological conveniences and corporate suites.

Speedway president Tony George didn't want just any building to replace the tower. He wanted a pagoda.

"We wanted to tie in to our history,'' George said. "The first two control towers were pagoda style, so we thought it was a proper way to show respect for our history and tradition by including design elements that reflected our history.''

In 1997, they decided to go ahead with the project. Construction began in August 1998 after the Brickyard 400 and was completed in time for the 2000 Indianapolis 500 as part of the speedway's $150 million renovation.

Forbes said he suggested building the pagoda outside the track to improve sightlines, but George wanted to keep it on the front straightway and centered on the start-finish line.

"Tradition is very important at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but we must also change and adapt to the times,'' George said. "The pagoda does that.''

The pagoda follows the basic architectural blueprint of the first two, but exposed steel beams and green-tinted glass have been incorporated into the design to give the tower a modern appearance.

Each level has pagoda-like slanting canopies extending from four sides, which were inspired by the original pagoda, Forbes said.

Six floors are suites, including one reserved for Bombardier, the world's third-largest maker of civilian aircraft. This year, the company bought the naming rights to the pagoda. The five-year contract includes sponsorship at all IRL events. George would not disclose the amount of the multimillion-dollar deal.

Naming rights had already been sold on the media center and infield care center.

Inside the pagoda, VIPs are offered a view onto the main stretch and pits, or turns 1 or 4 out the side windows. At the top levels, the Indianapolis skyline can be seen in the distance.

About the only people with that view are security on the 10th floor, which offers a 360 degree view of the track.

"I think we've built a structure that can adapt with the times and doesn't risk becoming obsolete anytime soon,'' Forbes said. "Every day, we're finding new uses for it.''