==Attraction History==
Like many early Magic Kingdom attractions, what would eventually be known as the Tomorrowland Speedway, actually traces its origin back to Disney. The Tomorrowland Speedway’s predecessor was an attraction known as Autopia. Located in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, Autopia allowed guests to board cars and travel on the highway of the future (Disneyland’s Autopia opened before President Eisenhower signed Interstate Highway legislation into law). The attraction proved to be extremely popular in California, and thus it was an obvious choice for addition in Walt Disney World.
The Magic Kingdom’s version of Autopia opened as the Grand Prix Raceway with the rest of the park on October 1, 1971. Unlike the Disneyland version of the ride which was themed to look like a futuristic highway, the Grand Prix Raceway was instead created designed to look like an international car race. The Grand Prix Raceway was originally sponsored by Goodyear, who supplied tires for all of the attraction vehicles.
Although the basic idea of the Grand Prix Raceway has not changed since its opening, the name and theming of the attraction have. The first change to the Grand Prix Raceway came in 1973, when the track was expanded. By 1987 however, the track was shortened to make room for Mickey's Birthdayland. In 1996 the attraction was renamed the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, and it was given new futuristic theming to coincide with the "New Tomorrowland".