110 years of speed records at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats

How it works: "On this wonderful stretch of country, level as a billiard table, is a bed of crystal salt twelve miles wide," the Salt Lake Telegram wrote in 1914.

• "This salt is as hard as concrete, and gives such a firm grip to the tires that slipping and skidding are virtually impossible."

Catch up quick: Driver Teddy Tetzlaff posted the salt flats' first record speed that month, taking the Blitzen Benz a half-mile in 12.6 seconds — about 143 mph.

ICYMI: Photos of the Bonneville Salt Flats record-setters

The big picture: Tetzlaff's record put the Bonneville Salt Flats on the map as auto racing became the world's newest thrill.

• Scores of land speed records have since been set on the dry, flat salt crust left by the prehistoric Lake Bonneville (now the Great Salt Lake).

What we're watching: It's unclear how much longer the salt flats can support racing, with nearby mining and other factors causing the salt crust to deteriorate.

What's next: Hundreds of drivers will flock to the West Desert this weekend in hopes of setting new records in an array of vehicles during Bonneville Speedweek 2024.

• Tickets to witness the blur cost $60 for the week or $25 for a day pass; buy them at the event.
• To get there, hop on I-80 and go west to the Nevada border. The salt flats are hard to miss.

Worth your time: The 2005 film "The World's Fastest Indian," starring Anthony Hopkins, is a charming look at the salt flats' racing history.

Previously in Old News

• When the church banned Black kids from Boy Scouts leadership
• A hot-air ballooning sex abuse scandal
• John Stockton's zonk of a draft day
• Utah's big eyeroll at early swimsuit modesty scandals
• A Utah school's "Don't say 'queer'" rule