Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
The Indianapolis 500 will run with about 25% of the fans that attend a typical race—and they will be required to wear face masks, Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials announced Tuesday.
Officials said that ticket sales for the Aug. 23 race will not be permitted after Friday, which could further limit the number of people who attend the 104th running of the Indy 500.
The decision to limit the crowd to 25% means the track this year will welcome a maximum of 87,500 people to its nearly 560-acre campus, which has a maximum capacity of about 350,000.
Even with a diminished crowd, it is still expected to be the highest-attended sporting event in the world since the coronavirus pandemic began earlier this year. Most professional sports leagues have strictly limited event capacity or outright suspended fan attendance at their events.
IMS officials said they have prepared a 95-page plan that will provide guidelines and protocols for how the race will be run this year. The plan will be released publicly Wednesday, but officials already said that face coverings will be required for all attendees.
The plan is expected to include seat reassignment to allow for social distancing, the distribution of hand sanitizer, temperature checks and changes to concession stands—including a shift to mostly pre-packaged foods.
IMS and IndyCar leaders have been in contact with local and state officials in recent weeks to ensure the 500-mile race goes ahead with fans.
The decision to further reduce capacity comes roughly a month after IMS officials announced the race would run with stands at 50% capacity. But since then, coronavirus cases have been increasing in Indiana, and both the state and city have slowed plans to reopen the economy. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has also imposed a mask mandate.
The race was moved from its original May 24 race date because of the pandemic, but track and IndyCar series owner Roger Penske said in early June the race would only occur with fans in the stands, even if it meant moving it to October.
“In June, we announced the race was on and that attendance would be limited to no more than 50% of capacity,” said Penske Entertainment Corp. CEO Mark Miles in a statement on Tuesday.
“We also made clear we intended to do things differently this year. By offering credits to fans who had previously purchased tickets, encouraging those over 65 to stay at home, limiting attendance in the infield, reducing tickets in our suites and promising fans their decision to not attend would not impact their seniority or right to renew tickets for 2021, we now anticipate attendance at approximately 25 percent of capacity,” he said. “We will welcome fans back, and we have an aggressive plan in place, which has been developed through collaboration with national, state and local health experts.”
“From a tourism standpoint, we ultimately understand the thoughtful decision that IMS has made to first and foremost protect residents and visitors to the city into the iconic oval,” Chris Gahl, vice president of Visit Indy, said. “We know that ultimately, in the long run, this will keep the event healthy. And while there will be short term economic pains by virtue of not having 100% capacity, it is ultimately the right decision and will ensure that generations to come will be able to enjoy the world largest single day sporting event.”
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
Race Fans Matter and at 25% it will be like a carb day in 1985 at best.
Why bother.
So how many does that equate to?? When they say typical race do they mean lets say 250k and 25% of that is 62.5k? That’s about a Lucas Oil size crowd, no? I guess pretty lucky if you can score a ticket and the resales will be expensive!
An Indy Star article says they are going with 87,500. That’s 25% of 350k.
Thank you Stephen.P.
Typical NASCAR crowd at IMS!
Yes, I’m sure a mask will not last long when you are eating and drinking in the hot sun!
What about practice, qualifications, Carb Day, etc. Those have NEVER been mentioned…Even in the 50% conversation.
Pretty sure none of those things are happening with fans this year
Thank You IMS for having the courage to move forward. The naysayers are gonna go crazy. Just read Doyle’s article this morning. So over the top it was pathetic. Nobody is being forced to attend. This will be a great model of how an outside large scale event can take place while our medical community continues to find the proper vaccine.
Or not…
Probably not. Cases will surge.What are they thinking?
Doyle truly is a joke
“courage to move forward”
What.
Nothing will happen like nothing is happening now!
Any time we get a good report on the economy, the Democrat Deep State CDC increases the alleged COVID numbers in their political ploy to kill the economy and oppress the people.
Crooked hospital detect common Coronavirus and they label it COVID-19 to get more Federal money as it’s a cash cow to make everything COVID-19. Notice everything has become “Asymptomatic” too that is speak you really don’t have anything but we will cage you 14 daysas to posture we’re doing something. The real reason is their flawed test don’t work and isn’t accurate, so they need time to see if COVID will reveal itself. But nonetheless someone is meets the objective of getting oppressed and not participating in the economy.
By the numbers influenza is more contagious and deadly, but they call the flu like everything else COVID-19 too.
It’s all about politics and Federal cash payouts!
This is the biggest fraud pulled over and on the American people since Obama!!!
The who’s and what’s of the CDC need to be investigated!!!
Ugh, more “deep state” conspiracy nonsense. When did my Republican Party become the Party of Stupid?
Wrong message board, Darrell. “They” , “their”, and the “Deep State/Crooked Hospitals” can be found …well I’m sure you already know.
This is all a joke. The “powers that be” are going to try and cancel all sports if possible and if not possible to limit them to the level of being pathetic. I am surprised that the auto racing business in this country, has been so willing to bend over backwards to please the left. That is the very left that does not even attend racing or sporting events in any large numbers. Remember it was ESPN and most of the sports media “community” that only a few weeks ago labeled ALL NASCAR fans as racist.
The leadership in this country, on almost all levels, has really gone to the dogs. There is no responsible or logical leadership on most local and state levels, just a lot of cowardly, trying to please everyone group, that has shirked all responsibility or ability to use their collective brains.