The decision to allow local fans to watch the race live comes one day after Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials announced plans to reduce attendance capacity for this year’s race to 25%.
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.
Penske gave a two-hour tour of the speedway this week, showing off with dizzying detail the new landscaping, paved lots, planted trees, picnic tables, widened pedestrian paths, hand dryers in every bathroom, improved sight lines, pressure-washed buildings, freshly painted signs and LED monitors everywhere.
The judges commended IBJ’s “expansive content that reaches into the corners of transportation, technology, sports, health, higher education, civic affairs, state government and more.”
Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials are putting all their energy into running the Indy 500 with fans in August, despite continuing concerns about big crowds and the coronavirus.
Gov. Eric Holcomb’s five-stage roadmap to reopen the state reaches its end on July 4 — the very day an IndyCar-NASCAR Xfinity Series doubleheader is scheduled to be run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The added stop at Indianapolis, called the Harvest GP, would be the third trip to the speedway in one season for IndyCar.
The race—rescheduled for Aug. 23—is on an otherwise open weekend in the city’s summer event calendar, which could fill hotel rooms at a time they would otherwise have been empty.
The not-for-profit organization that plans community events around the Indianapolis 500 race said it is continuing to plan for events after April 11, including the One America Mini Marathon, scheduled for May 2.
The project is expected to include a 127-room Hampton Inn and conference center, a national grocer, restaurants and retail space, and possibly senior housing and medical offices.
Andretti won on dirt tracks, street courses and superspeedways. He won an endurance race, competed in dragsters and became an iron man in IndyCar and NASCAR. And he used his platform and passion for racing to help others.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series—the second tier in professional stock-car racing—will run the race Saturday, July 4, on a road course that uses part of the historic speedway oval.
Progress on the 126-room Wilshaw, at the southeast corner of Main and 16th streets, has been stalled since early July while Indianapolis-based developer Loftus Robinson awaits the release of its first loan installment to finance the project.
Mark Miles, who has led Hulman & Co. since 2012, said: “We have the opportunity now to try to take it to a whole other level. I’ve had no thought of doing anything else.”
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced Tuesday that it has struck a multi-year naming rights deal for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
The legendary race-team owner who is about to buy Indianapolis Motor Speedway leaves little to chance. He’s even been known to oversee the placement of a sponsor decal on a racecar.
The acquisition of Hulman & Co. will give Penske Corp. control of about 37% of all the land in Speedway, making the company the town’s single-largest landowner. Roger Penske said he wants to take advantage of that land.
Podcast host Mason King talked with Penske about his vision for some 950 acres in Speedway, and chats with Speedway Town Manager Jacob Blasdel and local developer Mike Wells about the possibilities.
Despite IndyCar’s modest progress in recent years, it still faces significant obstacles, including the need for more corporate sponsorships, a broader fan base and higher TV ratings.
The 110-year-old speedway is one of the most famous venues in sports and home of the Indianapolis 500, a showcase event with a long history.
