Megan Turner
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The Indianapolis 500 will welcome a sold-out 135,000 spectators on Sunday — nine months after the race ran without fans for the first time in its 105-year history.
“We’ve hit our capacity for this year’s Indianapolis 500 and look forward to hosting 135,000 fans at the world’s largest sporting event since the pandemic began,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway said. “We’re thrilled to welcome fans ‘Back Home Again’ and appreciate our loyal customers and their continued support.”
The speedway has 240,000 permanent grandstand seats and space in the infield and suites to accommodate nearly 400,000 on race day. But new owner Roger Penske couldn’t open the gates until October when only 10,000 a day were permitted into the landmark facility over a three-day weekend for an IndyCar race, The Associated Press reports.
Through vaccinations, more than 90,000 done at the speedway, Penske got the clearance to at last permit 40% attendance.
“With no more tickets available and 40 percent of venue capacity reached, we have decided to lift the local broadcast delay for this year’s race. Central Indiana spectators will be able to tune in on NBC beginning at 11 a.m. We look forward to an exciting and historic edition of the Indy 500 this weekend.”
Americans are eager to return to some sort of normalcy and want their traditions and their sports back, none more so than “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
The pre-race ceremonies for the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge will feature all of the tradition and pageantry beloved by fans Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Fans attending encouraged to “Plan Ahead” through IMS.com/PlanAhead, an interactive web page that serves as a home base for fans headed to the track this weekend. Live coverage on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network starts at 11 a.m. (ET) Sunday.
Congrats
It’s a big step, but if it wasn’t for our idiot Mayor in Indy, capacity could have been at 100%. They are still requiring masks at IMS because Marion County is the ONLY county in the state that still requires it, plus there are still capacity limits at bars and restaurants on the biggest weekend of the year, especially with the local TV blackout lifted, but the city leaders don’t care. The long-term damage Mayor “Boss” Hogsett and the Democratic majority run City County Council has done to this efforts leaders of both parties have worked tirelessly for in the past 30 years to make Indy a great city is sad and embarrassing.
The Mayor of Indy is a tyrant. The damage done to culture and psyche will take a long time to be repaired. I am still concerned with vaccine passports here in Indy. We’ll see what happens. They are requiring fans to wear masks OUTSIDE In the stands. From the photos I saw during qualifications most are ignoring this ridiculous power grab.
Fuck Indy!! They are CaronaBro central. They could have ended this bullshit last August when they should have allowed the 25% crowd they were planning to have but got guilted into no fans.
Furthermore, they should be advertising 400k plus since the claim is the Speedway holds in excess of that.
So they are planning under 50% crowd, what losers.
Good one!
Commies gonna Commie…
I was at the race. You would only once in a while run into the occasional dipshit wearing a mask. For the rest of the 99.8% of us, we didn’t wear masks when we we’re entering the Speedway and we didn’t wear a mask in the stands, out of the stands, or even in the pissers. And there was nothing they could have done about it.