SPEEDWAY, Ind. — For the first time in months, fans have been able to go inside Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend to watch the races. The increase in fans means more customers at Speedway businesses on Main Street.
With COVID-19 and no fans allowed inside IMS for the Indianapolis 500, Speedway businesses really took a hit, but this weekend is helping make up for it.
“It’s been such a day of excitement for us where people we haven’t seen since last May are in town,” said Corinne Koller, a manager at Big Woods Restaurant in Speedway. “The volume has been more than we are used to. It is the cherry on top.”
This weekend, 15 Speedway businesses are doing a fun contest and selling pumpkin-themed items to fans to celebrate the racing events. The Speedway Chamber of Commerce is organizing it.
Longtime fans Jon LaFollette and Arden Jervase were two of the 10,000 fans allowed into Saturday’s race.
“It was nice to just hear the roar of the engines and smell the gas. It was nice to just congregate with people again,” LaFollette said. “I’ve been to ever Indy 500 since 1997 so this year was rough.”
Race fan Arden Jervase said it is nice to see the town of Speedway come together and even see the drivers pitch in to help.
“Seeing the big influx of people in the area and to support these businesses, especially with everything going on, it is just great to see,” she said.
Big Woods Restaurant is hoping this type of business will continue for the rest of the year and help make up for a slow summer.
“It has been an opportunity for us to get a taste of what we are used to, which has really amplified the appreciation we have for INDYCAR and racing in general,” Koller said.