INDIANAPOLIS — The 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge will be able to run with fans at up to 40 percent of the venue's capacity. That's a total of approximately 135,000 fans.
The plan for the race on Sunday, May 30 was made with state and local health officials and has been approved by the Marion County Public Health Department.
In addition to limited attendance, other health and safety measures include:
- Face coverings will be required and enforced throughout the venue.
- Temperature checks will be administered upon public gate entry.
- There will be spacing between customer groups in the grandstands. In addition, spacing will be enforced throughout the venue.
- Spectator viewing mounds will be closed to the general public throughout the Month of May, with no Race Day General Admission tickets sold.
- Frequent cleaning and sanitation processes will be in place, with hand sanitizer and washing stations readily available.
"Our fans mean everything to us, and we can’t wait to welcome them ‘Back Home Again’ for this year’s Indy 500,” said Doug Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president. “The city and state have worked with us to identify the appropriate health and safety precautions so that we can successfully host a limited but very enthusiastic crowd. The health and safety of everyone coming to IMS, along with central Indiana and the Hoosier State, have been paramount throughout this process.”
Also excited to host fans this year are restaurants along Main Street in Speedway. A lot of them missed out on crucial business last year when fans didn't come to town for the race. Now, they're excited for that race day energy to return.
"I'm so excited to have some old familiar faces hopefully stop back by and catch up and just drive back into Speedway that weekend,” said Corinne Koller, manager at Big Woods. “You can feel when the fans are here. You can hear the cars as they warm up. You can hear the fans cheering. You can feel it when you're walking down the sidewalk. You know the race is here. We're just so excited to have some of that back.”
Additional items of note:
- Fans who do not currently have Indy 500 tickets and are interested in attending can apply online at IMS.com. If additional tickets are available, these fans will be given first opportunity to finalize purchases.
- Tickets for all other on-track days remain available, and the same health precautions for gate entry and grandstand access will be in place.
- With no General Admission access to the infield during the Month of May, the Friday, May 28 Carb Day concert, the Saturday, May 29 Legends Day concert and the Sunday, May 30 Snake Pit concert have all been canceled.
- IMS customers still have the option to roll their 2021 purchase into 2022, receiving an IMS event credit rather than attending this year’s race.
- A fan FAQ with additional details about Month of May and Indy 500 items has been posted to IMS.com/PlanAhead.
- Fans will continue to receive ongoing event information and plan-ahead updates from IMS in the weeks leading into the race.
In addition to the planned vaccination days at IMS from April 24-30, vaccinations will also be available on select days from May 1-27. Details on that vaccine availability have not been released yet. IMS and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will also unveil a media campaign to encourage Race Day attendees to get vaccinated immediately.