8 tips for attending the Indianapolis 500, whether for the first time or 50th
INDIANAPOLIS — An eventful Month of May is still climbing to its climax: the Indianapolis 500.
An event where more than 300,000 people will be packed into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grounds, many will be attending for the first time. Three weeks ago, IndyStar motor sports insider Nathan Brown was asked during his Reddit AMA about tips for attending the Indy 500, and plenty of social chatter since has been from first-time 500 goers.
Though Brown gets to the race track at 4 a.m. — "I love walking the grounds when it’s still dark and as barren as it’ll be all day," he said. "You get the sense in those moments that the track really is a living organism, and once you step back out eight hours later during pre-race, it’s even more impactful then just how full it is." — fans don't have to be there that early, though parking will fill up and gates open at 6 a.m., so it is important to beat traffic around the speedway.
Brown broke down his favorite questions received and things he'd change as president of IndyCar. And here are eight tips for attending the Indy 500 to get a full enjoyable experience.
Tips for attending the Indy 500
- Largely pack your car the night before.
- Plan to bring the bulk of your food and drink with you (beers, bottles of water, fresh fruit, chips, chicken strips, pre-made sandwiches) so you aren’t spending a bunch of time waiting on concession lines and walking around during on-track action all day. It’ll require some heavy lifting walking to and from your seats, but it’s worth it.
- Find a place to park where you can do a bit of tailgating to kick off your morning (meaning have a scouted out place to park). Set your alarm for 3 a.m., be on the road by 4 a.m. and ideally parked by 6 a.m. Fire up some sort of grill and have breakfast. Enjoy the hoopla of the strangers and their fanaticism around you.
- Head to the gates by 8:30 a.m. or so. If you’ve never been to IMS before, hopefully you’re able take a stroll through the infield, either on the way to your seats or once you’ve gotten settled.
- Make sure you’ve got comfy seat cushions. Those metal bleachers are going to make you a bit sore before we even get to the green flag.
- Soak in the pre-race ceremony. Be ready to cry.
- Bring some sort of listening device to be able to listen to IMS Radio’s live call of the race, so you can follow what’s going on when cars aren’t in your field of vision.
- Enjoy.