Indianapolis Motor Speedway gets 16-hour makeover for Indy 500
INDIANAPOLIS — The transformation began at 6:10 p.m. ET Saturday, when the first of 75 Indianapolis Motor Speedway workers started taking down the infield course.
By 4:10 a.m. Sunday, IMS was ready for this year's first Indianapolis 500 practice, which commenced at noon.
There were traces of Saturday's inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis — rust outlines on the asphalt from where curbing had been removed — but for the most part the evidence went unnoticed by fans.
During the all-nighter, concrete barriers and fence panels were moved, grandstands adjusted, timing and scoring set-ups switched, race control cameras re-positioned and curbing removed. Striping as well as signage and graphics were put back to provide drivers with familiar sightlines.
"It's kind of like railroad tracks," said Kevin Forbes, IMS director of engineering and construction. "The engineers need to go from one track to another, and they simply throw a switch.
"That's exactly what we do here, only our switches involve pieces that weigh 16,000 to 20,000 pounds and we have about 150."
This project required two 75-ton cranes, four material-handling forklifts weighing 8,000 to 12,000 pounds, four tractor-trailer rigs, as well as welding and iron-working components.
Compared to last July, this change was a breeze. Six hours of thunderstorms held up the all-nighter after the Grand-Am Rolex Series race and before NASCAR's oval events.
"We had a 100-ton crane that just completely died," Forbes said. "We finished at about 8:10 a.m."
His crew was sleep-deprived for about 48 hours last summer. This time, they got some shut-eye.
"It went a lot smoother," Forbes said.
Phillip B. Wilson writes for The Indianapolis Star, a Gannett affiliate.