The Indy 500 sold out its centennial race in 2016 and has drawn crowds of roughly 300,000 annually. But he thinks he has the car underneath him to make his story even better. The more they talked, the more it seemed like so much hooey. That still seems a bit gauche for a Friday, even one as sunny and warm as this one. It is believed that the facility has around 225,000 permanent seats. 13 Amazing Indianapolis 500 Stats You Need to Know. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. After Friday’s scene, there’s no chance of him being spooked on Sunday. The Indianapolis 500 will not have any spectators in attendance after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) reversed direction on Tuesday, having originally planned for … It appears that the crowd on May 26, 2019 will fall in line and be even bigger than last year’s total. INDIANAPOLIS — They came in droves, wearing bright T-shirts and goofy grins. And then the good news started gathering: of overbooked hotels, of added stadium seating, of the first Speedway sellout in 20 years. The company says at least 350,000 spectators can been seen in the photo. “So I haven’t really experienced what people had told me when this place is sold out, how does it feel when you go out, you know, go into the tunnel and you experience the crowd. Annual attendance generally draws more than 400,000 spectators. Accompanied by Michael Jordan, Vanessa Bryant gave Kobe's speech inducting him into the Basketball Hall of Fame alongside Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, among others. Their biggest competition, Team Penske, didn’t fare much better. Five-time high-stakes champ Shawn Childs helps you at the waiver wire to bolster your fantasy squad, Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler in the main event at UFC 262 to clinch the lightweight title. TV ratings are not everything, but when it comes to viewers, there is no contest between the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. The official seating capacity is reported at 257,325 seats but the infield space and standing-room-only crowd push attendance … J. Cole makes pro hoops debut in Africa League, Nadal earns win in Djokovic rivalry, Rome title, Giants sign Benjamin, could move him to TE, Valerio, Sports Reporters producer, dies at 71. Their highest starter on the 33-car grid is reigning IndyCar series champion Scott Dixon, who’ll drive off from row five, in 15th position; Kanaan is one row back, in 18th. Alongside Castroneves (in the eighth position) is Simon Pagenaud, the season’s runaway points leader. He means a delirious mob that, at times, roared louder than the cars on track and the bass rich music that thrummed behind it. It was delayed to August with no audience . Attendance at what is traditionally a staple of Memorial Day Weekend has seen the event become known as the biggest one-day sporting event. Twelve thousand people are in attendance. 2016 2015 2014 Attendance RACE NOTE: The Indianapolis 500 was sold-out for the first time in the event’s history – the IMS was packed to capacity with a reported crowd of 350,000 TV NOTE: For the second year in a row, the Indianapolis 500 beat the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 – both broadcast on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend 3,440 3,570 3,474 Your teams on the go or at home. Tony Kaanan, James Hinchcliffe, Helio Castroneves and the rest of the Indy 500 field will race for glory in front of a crowd bigger than any of them have experienced. ... 2016. And then raceday comes along, and these stands go from gray to color. The major stakeholders in this race—the Speedway, the Verizon IndyCar Series, the teams, their drivers and sponsors—have been heralding the coming of this grand spectacle for well over a year now. Because they’re so gray when you’re training there, and then all of a sudden, you come to the race and they’re color. Chris Webber, Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh and Ben Wallace will join the WNBA's Yolanda Griffith and Lauren Jackson as players inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Indianapolis 500 routinely sold out for decades, but the Indy car racing "split" of 1996 that broke the sport into two series for more than a decade caused the race's attendance to decline. “People are standing up, sitting down, waving their arms, going through the fence, trying to yell at you. Rick Mears: Who will be next four-time Indy 500 winner. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has not released any official attendance numbers from race day. INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - As we near the end of 2016, WTHR's sports team has compiled a list of the 13 biggest stories from the past year. It is more than just cars on track," said Boles. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Hélio Castroneves, who’s bidding to become the fourth driver to win Indy four times, will start ninth and figures to advance quickly. With speeds well in excess of 200mph (321km/h), it's the fastest race on the motorsports calendar, and this year Ars was in attendance along with more than 350,000 other race fans to take in … IMS to limit Indy 500 attendance to 50% capacity by: Staff Reports. Indy 500 Snake Pit presented by Coors Light The Indy 500 Snake Pit presented by Coors Light is the ultimate festival of fun, friends and some of the biggest electronic music acts in the world – all while Indy cars roar past at 230 mph. I’ve never, never seen anything like this.”. By Jim Ayello, USA TODAY Sports May 4, ... sales over the past 10 days are almost neck-and-neck with 2016. Now, we wait to see the final matchups. The observance in question, of course, is not Memorial Day. With the event declared a total sellout, the local blackout on the live broadcast of the race will be lifted for the first time since ABC began live coverage in 1965. 2016 Indy 500 coverage hub: news, SI Vault, video, photos, more, But none of it seemed real until all these people showed up at the track. The Indy 500 is right around the corner. In a Coffee With Kyle sitdown Jan. 31, Penske told … The hope is that the race turns out to be the happening it’s been built up to be and then some. The Indianapolis 500, also formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or simply the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis. At last check of the forecast, rain was a 50/50 proposition. They brought beer, lots of it, and were cracking cans open well before noon. I couldn’t help it. ... 2016. It looks like the bleachers are all moving. Posts about indy 500 attendance written by motorsportnotes. The Indianapolis 500 has run continuously since 1911 with just two breaks for World War I and World War II. After claiming it was impossible to hold the Indy 500 without fans in attendance, IndyCar eventually ran the Indy 500 without fans in attendance. Juan Pablo Montoya, the defending winner, qualified 17th—or about 15 spots better than he would’ve started if his first qualifying attempt (which was interrupted by a dancing bag scene straight out of “American Beauty”) had stood. For the first time since 1950, the race will be seen on local television. … "We need to make sure those people have a great experience and make sure they want to come back. The Indianapolis 500 routinely sold out for decades, but the Indy car racing "split" of 1996 that broke the sport into two series for more than a decade caused the race's attendance to decline. “Dario Franchitti tells me, ‘When you get in that car, just don’t look in the stands.’ The first thing I did was look at the stands. The list below starts at #13, working up to the most impactful story line of the year with commentary on each … The Indianapolis Motor Speedway tells Associated Press reporter Jenna Fryer that plans for this year’s race have yet to be finalized. With luck, the weather will hold up. Before the Indy Lights feature, there was the last practice session before Sunday’s race, Carb Day—an exhibition that looked eerily similar to an actual race. His team just won the annual pit stop competition for an eighth time. (Actually, that’s been true of most Indy practices this year.) Can we add this Liverpool match report in the No. Kanaan was the fastest pilot of the day, a development that bodes well for Ganassi. In particular the championship has been bucking a trend that has seen NASCAR experience a decline in race attendance and viewing figures. • More than double the attendance of the last-reported Daytona 500 attendance in 2012. IndyCar Indy 500 Attendance Auto Racing Jeff Roberson ... 2016, file photo. The Indianapolis 500 lived up to the hype, with record-breaking attendance and a rookie taking victory lane. While Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar … 5 spot? ", Full house: Brickyard sold out for 100th Indy 500, Kyrie: My focus on violence overseas, not hoops, Pierce, Bosh, Webber headline 2021 HOF class, No surgery, but Dodgers SS Seager to miss time. While general admission tickets are still available in the IMS infield, the massive grandstands around the 107-year-old 2.5-mile oval, and all … But in the Circle City, they get an early start on their holiday weekends. “And the stands are all gray. Curry joined Michael Jordan as the only other player in NBA history to win a scoring title after turning 33. While NASCAR has the Daytona 500, Formula 1 has Monaco, and endurance racing has Le Mans, in terms of just pure auto racing, none of them hold a candle to the Indy 500… While the speedway does not announce official attendance figures, the sprawling facility with its infield lake and golf course can hold about 300,000 people, surpassing Ascot Racecourse as the largest sports facility in the world. After cheering his win, the crowd dispersed to a space inside Turn 4 for a Journey concert. Attendance has been on the rebound since the unification of the IndyCar Series in 2008, and the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 has provided a much bigger spike this year than officials predicted. The festive mood at the Speedway, a veritable ghost town just a day ago, wasn’t all a function of early drinking. Personalize SI with our new App. After holding last year's Indy 500 without any fans in attendance, Roger Penske said he hopes pandemic metrics allow him to open the gates at IMS. 2016 Indianapolis 500 Ticket Prices. All Rights Reserved. The 20 teams participating in the NBA's postseason are set. ", The crowd for Sunday's race is expected to be more than 300,000 people. They’ve made it out to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, like the first Olympics or Super Bowl III. Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials celebrated an epic and historic milestone, announcing that all reserved seating is officially sold out for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. Because it’s definitely more crowded. If it’s a sentimental favorite you’re looking for, try Dreyer & Reinbold’s Sage Karam, a fierce competitor who’s striving to make his own comeback from ignominy as the second victim in the fatal accident of veteran IndyCar driver Justin Wilson. IMS revealed May 6 that all reserved seats for the race had been sold for the first time in at least 20 years. Jun 1, 2016 LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC. The Cardinals aren't playing like it's 2021 -- but they're winning, NHL experts make bold 2021 playoff predictions on X factors, best series, more, NHL Playoffs Daily: Craig Anderson to the rescue, Greatness beckoned me back to the stands; fate took it from there, NCAA softball tournament: Breaking down the top teams and players, Charles Oliveira is the UFC champion we didn't see coming, Jordan can't bring himself to delete Kobe from his phone. He’ll be chasing a former teammate—Schmidt Peterson’s James Hinchcliffe, who sits on the pole. "There's no event in the world like the Indy 500, and this sellout is a testament to the enduring legacy of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the thrilling racing of the Verizon IndyCar Series and the bright future for both," said Mark Miles, CEO of track owner Hulman & Company. Install on iOS (iOS or Android). Miles said the number of people expected to attend this year's race is "70,000 to 100,000 more than last year.