Indy Speedway President Makes Trip To Warsaw
April 28, 2022 at 11:24 p.m.
By Connor McCann-
“I always tell people that the 500 isn’t just an Indianapolis asset, it’s a state of Indiana asset. I love being a Hoosier and I love driving around the state and getting into communities,” Boles said. “The state has turned it into such an incredible attraction and Hoosier tradition, and I hope regardless of how you watch the race or if you do at all, you’re proud that it takes place here in Indiana.”
The 106thrunning of the Indianapolis 500 will be held Sunday, May 29. The theme for this year’s race is “Back Home Again'' to celebrate the first 500 to have its stands at full capacity since the 2019 race.
“We were thinking about making that the theme last year, but we still had empty seats and we wanted to wait until everybody who wanted to come could come,” Boles said. “There’s no better place to celebrate being a Hoosier than the Indy 500 on Memorial Day Sunday. Hearing ‘back home again in Indiana,’ seeing the 33 cars race in to turn one, those are special moments, even if you aren’t a racing fan.”
There will be plenty of racing fans eager to make their way back to Indianapolis Motor Speedway come race time. The 2020 race, which occurred just months after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, was decided with empty grandstands. The 2021 race was viewed by 135,000 people in the crowd, still just 40% of the track’s unofficial capacity.
For the 2022 edition of the race, more than 300,000 racing fans from across the world will walk through the historic speedway’s doors.
“People are really ready to be back, we’re ready to kick off the summer. Our ticket sales are better than they’ve ever been except for the 100thrunning, and I think it’s because people are ready to get back to a more normal lifestyle,” Boles said.
In the early months of the pandemic, NASCAR made headlines for being one of the first sports to return to action, albeit with no fans in the stands. IndyCar was not far behind.
“When we came back with 135,000 last year, we wanted to do it right, we wanted to do it safely,” Boles said. “I was surprised with how many representatives from teams from all of these different sports had our back. Now we know we can do it, and we’re excited. Racing is undergoing a little bit of a renaissance right now.”
Tickets for the Indianapolis 500 are still available on the speedway’s website, indianapolismotorspeedway.com
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“I always tell people that the 500 isn’t just an Indianapolis asset, it’s a state of Indiana asset. I love being a Hoosier and I love driving around the state and getting into communities,” Boles said. “The state has turned it into such an incredible attraction and Hoosier tradition, and I hope regardless of how you watch the race or if you do at all, you’re proud that it takes place here in Indiana.”
The 106thrunning of the Indianapolis 500 will be held Sunday, May 29. The theme for this year’s race is “Back Home Again'' to celebrate the first 500 to have its stands at full capacity since the 2019 race.
“We were thinking about making that the theme last year, but we still had empty seats and we wanted to wait until everybody who wanted to come could come,” Boles said. “There’s no better place to celebrate being a Hoosier than the Indy 500 on Memorial Day Sunday. Hearing ‘back home again in Indiana,’ seeing the 33 cars race in to turn one, those are special moments, even if you aren’t a racing fan.”
There will be plenty of racing fans eager to make their way back to Indianapolis Motor Speedway come race time. The 2020 race, which occurred just months after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, was decided with empty grandstands. The 2021 race was viewed by 135,000 people in the crowd, still just 40% of the track’s unofficial capacity.
For the 2022 edition of the race, more than 300,000 racing fans from across the world will walk through the historic speedway’s doors.
“People are really ready to be back, we’re ready to kick off the summer. Our ticket sales are better than they’ve ever been except for the 100thrunning, and I think it’s because people are ready to get back to a more normal lifestyle,” Boles said.
In the early months of the pandemic, NASCAR made headlines for being one of the first sports to return to action, albeit with no fans in the stands. IndyCar was not far behind.
“When we came back with 135,000 last year, we wanted to do it right, we wanted to do it safely,” Boles said. “I was surprised with how many representatives from teams from all of these different sports had our back. Now we know we can do it, and we’re excited. Racing is undergoing a little bit of a renaissance right now.”
Tickets for the Indianapolis 500 are still available on the speedway’s website, indianapolismotorspeedway.com
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