Photo Credit: IndyCar
On Wednesday, it was announced the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was completely sold out. They have sold every single reserved seat, every single suite seat as well as every single infield general admission ticket for the first time in the history of the race.
“There’s no event in the world like the Indy 500,” Mark Miles Hulman & Company CEO said. “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.”
“The Indy 500 is a uniquely Hoosier event,” Doug Boles Indianapolis Motor Speedway President added. “The community support for the this race has fueled excitement for the 100th Running and paves the way for the next century for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500.”
With the race being sold out, it was also announced the long time band delaying the broadcast of the race in Indianapolis and surrounding areas will be lifted and people who are not at the race will be able to watch it live on ABC. This has only happened two other times before this year, and the first time since the early 1950’s. However, people who are attending the race will be able to go home and watch the race with their family as they will still air the delayed coverage of the race.
Earlier this month, officials at IMS made the announcement about Reserved Seating being sold out which included grandstand seating, suite and hospitality as well as many temporary suites that were built in turns 1 and 2. At that time they still had General Admission tickets but they were going fast which lead to today’s announcement. The Indy 500 Snake Pit presented by Coors Light is also sold out. However, tickets still remain for both Carb Day as well as Legends day.
IMS never releases its official attendance number, but notes the Indy 500 is the largest single day sporting event in the world and is why it is called the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
“What makes the Indianapolis 500 so special to our fans is the overall experience. It is more than just cars on track,” said Boles. “As demand continued to increase following the reserved seating announcement, we reached a point where it became necessary to stop selling GA tickets to preserve the infield experience.”
