INDIANAPOLIS — Because fans won’t be allowed to attend Sunday’s 104th Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles said fans should continue to count Sunday’s race as part of their “streaks” of the number of 500s they have attended consecutively.
Boles is taking that approach because of the unusual circumstances that prevent spectators from attending the annual event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Boles issued a special decree on Saturday to fans of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Boles thanked fans for their continued support and assured them that IMS will grant an extension of their Indy 500 attendance streaks due to the special circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Boles declared that fans who watch or listen to the 104th running and return for the 105th running in May will officially “keep their streak.”
“I, J. Douglas Boles, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, do hereby declare and express the speedway’s deepest gratitude and appreciation to our race fans, and hereby proclaim that by watching or listening to the 104th running with their family and friends and by returning for the 105th running in May 2021, race fans will officially “keep their streak” and extend their consecutive Indianapolis 500 attendance record, unbroken and unblemished, well into the future,” Boles stated.
To view the complete decree that was sent to all ticketholders, click here.
Indianapolis 500 ticketholder streaks range from two to 68 years in length and more than 36,000 tickets are sold annually to customers who have attended the race for 35 consecutive years or more.
Bud Denker of Penske Corp. told SPEED SPORT last week, that 100,000 fans have attended 29 or more Indianapolis 500s.
“That’s an amazing number,” Denker said. “Could you imagine attending 28 Indianapolis 500s and having 100,000 ticket holders ahead of you?”
Boles has been in contact with fans throughout this unusual time and regularly calls 10 ticker holders per night.
“We love our fans and their passion and commitment to the Indianapolis 500,” Boles said. “We appreciate their loyalty and they truly help make this event The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. So many of our loyal customers have been attending the Indy 500 for decades, and certainly the conditions we have faced this year as a result of COVID-19 are beyond their control. We wish our fans could be here with us at IMS on Sunday and know they will be here in spirit. We will preserve all attendance streaks, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back home again for the 105th Indianapolis 500 in 2021.”