INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials have confirmed that they plan to welcome spectators for the 104th Indianapolis 500 on Aug. 23, with the venue capacity limited to 50 percent attendance.
The Indianapolis 500 was postponed from its original date of Sunday, May 24 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re committed to running the Indy 500 on Sunday, Aug. 23 and will welcome fans to the world’s greatest racing venue,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said on Friday. “We will be limiting attendance to approximately 50 percent of venue capacity, and we are also finalizing a number of additional carefully considered health and safety measures. We’ll unveil the specific details of our comprehensive plan in the coming weeks.”
IMS is communicating with existing ticketholders to learn of their intent to use their race tickets. Credits will be available for ticketholders who choose to adjust their order. Individuals in high-risk groups are encouraged to consider staying home and returning in 2021.
In close consultation with public health officials, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway team is also working diligently to finalize a comprehensive plan of health measures that will be unveiled for spectators in the near future.
In early June Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske confirmed to RACER.com that the Indianapolis 500 would not move forward without fans in the grandstands.
“Trust me, we are going to run it (Indianapolis 500) with fans,” Penske told RACER.com prior to the NTT IndyCar Series season opener at Texas Motor Speedway. “We’re on for fans in August and planning on it and we feel good. It’s still almost three months from now and I think we’ll be OK. But we will run it only with fans.”