Indy

[Instrument 41]

I have never been to a race at Indy. Looking at tickets on line but don't have a clue as to where are good locations for viewing an event at the track. Can anyone make recommendations about good locations around the track. I see that for the 500 there are many locations and in each section they have different prices for the same section. Also, I have heard that days before the 500 there a a number of events that happen that are worth seeing?? What about hotel availability?

[doug_porsche]

I got to go in 1994, the year that Penske's Beast motors dominated.
Indy is big, really really big.
We sat about 1/2 up, at the apex of turn 4.
I could see the cars come out of 3 and they would disappear about 2/3's the way down for front straight.

With that being my only experience, I would say (but dont know) higher in the stands are better??

[astrochex]

I went in 2018, first time.

Had seats at turn 1, there was plenty of action.

You might try an airbnb. A friend who has gone many times did that last year and walked to the track. He said he will do it again. Parking on race day is a challenge, so its no small perk whenyou don’t have to.

I would make lodging reservations sooner rather than later.

[E38Driver]

I have sat in the infield at the short chute between 1 and 2 and sat outside of turn 3 in the highest seats. Turn 3 seats were better because you could see the cars come out of 2 down the back stretch and into turn 4.

I think that front stretch near turn 1 would be pretty good to see.

I always stayed with family so no help with hotels.

Dave

[strupgolf]

What universe are you calling from? Are you asking about next year? If so, then turn 3 is the place to be.

[Por_sha911]

He's talking about the universe where Indy has been rescheduled to August 23, 2020. Being in Carmel I would have thought that you would know this...

A great view of Turn 1 is the place to be. More passes made there and more "stuff" happens there.

[fred cook]

My dad took me to the race in 1960. I don't know how he got the tickets but we were sitting about 8-10 rows up from the track right where pit lane came out on the track. We could see most of the pits, a lot of the front straight, turn one and some of turn two. If I remember correctly the winner was Jim Rathmann. One of the cars in the race was the STP Novi Special. When it went by it drowned out the other cars.

[jcommin]

Can you still bring a cooler into the seating area?

I have never been but did manage to get 4 seats on one of the turns. I gave the tickets to one of my sons who was 20 at the time. He took 3 of his buddies. I have a friend who goes to Indy every year and somehow managed to befriend a local who allows him to camp for the race. He has been doing this for years. He allowed my son and his friends to stay on the property but they needed to abide by his rules. He did warn them about underage drinking.

My son called me when he arrives at the camp site and he and his friends were going to street festivities. He called me to tell me he was ok and this was an experience. And then I heard him comment: OMG look at the chest on that girl!!. He hung up after that.

I'm not sure if liquor can be bought on Sundays and I would bring ear protection.


A few years ago, I toured the track and went to the museum. It is massive. A car was on the track testing tires. It was loud as it passed by us. I can only imagine the sound at race day.

[Palindrome]

I sat at T4 in 2007 and T1 in 2016. Both were great vantage points. T4 is near pit-in, so lots to see. T1 lets you see the cars coming down the straight. Honestly, I doubt there is a bad place to sit. You are in for a fantastic experience.

[mikehinton]

I've been to four different races, and I think my favorite spot was the entrance to Turn 2. You could still see the action coming out of Turn 1, and the last time I went, most of the incidents occurred right in front of us when people drifted up out of the groove and into the marbles.

[GH85Carrera]

I got to drive on the track back in 2015. It was a follow the leader thing and we did hit briefly 90 but no real speeds. The yard of bricks is cool.

I would like to go to a real Indy 500 sometime, but I really hate large crowds. The place is huge. One of the largest sporting venues on the planet. The museum is cool.

I was surprised how much banking there is in the corners. It is FAR from flat.

Overall it would be an event to see.

[mikehinton]

Glen, It's an amazing experience, despite the crowds. One amazing vantage point is down close to the track, right at the entrance to Turn 1. Watching the cars coming straight at you at 230 mph is indescribable.

[GH85Carrera]

We used the restrooms there. When the place has many long rows of urinals and is the size of a large grocery store they have some serious crowds.

I suspect it is a bucket list thing for many. It would be expensive to get there, find a place to stay, and then the huge place to walk around.

[Scott Douglas]

My buddy Zeke from KC Mo usually goes. Been the last 15 yrs or so with his son. He was really looking forward to this year but his son graduated from med school and then this whole corona thing and well, best laid plans as they say.
He usually stays in Terra Haute and buses down on race day. Avoids the parking problem that way. He has sat across from the pagoda most years if I recall.
I feel lucky in that I got to drive around Ontario Motor Speedway and raced go karts there too before it was torn down. As I recall, the banking was supposed to replicate Indy. It wasn't nearly as banked as Fontana is. I driven there too. I think U-Tube took my videos down though, otherwise I'd share 'em with you guys.

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by mikehinton

Glen, It's an amazing experience, despite the crowds. One amazing vantage point is down close to the track, right at the entrance to Turn 1. Watching the cars coming straight at you at 230 mph is indescribable.

It really is amazing. I got my ticket through a friend who has attended many times before and knows the ins-and-outs of the race. The spectacle of race day is poignant, its patriotic and moving. The museum is great too. People forget about the Indy Lights race on Saturday, which is also a must-watch event.

Next time I go, I will take your advice about being low in the stands to really capture the speed.

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

We used the restrooms there. When the place has many long rows of urinals and is the size of a large grocery store they have some serious crowds.

I suspect it is a bucket list thing for many. It would be expensive to get there, find a place to stay, and then the huge place to walk around.

I think restrooms are one of the areas that Mr. Penske has targeted for upgrades.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

We used the restrooms there. When the place has many long rows of urinals and is the size of a large grocery store they have some serious crowds.

You visited the nice restrooms.

Infield in '78, Corvette pace car year. Bathrooms were spartan. Long wooden box with a squillion toilet seats. No nothing in between. You could chat it up with the dude sitting next to you.

We were on turn one but infield allows you to wander. Back stretch well after turn 2 lets you see the speed.

[strupgolf]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

He's talking about the universe where Indy has been rescheduled to August 23, 2020. Being in Carmel I would have thought that you would know this...

A great view of Turn 1 is the place to be. More passes made there and more "stuff" happens there.

Yes I know about it. The thing is, they are not going to allow 300,000 fans into the track. IF, a big IF, they will hold a race, there will be a lottery for who gets in. Buying tickets now would be foolish because all the good seats are sold. And the lottery will be from tickets already sold. I would wait until next year. Other than that, drive up race day and buy a gate ticket and watch from the inside of turn 2. Turn 3, up high has the best view of mist of the track.

[CurtEgerer]

Originally Posted by mikehinton

I've been to four different races, and I think my favorite spot was the entrance to Turn 2. You could still see the action coming out of Turn 1, and the last time I went, most of the incidents occurred right in front of us when people drifted up out of the groove and into the marbles.

I've been to the 500 10-12 times and high in the entrance to Turn 2 were my favorite seats. My least favorite were any seat on the infield - very limited view of the action. Main straight grandstands were not bad because you can watch the pit action.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

You visited the nice restrooms.

Infield in '78, Corvette pace car year. Bathrooms were spartan. Long wooden box with a squillion toilet seats. No nothing in between. You could chat it up with the dude sitting next to you.

We were on turn one but infield allows you to wander. Back stretch well after turn 2 lets you see the speed.

I can tell you my wife was not impressed with those bathrooms. I was impressed with the size, and as a guy, a 30 foot long trough is OK to pee into.