Indianapolis Motor Speedway gets OK to have 10,000 fans at Harvest Grand Prix
The determination to allow spectators at the 300,000-seat venue came from the Marion County Public Health Department.
Auto Racing
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NBC poised to bring unprecedented Indy 500 to huge audience
The network is hoping to deliver a broadcast that educates what could be one of the largest audiences in race history while also turning some casual fans into avid ones.
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Indy 500 blackout lifted; 500 Festival Parade, other events called off
The decision to allow local fans to watch the race live comes one day after Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials announced plans to reduce attendance capacity for this year’s race to 25%.
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Penske shares thoughts on having to postpone Indy 500
In a wide-ranging interview, Roger Penske insisted his commitment remains steadfast to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar Series as the world waits for the pandemic to end.
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Rescheduling Indy 500 would be difficult; canceling it could doom race teams
The IndyCar Series—and the city of Indianapolis—would take a devastating hit if the Indianapolis 500 was canceled this year. Officials are looking at contingency plans for holding the race this summer or fall if the fallout from the pandemic extends beyond May.
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Articles
PRI cancels its December trade show at convention center
The trade show in a typical year brings upwards of 67,000 people to the Indiana Convention Center and generates an economic impact of $65 million. Last year’s event had 1,100 exhibitors and 3,300 booths.
Indy 500 to run without fans in the stands
The race had been postponed from its usual Memorial Day weekend date to Aug. 23, before announcements that the track would limit seating to 50% and then later 25%—with masks required—and now with no fans at all.
Running 500 in August with fans is Speedway’s ‘100% focus’
IBJ talked with IMS President Doug Boles about plans for the Indy 500, which is scheduled for Aug. 23. That’s about seven weeks after the state’s reopening plan calls for sporting events to resume.
NASCAR bans Confederate flag from its races, venues
The ban was announced before Wednesday night’s race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, where the series’ only black drive, Bubba Wallace, drove Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43 Chevrolet with a #BlackLivesMatter paint scheme.
Derek Daly says money ‘secondary’ issue in suit against Emmis, Colts, broadcasters
Former IndyCar driver and longtime television racing analyst Derek Daly said he’s not looking to settle a lawsuit he filed last week against Emmis Communications Corp., the Indianapolis Colts, former announcer Bob Lamey and Emmis on-air sports personality Joe Staysniak.
Judge dismisses much of Larry Dixon’s suit against NHRA
Two claims survived, and U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II gave Dixon time to amend three others that had been dismissed.
New Indy 500 date could come just when tourism industry needs it most
The race—rescheduled for Aug. 23—is on an otherwise open weekend in the city’s summer event calendar, which could fill hotel rooms at a time they would otherwise have been empty.
Seven-time NASCAR champ Johnson to test IndyCar
Jimmie Johnson said he’s going to do an IndyCar team test with McLaren Racing on April 6.
Alonso returns to McLaren for another shot at Indy 500
Fernando Alonso will again attempt to complete motorsports’ Triple Crown with a return to the Indianapolis 500 in May with McLaren and a sponsorship from Ruoff Mortgage.
Hinchcliffe gets Indy 500 ride in 3-race deal with Andretti
Driver James Hinchcliffe had to scramble to find anything at all for 2020 when he learned late last year that he was out at Arrow McLaren SP with a year remaining on his contract.
Versatile auto racer John Andretti dies at 56
Andretti won on dirt tracks, street courses and superspeedways. He won an endurance race, competed in dragsters and became an iron man in IndyCar and NASCAR. And he used his platform and passion for racing to help others.
Hinchcliffe lands sponsorship with Genesys for May races
Popular auto racer James Hinchcliffe, who was abruptly ousted from his IndyCar team in October, has secured a corporate sponsorship that will allow him to drive in two races in May, including the Indy 500.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway adds NASCAR road-course race to Brickyard 400 lineup
The NASCAR Xfinity Series—the second tier in professional stock-car racing—will run the race Saturday, July 4, on a road course that uses part of the historic speedway oval.
Bourdais, Hinchcliffe casualties of cruel IndyCar offseason
The abrupt sackings of four-time series champion Sebastien Bourdais and popular veteran James Hinchcliffe has made for an offseason of distasteful business decisions that has contributed to a rapidly changing landscape in a series trying to make a comeback.
Motorsports safety pioneer Simpson dies after stroke
Bill Simpson, a pioneer in motorsports safety credited with creating equipment that saved too many drivers to count from death or serious injury, died Monday. He was 79.
Leader of IndyCar series, IMS staying on ‘indefinitely’
Mark Miles, who has led Hulman & Co. since 2012, said: “We have the opportunity now to try to take it to a whole other level. I’ve had no thought of doing anything else.”
Penske’s purchase of IMS, IndyCar Series isn’t panacea for sport needing more fans, sponsors
Despite IndyCar’s modest progress in recent years, it still faces significant obstacles, including the need for more corporate sponsorships, a broader fan base and higher TV ratings.
Historic moments from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The 110-year-old speedway is one of the most famous venues in sports and home of the Indianapolis 500, a showcase event with a long history.
Penske says Formula One, 24-hour race could be in IMS future, but management change is not
Roger Penske—whose Penske Corp. is buying Hulman & Co. and its racing operations—said he’d also like to bring a third car manufacturer to IndyCar and maintain IMS’s relationship with NASCAR.