Indianapolis 500 to Take Place without Fans in Attendance
The 104th Indianapolis 500 will now be contested without fans in attendance on Sunday, August 23.
The latest alteration to event comes two weeks after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway reduced attendance to 25 percent due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The event has already been postponed from its traditional Month of May placement and undergone attendance reductions to 50 percent and 25 percent.
All on-track activity this month will be closed to the general public with all track sessions airing on NBC, NBC Sports Network and Sports Gold.
"This tough decision was made following careful consideration and extensive consultation with state and city leadership," said an Indianapolis Motor Speedway statement. "As dedicated as we were to running the race this year with 25 percent attendance at our large outdoor facility, even with meaningful and careful precautions implemented by the city and state, the COVID-19 trends in Marion County and Indiana have worsened. Since our June 26 announcement, the number of cases in Marion County has tripled while the positivity rate has doubled.
"We said from the beginning of the pandemic we would put the health and safety of our community first, and while hosting spectators at a limited capacity with our robust plan in place was appropriate in late June, it is not the right path forward based on the current environment. We encourage Hoosiers to continue making smart decisions and following the advice of our public health officials so we can help get Indiana back on track."
Fans with tickets to the 2020 Indianapolis 500 will receive credit for the 2021 race and will retain their status and seniority towards their originally selected seats.
This decision was made three days after the IndyCar Series postponed its doubleheader at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from to September or October. The races at Mid-Ohio, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and the Harvest Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course became doubleheaders due to the cancellation of events at Portland and Laguna Seca.
IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway were purchased by Roger Penske during the off-season and has been forced the shepherd an unprecedented series of events for his new acquisitions.
Penske has spent over $15 million in capital investments to the facility but has yet been able to show them off the masses. NASCAR's Brickyard 400 weekend took place on Independence Day weekend alongside the postponed IndyCar Grand Prix and Xfinity Series on the tracks road course, but without fans in attendance.
"Penske Corporation made a long-term investment to be the steward of this legendary facility," the Speedway statement continued. "While we were very excited to showcase the investments and enhancements we have made in the guest experience, we know we have reached the right decision. As much as Roger Penske and everyone associated with the 500 wanted to race with fans this year, we ultimately reached this conclusion in partnership with the state of Indiana and city of Indianapolis.
"Our commitment to the Speedway is unwavering and we will continue to invest in the Racing Capital of the World. We encourage everyone to watch this year’s race on NBC and we look forward to welcoming our loyal fans back to The Greatest Spectacle in Racing on May 30th of 2021."
