Roger Penske's latest IMS updates: New SAFER foam, resale ticketing option, 3 video boards

This offseason, Roger Penske and his track operations team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway tackled a major renovation that IndyCar teams should immediately notice when they roll up for the Indianapolis 500 open test in April. For the first time in 30 years, according to IMS president Doug Boles, the track owner revamped the roofing on all the A, B and C garages – where the 33-plus entries are housed for the two-week lead-up to the Indy 500.

Here’s what else Penske employees poured time, effort and likely millions of dollars into in recent months:

New SAFER foam around entire track

The University of Nebraska launched a new version of the foam that serves as the cushioning inside the thousands of SAFER barrier panels around the outside walls of IMS and many other racetracks. To continue serving as a model for motorsports safety, IMS switched out every piece of foam in all of its SAFER barrier panels to a model that is supposed to be both "safer" and more durable.

Previous models needed to be replaced every 3-7 years, depending on how much time it spent in the sun and how many (and the intensity of) hits it took during on-track action. These new foam pieces, affixed with a special UV-blocking paint to lessen the harm of constant sunlight, extends their lifespans to 5-10 years.

In addition to the new SAFER foam, IMS also underwent its normal offseason cadences of replacing individual panels that either had reached their typical lifespans or took especially hard hits over the last 12 months.

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Additional safety measures, including SAFER walls and catch fencing

IMS added several new safety measures to the north and northeast portions of the track. On the inside of Turn 3, the track added well over 1,000 feet of catch-fencing to add height and safety to an area where fans often watch the race. It previously had an 8-foot chain-link fence without any overhang.

“The likelihood of anything happening there, because of the momentum, is slim, but we thought we should clean that up,” Boles told IndyStar.

The track also added a small section of new SAFER wall to an area inside the track between Turns 3 and 4 that houses (and protects) various safety vehicles and jet dryers. An additional 800 feet of brand-new SAFER wall was added at the start of Turn 4, replacing what had previously just been concrete walls. The new section extends to the middle of the corner and meets up with several hundred feet of previously existing SAFER wall that runs through the end of the corner and the start of the front straightaway.

Among other racing-related improvements, Boles said the track recently replaced its timing lines, at the suggestion of NASCAR, with technology that allows the track to have them serviced outside the racetrack.

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Three new video boards inside and outside track

IMS is adding a video board stationed around Turns 1-3 of the road course that, Boles said, will negate the need for some fans to turn and look at the boards near the top of the outer grandstands.

Penske suggested that move after watching racing from the infield mound last summer and realizing there wasn’t a convenient place to watch video coverage of the on-track action.

“We talked about building a larger one and putting it on top of the Northwest Vista, so you could look up and see it, but between deciding how large it would need to be and the wind loads (it would have to sustain), it got difficult to think about,” Boles said. “So he had us mock up these plywood screens along the fence line, designed so we could slide them up and down to figure out the right height.

“Those mounds are great, even for the oval and watching the exit of Turn 4, so now I think those are going to be a gamechanger for our GA ticketholder.”

IMS also installed a large video board attached to the back of the Turn 4 grandstands, where fans can watch while either trying to escape the sun or leaving their seats to get concessions. Track officials also replaced a similar board on the back of the Turn 1 grandstands.

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New IMS-specific secondary ticket platform

With ticket sales for May’s 500 potentially heading toward a sell-out, IMS is putting the finishing touches on a resale ticket market platform exclusive to the track. Boles touted the project, which will allow longtime fans who can’t go to the 500 but are concerned about losing their seniority if they don’t buy, to sell unused tickets.

For buyers, it helps IMS combat an ongoing counterfeit ticket issue on the secondary market. The platform should be online in the next 30 days, according to Boles.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500: IMS upgrades safety, launching resale ticketing platform