IMS president teases possible sellout, facility upgrades ahead of Indy 500
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Month of May is here, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is getting ready to welcome race fans for the 109th Indianapolis 500.
IMS and IndyCar President Doug Boles tells Inside INdiana Business host Gerry Dick that a grandstand sellout is “likely” sometime around qualifying weekend.
“We’re a little under 10,000 tickets up over where we were last year at this time,” Boles said. “If the pace continues like it has the last few years, I think that [a sellout] will be a case…it is the fans that has allowed us to really have the great momentum over the last 10 years as we’ve been continuing to grow the Indy 500.”
A study released in 2023 found that events at IMS that took place over a one-year period generated more than $1 billion in economic impact for the state. Track-related events in May 2023 on their own resulted in $566.4 million in impact. Boles cited recent investments from several racing teams that show IMS is a continuing economic driver.
“There’s a lot of folks here that understand the sport, so that makes it easier. I think it’s easy to do business in Indiana; that helps us as well,” Boles said. “The roots of motorsports start right here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway…115, 116 years of this place being around has really allowed us to have that reputation of if you want to be in motorsport and have a business, the place to do it is central Indiana.”
Former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski is serving as the grand marshal for the Snake Pit, which Boles called “the best marketing tool we have for a young adult under the age of 25.”
“[It’s] almost 25,000 young adults who almost don’t even care that a race is taking place, right? For us, we get to know who they are, we get their name, we get their email [and] we can communicate with them,” Boles said. “Gronk’s personality is going to be so great in the Snake Pit. We’re excited to have it.”
During the offseason, Boles says the Speedway has made improvements to concession stands to help race fans get through the line faster. One stand, located under Tower Terrace, has a new kitchen and way of serving.
The paddock grandstands received a $1 million safety check and upgrades, including refurbished steel. The top of the pagoda will also be lit up for race day.
“For a lot of our iconic facilities, you think about Wrigley Field or Churchill Downs…what makes it special is you’re sitting in the place that your grandparents sat in,” Boles said. “We are constantly investing, and I would guess over the time since Roger [Penske] purchased the Speedway, we put close to $100 million in the customer experience.”
You can watch the rest of our interview with Boles in the player below.