What You Need to Know About the Indy 500
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is almost here. It will happen Sunday, May 25th this year.
Doug Boles, who is the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, spoke in a press conference on Wednesday and talked about the Indy 500.
Boles says nine-time Grammy nominee Natalie Grant will sing the National Anthem at this Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. IMS says Grant achieved almost a billion streams and numerous chart-topping albums and singles on Billboard. Boles also says Arturo Chacon-Cruz, who is a Mexican-American opera tenor singer, will sing “God Bless America” at the Indy 500 as well.
Traffic, however, can be a bit of a challenge to deal with, especially for events like the Indy 500.
Boles says the IMS is divided into four quadrants. Their job is to get you moved as far from the IMS as much as possible when you leave.
“If you’re in the northwest quadrant, we’re going to push you northwest,” Boles says. “If your destination is on the southeast, you’re going to go northwest for a while before you have an opportunity to go around and go southeast. The people that are in the southeast are going to go southeast.”
Boles says staff members are going to do everything they can to get you back home safely.
“If you’re parked close to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, if you’re in the Speedway, or if you’re in one of our lots for an hour after the checkered flag, those lots will not move,” Boles says.
Boles says for that first hour, staff members are going to get thousands of people off of the streets. He urges you to hang out in the grandstands for a while as well.
IndyGo routes will be affected as well. Officials say there will not be any changes to fares during the race. There will be bus detours and bus stop closures because of the race.
On Sunday until around 7 p.m., IndyGo officials say Routes 3, 8, 10, 15, 25, 37, 38 will be on detour.
Additionally, bus stops are expected to be closed during two different timeframes.
Route 10 in Speedway Plaza and Route 15, which is west of 30th Street, and more will be affected from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Numerous stops will be impacted on Routes 3, 8, 10, 15, 25, and more in various west side areas from 1 to 7 p.m.
