100-Day Countdown Underway for Indianapolis 500
INDIANAPOLIS — The official 100-day mark arrives today ahead of the May 24 Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Doug Boles, president of the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said the event highlights the lead-up to the Memorial Day weekend race.
“It’s a pretty special day for us,” Boles said. “It really kicks off not only a quick countdown to the 500, but also our season starts just around the corner.”
IndyCar Series begins its season in two weeks at St. Petersburg, Florida. The early schedule includes several consecutive race weekends, with stops in St. Petersburg, Phoenix, Arlington, Texas, Alabama, and Long Beach, California.
Boles said about 2,000 fans are expected at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Friday night for a 100-day kickoff event. The gathering will include 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, who will share racing stories and mark the lead-up to May.
Looking ahead to race day, Boles said he expects strong attendance.
“My guess is we are two or three weeks ahead of schedule for this year,” he said. “If I were on the confidence scale, I’m about as confident as I could be that we will end up selling that out. Obviously we have some work to do to get there, but our fans certainly show up and embrace this event, so I feel really good about it.”
Boles said the quality of the racing and the fan experience keep interest steady.
“The racing on track has been fantastic,” he said. “The pre-race is such a special moment, and it’s really just a big event, right? It’s not really a race. It’s a big event that happens to have a race, and I think our fans see that.”
In the coming weeks, the Speedway will announce the pace car driver, national anthem performer, and musical acts for Carb Day and the Snake Pit.
