Indy 500 sellout will entertain 350,000 fans: 'These are the good old days'
Bruce Martin
Special to FOXSports.com
INDIANAPOLIS — The 109th Indianapolis 500 will be contested in front of a sellout crowd of 350,000 fans, Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials announced Friday morning.
That means the television blackout for Central Indiana has been lifted and the first Indianapolis 500 televised for FOX Sports will be available both live and later that evening on a re-air on WXIN, FOX59.
"Having a sellout is emblematic of this beautiful thing we have now in INDYCAR, FOX Sports and a lot of hard work from people pushing this sport in the right direction," INDYCAR team owner Chip Ganassi told FOX Sports. "We got the Penske deal down, we got the FOX deal done, we got the race sold out, now let's get back to huge crowds here for Pole Day.
"These are the 'Good Old Days' we're in now."
According to IMS and INDYCAR President Doug Boles, just a few hundred reserved grandstand tickets remain available and are expected to be sold by the conclusion of Indy 500 qualifying this weekend.
It's the first sellout since the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016. The local blackout was lifted that year.
In 2024, a heavy rainstorm delayed the start of the Indy 500 by four hours. The local TV blackout was lifted for that to accommodate the massive crowd in case they had to leave and miss the race because of the long delay.
"We are really excited to say that sometime between now and the next handful of hours, the Indianapolis 500 for the 109th running presented by Gainbridge will have a grandstand sellout," Boles announced. "We are under four digits in terms of tickets remaining. We wanted to get this announcement out now. Those fans that are thinking about coming, they've got a few hours to get that done.
"I think before we get to the end of practice on Monday it will definitely be done. Swe wanted to make sure that we told folks that this will be an Indianapolis 500 sellout — which we're excited about."
Sunday is a huge sports day in Indianapolis with the largest single-day sporting event in the world in the Indianapolis 500, followed by the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in downtown Indianapolis at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
By lifting the television blackout, fans will not have to choose between the re-air of the Indy 500 or the Pacers game. For those fans that attended the Indy 500 in person, they have the opportunity to watch the FOX Sports telecast later Sunday night.
"The Pacers are playing in town that evening, but for a lot of our fans who are here for the race, their tradition when they get home is to go home and watch the Indianapolis 500," Boles said. "I'm sure many are trying to figure out how to bounce between a Pacers game — which we hope is a win — and the Indianapolis 500 here locally.
"We're really excited about that. It's going to be a fun time over the course of the next few days.
"But for the first time since 2016, we have a grandstand sellout."
By selling out all grandstand seats, fans can still attend with general admission tickets for the massive Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield.
"A lot of those folks that buy a GA ticket are folks that come to the Snake Pit. A lot of the younger generation buy their tickets here over the course of the next week, so we'll continue to sell GA tickets," Boles explained. "But we do anticipate very, very nearly 350,000 people here on race day.
"We will be the second-largest city in the state of Indiana inside the racetrack on May 25th. We are really excited about that."
Boles indicated the majority of the tickets that remain are on the north end of the track between Turns 3 and 4.
"The pass for last year's win at the Indianapolis 500 happened right in front of those seats, and there's been a lot of activity," Boles said. "You can think of the Emerson Fittipaldi-Al Unser, Jr. moment [in 1989] back there. That is one of the most exciting turns on the racetrack, and certainly a lot of folks who saw Pato O'Ward coming out of Turn 2 down the backstretch had no idea who the winner was going to be. And those folks in Turn 3 and the north chute knew who was going to win because they saw the pass right in front of them."
There are also single tickets located throughout the massive grandstands.
In 2016, the Indianapolis 500 was a milestone moment celebrating the 100th running of the world's biggest race. This year's sellout is another indication that the Indy 500 is back to its Goliath status as one of the most incredible sporting events on the planet.
"It's super exciting as a driver to perform on that stage and I'm super happy for Roger Penske," said 2024 Indy 500 pole winner Scott McLaughlin told FOX Sports, referring to the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Team Penske. "Every time you come back here, this place looks even better.
"That's an awesome thing."
Josef Newgarden is chasing history, as the Team Penske driver attempts to win the Indy 500 for the third year in a row — a feat that's not yet been achieved.
"It's an amazing, historical facility, an incredible event. Tere is nothing like it on the planet," Newgarden said. "What I would call the resurgence of INDYCAR and the Indianapolis 500 has been a real joy to be in this generation.
"This is one of the best generations in INDYCAR history. It's pretty impressive. I like the track INDYCAR is on at the moment. We're really heading in the right direction.
"It's hard to beat this event when you see it in person. We want everyone to feel the magic."
Bruce Martin is a veteran motorsports writer and contributor to FOXSports.com. Follow him on X at @BruceMartin_500 .
BEST OF FOX SPORTS' INDY 500 COVERAGE: Pato O'Ward pens letter to Indy 500: 'Had my heart broken here … but it also fuels me'
2025 Indy 500 liveries: See the designs of all 34 cars on the track at The Brickyard
Everything to know about the Indy 500: Entry list, schedule, Carb Day, favorites
Counting down the 25 most memorable moments in Indy 500 history
INDYCAR Power Rankings: Will the Indy 500 jumble this list?
recommended
Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
33 minutes ago
- USA Today
Chet Holmgren vows Thunder must be better on boards after Pacers won Game 1 rebound battle
Chet Holmgren vows Thunder must be better on boards after Pacers won Game 1 rebound battle For the next two days, all criticisms for the Oklahoma City Thunder's 111-110 Game 1 loss to the Indiana Pacers will be magnified on Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. It was death by a thousand papercuts that put the title favorite in an early 0-1 series deficit in the 2025 NBA Finals. But put it plain, it's difficult to win a playoff game when two of your three best players struggle. At least Williams had his moments. On the other hand, Holmgren disappeared into the background. The Thunder went with a single center to start. Isaiah Hartenstein was benched in favor of Cason Wallace. By the end, they abandoned that, too. Holmgren finished with six points on 2-of-9 shooting and six rebounds. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had a block. As the game progressed, you saw less of Holmgren. He only logged 24 minutes and played just four minutes of a close fourth quarter. The Pacers' outside shooting pulled the seven-footer outside of the paint. The Thunder had to concede and play mostly small-ball in the final moments. Questions arose about Hartenstein's playability against the Pacers. Very different circumstances, but he struggled against mostly the same roster on the New York Knicks. Funny how sports can turn out, as he was more effective than Holmgren in Game 1. The Thunder will need Holmgren to play better. They were killed on the boards by a 56-39 disadvantage. That allowed the Pacers to overcome the shot-attempt difference slowly. The 23-year-old has to play better on both ends or risk being unplayable. "Obviously, we could be better on the glass. That stood out to me, too, at first. They did have more offensive rebounds than we did. We forced a lot of turnovers and got a lot of steals. There's no rebound opportunity on plays like that 'cause they're not even getting a shot up," Holmgren said. "I guess that stat doesn't tell the whole story. But we can still continue to be better on that end in that area."
Indianapolis Star
40 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
'We didn't even play well.' Pacers All-Star's message after Game 1 win in NBA Finals
The Indiana Pacers may have some mixed feelings about Thursday's nail-biting 111-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. But Tyrese Haliburton doesn't appear deterred. In a video posted to social media by ESPN, Indiana's star point guard seemed amped up for Game 2 while exiting the court with fellow star teammate Pascal Siakam. "We did our job — c'mon man, let's get greedy... we have so much to work on," Haliburton told Siakam. Siakam, who led the Pacers with 19 points, echoed the sentiment: 'We didn't even play well.' Pre-order our new book on Pacers' rise to NBA Finals Despite struggling in the first half, Haliburton ended the night with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. That mutual hunger might be the key to Indiana's improbable postseason run, which once again found its hero in Haliburton. The 24-year-old buried his third game-winning shot of the playoffs with just 0.3 seconds remaining, giving the Pacers their first lead of the night and capping off a dramatic comeback. Oklahoma City had history on its side throughout its nail-biting loss. The Thunder racked up 12 first-half steals — the most in an NBA Finals half since 1998 — leading to 19 Pacers turnovers before halftime. They also managed 16 more field goal attempts than Indiana, despite shooting just 39.8% from the floor. But the Pacers refused to fold. Indiana clawed its way back with a dominant second half, outrebounding the Thunder 56-39 and pouring in 32 second-chance points. The performance was an astounding feat considering the Pacers rank last in offensive rebounding percentage (23.8%) and near the bottom in second-chance scoring during this postseason. In the series opening matchup between two of the league's most cerebral teams, Indiana's grit and poise stole the spotlight. The Game 1 win gives the Pacers a 1-0 series lead, and even more belief in their ability to deliver under pressure. "I think as a group, we never think the game is over ever, honestly speaking," Haliburton said. "That never creeps in. I think we just keep talking as a group, how can we walk this team down. That's just the confidence that we have as a group, and I think that's a big reason why this is going on."
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
LIV Golf Virginia: Bryson DeChambeau, Martin Kaymer leading after Round 1
GAINESVILLE, Va. — After a 107-minute weather delay, the star players took advantage of a soft golf course during the first round of LIV Golf Virginia. Bryson DeChambeau, who debuted his new set of custom LA Golf irons this week, was chief among them. The Crushers GC captain immediately chipped his third shot on the par-5 14th in for eagle, vaulting him up the leaderboard. But he wasn't done yet. DeChambeau made birdies on holes 15 and 16, with the latter coming in the form of another chip-in from the deep greenside rough. The surge at the end of the round gave him a share of the first-round lead at 5 under. [MORE: How to watch LIV Golf Virginia 2025: Schedule, start time, TV channels, tee times] Martin Kaymer, who hasn't held a first-round lead since LIV Houston last year, made birdies on 16, 17 and 18 to tie the lead before ending his day with a par on the tough par-4 first hole. The late-round birdie barrage after the delay was not limited to DeChambeau and Kaymer. After finishing strong, Jon Rahm, Anirban Lahiri, Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell, Joaquin Niemann and Marc Leishman make up the group that are tied for second place at 4-under par. [MORE: 2025 LIV Golf Virginia odds, predictions: Favorites, picks from the field] Prior to the delay, McDowell held the solo lead, carding a bogey-free 4-under 67. The 45-year-old Irishman hit every green in regulation and was one of three players who went bogey-free on the round. Joining McDowell in the bogey-free club were a pair of 4Aces GC teammates, Thomas Pieters and Reed. On the team side of the competition, Bubba Watson's RangeGoats GC lead by two at 9 under, followed by the Crushers and 4Aces who share second place at 7 under. TEAM SCORES LIV Golf's new scoring format this season now involves all four scores now counting in every round in the team competition. Here are the results and scores for each team after Friday's Round 1 of LIV Golf Virginia. 1. RANGEGOATS GC -9 T2. CRUSHERS GC -7 T2. 4ACES GC -7 4. SMASH GC -6 5. TORQUE GC -3 6. CLEEKS GC -1 7. STINGER GC E 8. IRON HEADS GC +1 T9. RIPPER GC +3 T9. LEGION XIII +3 11. HYFLYERS GC +4 12. FIREBALLS GC +5 13. MAJESTICKS GC +12 This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily . FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience LIV Golf recommended Get more from LIV Golf Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
