Learn Me: Attending the Indy 500

I just received the unfortunate news that Jim Nabors will be singing for his final time @ the 500 and decided this would be the year to go.

I started poking around hotels.com. There seems to be quite a few reasonably-priced hotels in the downtown area which still have availability.

There seem to be quite a few tickets floating around.

We'd be driving in from Detroit. Figuring it would be best to just walk to the track, as I'm sure driving on race day would be horrible. If a hotel is within 10 miles or so, it can't be that horrible. Thinking of staying from Saturday-Monday.

Any tips or insider info?

I'd love to help, but the last time I went was 1971 (I was four)

Infield is more fun, grandstands have a better view. Area around the track (Speedway) isn't the best in the world. Traffic is bad, but not horrible to get there--figure 30 minutes for what would normally take 10. You'll also still be a 10-20 minute walk from the track. Admittedly, I have only been with folks that have lived in Indianapolis for at least 30 years, so we were taking backroads through neighborhoods to get there.

I personally have about 3 places to stay and am always on someone else's schedule, but if I were going on my own, or just me and the fiance, I would be getting a hotel near Mass Ave or Broad Ripple (young, fun neighborhoods--check out the Rathskeller), then get up early Sunday morning and get a cab/bus/shuttle/hitchhike to the track, and then do the same on the way back. Don't forget your beer.

Whole town is a party during the race, go have fun. I've been the past 3 years in a row, not sure if I'm going to be able to make it over this year or not.

We put out some feelers to some friends in the area, trying to get some info. You're the second who has mentioned the shuttle, great idea.

I just figured if traffic was as bad as some say, it would be quicker to find an alternate form of transportation vs. driving and paying $40 to park at the track.

Mazda787b wrote: Figuring it would be best to just walk to the track, as I'm sure driving on race day would be horrible. If a hotel is within 10 miles or so, it can't be that horrible. Thinking of staying from Saturday-Monday. Any tips or insider info?

As an outsider, who has never been there. If you are walking.

10 miles walking is a damn long walk. Race Walking 1908 Olympics Don't forget you have to do this in both directions, to and from the track. And the times in the link above were guys trying to walk as fast as possible..

Also, 10 miles as the crow flies may be much further when you take into account surface streets..

I have been to the Indy 500 20X. 1977 was the first year and my dad was a fireman in the pits in those days. Towards the end we went as a group of brothers/friends (8 tickets) along with my elderly father and we got burned out and quit in the early 2000's. (I missed a few years in between)

We left Chicago at 4am and parked in a neighborhood west of the Speedway and walked about a mile - when the last lap hits we were already up and ready to go. We found if we could get in before 8am most streets were still open - after that streets start shutting down. Traffic in and out is awful. Since I was a driver I would always think about those shuttles.

If you are an IU or Purdue fan; be sure to wear your colors.

I usually get off the highway at 38th street, and park at a shopping center on Lafayette. It's about a 2.5 mile walk from there. Last time I went to the Indy 500, that interchange was closed, and I made the mistake of parking in a neighborhood closer to the track. Getting in was easy. Leaving was a 2.5-3 hour nightmare where the cops funneled all the traffic into the same route, so even though I knew several better ways to get out, I was not allowed to use them.

If the 38th street exit is open, by the time you make the walk back to the car, it's usually only a few minutes to get back on the highway and going. I think that exit has been reopened, since I'm pretty sure I took it last year for the MotoGP.

Mazda787b wrote: We put out some feelers to some friends in the area, trying to get some info. You're the second who has mentioned the shuttle, great idea. I just figured if traffic was as bad as some say, it would be quicker to find an alternate form of transportation vs. driving and paying $40 to park at the track.

We've never paid more than $20 to park, but we have had to walk at least 1/2 mile every time.

Really want to stress, if I was there doing this on my own, I would be in the car at 7:00AM at the latest to get there. Bring enough beer to last you the day, and bring enough gatorade (or just water) to keep hydrated, as well as a bunch of food.

I have been to the race the past 5 years. Do this. The link is a little old, but you should be able to find a similar deal.

Stay at a downtown hotel. Party all day at the track and then take the shuttle back to party some more.

I own a house downtown, so I wouldn't know about hotel prices. Mtn said it right - bring a lot of booze and water.

I usually sit on the front straight but party in the infield before. Bring an AM/FM radio with you. I like to listen to the radio broadcast as I watch the race. It makes things more interesting. It's nice to know if something is going on at the parts of the track you can't see.

NVHEngr wrote: I usually sit on the front straight but party in the infield before. Bring an AM/FM radio with you. I like to listen to the radio broadcast as I watch the race. It makes things more interesting. It's nice to know if something is going on at the parts of the track you can't see.

This... My aunt and uncle have some noise cancelling headphones with the radio built in. These ones in particular are great, because they double as ear plugs.

Don't forget your ear plugs.

eastsidemav wrote: If the 38th street exit is open, by the time you make the walk back to the car, it's usually only a few minutes to get back on the highway and going. I think that exit has been reopened, since I'm pretty sure I took it last year for the MotoGP.

It is back open, and traffic flows better than ever.

Ryan (Mazda787b), I responded to your email. Hope you guys make it!

The above advice is all good if you are staying off-site. One option to consider is camping in the fields surrounding the track. Camp spots generally run $120 a day or so (reserve now!) and you may be able to find a rental RV, or pop-up camper you can rent through El Monte, or another RV rental company. You may want to arrive on Friday if you go this route, as all the good spots are taken by Sat. Camping is much more .....ah....festive, and you'll meet all kinds of .....umm.....interesting folks! It's a blast, but do not camp with children (besides lot 6). This is one of the world's largest parties, and they'll be exposed to things you may not be comfortable with.

Avoid the Coke lot--- Lots 1a and 1c. This is where all the college kids get wasted, burn port-o-lets and generally cause mayhem. VERY fun place to visit--- not a fun place to try to sleep.

Lot 2 is a middle ground--- plenty of partying, but not as crazy as the Coke lot-- it's also near the start-finish line for easy access inside the track.

Lot 6-- shaded, electric hookups (reserve now!) and mostly older-- quiet at night. Best place to camp, but if you are with a rowdy group, you may disturb your neighbors.

In either lot 2 or 6, you will have easy access to the track.

The track has also started offering "Glamping" sites within the track. It looks like they will have a campsite set-up in the infield---for the first time in over 20 years:

http://www.indy500snakepit.com/index.php/glamping/

We always camp in lot 2 or 6. This allows us to easily bring food + drinks into the track without breaking our backs. After the race, we don't even attempt to drive home until dusk. We relax, have a few beers, cook out, and throw the football around while everyone else is frustrated-- fighting traffic. We then smoothly leave town around 7 or 8pm. (keep in mind we are towing a 35ft trailer, so dealing with traffic isn't ideal)

This will be my 25th consecutive Indy 500 and I plan on going every year until I die. This system works well for us, but YMMV.

** Plan on being inside the track a couple of hours before the race if you want to witness all the pomp and circumstance. (Jim singing "Back Home in Indiana", Florence Henderson singing "America the Beautiful", etc.)

** The lone solider playing "taps" on the bugle before the race is one of the most moving, loneliest things you will ever hear---- it really brings home why we celebrate Memorial Day"

mtn wrote:

NVHEngr wrote: I usually sit on the front straight but party in the infield before. Bring an AM/FM radio with you. I like to listen to the radio broadcast as I watch the race. It makes things more interesting. It's nice to know if something is going on at the parts of the track you can't see.

This... My aunt and uncle have some noise cancelling headphones with the radio built in. These ones in particular are great, because they double as ear plugs. Don't forget your ear plugs.

You don't need them now, the new cars are pretty quiet

FWIW, I went for the first time last year, and aside from traffic taking forever from 465 to 2mi north of the track, it wasn't that bad. We found a parking spot for $5 and walked the remainder. It wasn't that bad, but I prefered going to the conti/rolex race instead. Easy parking, better racing.

Never been to the 500, have been to 3 MotoGP races there. We always camped off site and bought the 3 day parking pass. Bring lots of sunscreen, a hat, a coozie, beer, and some water. You're going to be walking a lot so get a backpack cooler, you don't want to be holding a 20lbs cooler all day.

Other than that, have fun.

yamaha wrote:

mtn wrote:

NVHEngr wrote: I usually sit on the front straight but party in the infield before. Bring an AM/FM radio with you. I like to listen to the radio broadcast as I watch the race. It makes things more interesting. It's nice to know if something is going on at the parts of the track you can't see.

This... My aunt and uncle have some noise cancelling headphones with the radio built in. These ones in particular are great, because they double as ear plugs. Don't forget your ear plugs.

You don't need them now, the new cars are pretty quiet

I thought that in 2011 after I wore them. My ears were ringing after I didn't have them in 2012. I wore them in 2013. YMMV.

In reply to mtn:

Turbo engines are pretty quiet....but we were inbetween 3-4 and halfway up the stands.

Watching this thread with great interest. 2014 will be my first Indy 500 and I can't wait! Hopefully it will be spring by then.

bluebarchetta wrote: Watching this thread with great interest. 2014 will be my first Indy 500 and I can't wait! Hopefully it will be spring by then.

You'll have a great time--- it's an event unlike any other, and huge---- over 300,000 in attendance.

Regardless of who is racing it's an amazing event. That track is hallowed ground, and you can feel the past. It's an experience every car nut should have....at least once.

In reply to Joe Gearin:

I'll agree there, my first time there was for F1. That was an experience. Then I attended the 500 and grand am races last year, this year might have me down for MotoGP and the conti/tudor race.

Hope you get seats in front of a jumbo-tron TV because you can't see much. The cars come by so fast you can't identify them. I rented a room from a friend 2 blocks from the front door of the track. Take an umbrella it rains.

Bah- Humbug!

The jumbo-trons are handy, but don't worry, there are plenty of great seats where you can see large portions of the track. The cars are going wickedly fast (225 mph or so) , but I've never had any trouble identifying them-- the numbers are easy to read, and you'll just get used to turning your head to catch up. (buying a program with the drivers listed helps! )

Avoid seats close to the fence / track. Sitting higher up will give you a better viewpoint, as the cars can hug the wall, and it's hard to see them. (especially sitting low on the front straight) Infield (bleacher) seating along the front straight will give you a good vantage point for seeing them come out of turn 4--- down the front straight and into turn one. Sitting high on the outside of turn one-- into turn two will also give a view of the front straight, and into the chute leading from 1 to 2. (lots of crashes happen here too) Another good viewpoint is high on the outside of turn 4. You'll see them come out of the "short chute" leading from 3 to 4, and down the front straight.

There are something like 275,000 seats in the place......so there's plenty of good viewpoints!

Thanks for the information everyone. It's been a lot to digest over the past few days.

The seats I was looking at were just on the outside of turn 4. I'm assuming rows are lettered in order (A being the closest to the track, moving upward from there).

Personally, I think camping would be a blast. Unfortunately, my dad is not the camping type. I'm hoping to use this year as more of a "scouting" adventure to get a feel for everything, and kind of take it from there. Multiple people have told me that the Coke lot approaches Kentucky Derby-like levels of crazy. When I have a little more time to plan and borrow a camping trailer, this is definitely on the bucket list.

Still trying to find a decent hotel a bit closer to downtown. As it turns out most of what I've been looking at are closer to the airport or West Indianapolis. When figuring in the cost/headache of a shuttle/parking, it might come out pretty close (cost-wise).

Oh, I'm pretty sure the Derby would seem like a fancy wedding compared to the Coke lot!

You'll see things there, you'll never want to see again. Things you can't unsee.

Well, you won't want to forget ALL of the things you'll see there. Certainly not for those with thin skin,or delicate sensibilities.