‘Month of May’ in Indy begins; ticket sales up
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe business of motorsports means big business in Indianapolis as the month of May begins, and there are indications this month could be another good one at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course takes place this weekend, with Opening Day for Indianapolis 500 activities set for May 14, which will have the first Indy 500 practice.
“Obviously, [IMS] is the anchor tenant in Indiana in terms of the economy,” said IMS President Doug Boles. “This community, this state really depends on motorsports for its economic health.”
On the first edition of our Business at the Brickyard series on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, Boles said ticket sales for this year’s 500 are looking good.
“They’re actually up on last year today as we stand here by 15,000 units,” Boles said. “And that just says an awful lot about our fans. The fans for the Indianapolis 500 [and] the Indianapolis Motor Speedway continue to be our most passionate evangelists to make this place grow.”
Since buying the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR in 2020, Roger Penske has invested about $60 million in the venue, Boles said, primarily in the area of customer experience.
“This year, if you’re a GA customer, you sit on one of our spectator mounts, [there are] new video boards there. We’ve got a new concession partner; we’re going to invest in some new some new concession areas. We’ve got a new kitchen in our Quarterback Club, our Hulman Terrace Club. That’s something that Roger’s really allowed us to do, and then just all the little things that make the customer experience better.”
Boles said the ability to enhance the customer experience comes from listening to the fans.
“We want them to have a great experience, and when there are challenges, we want them to let us know,” he said. “We had some traffic challenges last year; we worked with local police and state police [and] I think our traffic is going to be much better this year.”
Boles said he believes the state of motorsports may be healthier than it’s ever been, especially after the pandemic.
“There’s this resurgence in terms of fans that come out, in terms of teams on the IndyCar side,” he said. “If you look at the short tracks, you go around the state to any of short tracks, full fields, good crowds. I think it’s in good shape.”