Indianapolis Motor Speedway Will Allow 135,000 Fans for Indy 500
After running the iconic race in front of an empty stadium in 2020, drivers will start their engines in front of a large, but limited, crowd for the 105th running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the Indianapolis 500.
The Speedway announced Wednesday through its website after collaborating with "state and local health officials," they will be able to hold the race in front of 135,000 fans which will make it the largest in-person sporting event since the start of the pandemic last year, according to the Associated Press. While 135,000 is a lot of people, it's only 40% of the venue's capacity to give you an idea of just how massive the facility is. Under normal conditions with no restrictions of any kind, the venue can hold 400,000 people. That's more than the populations of Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey, Gibson, Pike, and Henderson counties combined.
While the fact the venue and health officials are comfortable hosting that many people is an encouraging sign we may be getting closer to the day when all venues will be able to host events at full capacity again, the pandemic is still a part of daily life for the time being which means the Speedway will have the following health and safety measures in place: