For the first time in 104 races, the Indianapolis 500 will be held without fans. That seems like it should have been a given, considering the COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging the U.S. and Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s capacity is at least 350,000.
But the iconic track’s new owner, Roger Penske, was insistent in June that the Indy 500 only would happen with fans in attendance.
And up until Tuesday, the plan for the biggest motor sports event in North America — which was pushed back from Memorial Day Weekend in May to August 23 — was to hold it with a maximum of 25 percent capacity, which is still about 87,000 people. And even that decision was only two weeks old and a decrease from originally trying to allow up to 50 percent capacity across the grandstands, infield and suites.
However, IMS announced the change that fans will not be at the 104th running of the 500, which is, unquestionably, the smart, responsible and obvious choice, despite the massive track having space to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s social distancing protocols for events.
It was made after “careful consideration and extensive consultation with state and city leadership,” the track said in a statement.
News from #IMS:
It is with great regret that we announce the Indianapolis 500 will take place on August 23 without fans. This tough decision was made following careful consideration and extensive consultation with state and city leadership.
Full Details: https://t.co/mlC19YG6Ng pic.twitter.com/YryckwCjJ1
— Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) August 4, 2020
The Associated Press spoke to Penske — whose Penske Entertainment Corp. bought the track and the IndyCar Series and took over in January — by phone Tuesday, and the 83-year-old racing mogul said it was “the toughest business decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
A tough decision, sure, particularly for a new track owner looking to show off the latest renovations. But a blatant one to anyone who’s paying attention as more than 154,000 people in the U.S. have died from the coronavirus pandemic.
More from the AP:
“We didn’t buy the Speedway for one year, we bought it for generations to come, and it’s important to our reputation to do the right thing,” Penske said in a telephone interview. …
“We need to be safe and smart about this,” Penske said. “Obviously we want full attendance, but we don’t want to jeopardize the health and safety of our fans and the community. We also don’t want to jeopardize the ability to hold a successful race.”
Penske also said the financial hit for IndyCar and the track of not having fans didn’t factor into the decision, the AP reported. But that — in addition to the legendary status of the the Indy 500 — likely played a part in delaying the move to not have fans until the month of the race.
Having up to 25 percent capacity seemed dangerous, despite the previous plan to mandate masks and provide fans with hand sanitizer and a temperature check at the door. And it looked like this was just going to be the latest example of sports prioritizing profits over people’s health and safety.
The situation was compounded last week when IU Health, the state’s largest health care system and a partner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said it opposed fans attending the 500.
“Until we sustain better control of this virus and its spread,” IU Health said in a statement, “we strongly encourage IMS to consider an alternative to running the Indy 500 with fans in August.”
IU Health also noted the risks extend far beyond fans attending the race and include traveling to the Indianapolis area, outside gatherings, restaurants and accommodations.
Other sports leagues, like the NBA and MLB, have been competing without fans in attendance, and, for the most part, IndyCar and NASCAR have severely restricted attendance at their respective events. Even for the two American racing series’ first-ever doubleheader weekend in July at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, fans were not invited.
Finally, it appears Penske and other officials understand it’s irresponsible for anyone to host potentially tens of thousands of people at a race in a state where positive COVID-19 cases have been increasing. But Penske told the AP it was the spike in Indiana cases, not IU Health’s recommendation, that pushed him to exclude fans.
“As dedicated as we were to running the race this year with 25 percent attendance at our large outdoor facility, even with meaningful and careful precautions implemented by the city and state, the COVID-19 trends in Marion County and Indiana have worsened,” the speedway said in a statement.
“Since our June 26 announcement, the number of cases in Marion County has tripled while the positivity rate has doubled. We said from the beginning of the pandemic we would put the health and safety of our community first, and while hosting spectators at a limited capacity with our robust plan in place was appropriate in late June, it is not the right path forward based on the current environment.”
Clearly.
The Indy 500 is truly an unparalleled spectacle dripping with international prestige and history. But Penske and the track really had no choice but to keep the grandstands empty.
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