Q: What happened to the old scoring pylon after removal? I remember seeing it laying on its side by the facilities garage north of Turn 4.
David Teller
DB: The old scoring pylon (we are now on our third) that was up at IMS for 20 years starting in 1994 has been dismantled and most of the scoring numbers retained and stored. The top of the pylon that featured the rotating logo board and had the windsock mounting was also retained and is stored at IMS. Some of the light panels – the pylon featured nearly 6,500 30-watt bulbs – have also been saved. The remainder of the structure – mostly steel and old electronic wiring was disposed of or recycled where possible.
We also have a few remaining number panels from the first pylon that was up from 1959 through the 1993 Indianapolis 500.
While the new board is great and we can do many things with it, including make it look like the old pylons looked with just the 33 position numbers and car numbers, it will unfortunately not have cool number panels to save when it is time to replace this one (in fact, we did replace much of the LED screening prior to this year’s Indianapolis 500).
Q: I love all the improvements that have been made to the Speedway over the last few years. This year was my 48th 500 and it just gets better every year. I do have one suggestion: On race day the pedestrian traffic trying to get to or from the Pagoda Plaza south toward Turn 1 is extremely overcrowded due to the cars and equipment being taken from Gasoline Alley to the pits. Everyone must navigate up the narrow stairs across and back down on the other side.
Could you please look into putting up either a permanent or temporary pedestrian bridge over the area between Gasoline Alley and the pits to reduce this issue, which is a safety concern? We love all the activity and concessions in the Plaza, but it is nearly impossible to get there. Going around Gasoline Alley is quite the long way around as well.
Terry Cybulski
DB: Thanks for the note and the suggestion. Race day pedestrian traffic throughout IMS is something we continue to work to make easier. It is nearly 350,000 people in one location and everyone trying to get someplace at the exact same time. Fun fact, we are the second largest city in the state of Indiana inside the racetrack on race day!
We have looked into how to alleviate pedestrian traffic between the Gasoline Alley Garages and the traditional IndyCar garages. Building a bridge – permanent or temporary – has its own challenges and creates other problems without any significant relief in congestion.
Other than passing behind (or east) of the garages, you can travel under Tunnel 6 (north of the Pagoda) directly from the Pagoda Plaza area and then down toward Turn 1. Transparently, that too can be a long and crowded walk the closer you get to pre-race ceremony times.
Q: How many people are on the IMS payroll for the Indy 500 weekend? And what percentage returns year after year?
John A, WI
DB: Full-time staff at IMS is around 175 people, but on Race Day for the Indianapolis 500 it takes nearly 11,000 people to execute the Indianapolis 500 each year. This includes full-time, part-time, and seasonal IMS staff, not-for-profit groups who we pay to work the event, yellow shirts we pay to work the event, concessions staff, merchandise staff, cleaning crews, emergency and first responders, track workers, etc. Most of our not-for-profit groups return year after year, as do most of our track workers and yellow shirts.
Q: The Speedway has never looked better, and I’ve been going to the race since 1968. What’s the next big dream for the Speedway? IMS continues every year to make many small but significant changes. Is there a big vision out there that can be shared? So many things make this the greatest race in the world. What would blow our minds to see 10 years down the road?
Gene Ott, Connersville, IN
DB: 1968 – Uncle Bobby would be happy to know that was your first year!
I often wonder what Carl Fisher would think if he could see IMS now. I think the fact that we are closing in on the 109th Running and the popularity of the Indianapolis 500 would blow his mind.
What’s 10 years down the road? Who knows what technology will bring – and not really from an on-track product standpoint – but more what will it do to make the customer experience better?
The big vision for us currently is to continue to invest in upgrading IMS, and much of that is taking care of deferred maintenance issues, adding more video boards, better audio capabilities, quicker concessions, etc. Longer term, how do we improve the ingress and egress, camping experiences, and Pagoda Plaza engagement.
Q: Under Roger Penske’s guidance, many improvements have been made at the Speedway. What upgrades are being planned for the near future, and are there long-term plans on major changes? What is the “want to do” list?
Dave W
DB: Thanks for the question. As everyone can tell, since 2020 the directive from the Captain was to get the IMS engine – the Indianapolis 500 – running as strong as it ever has. Nobody knew what the world would be like or what the public reception was going to be regarding attending large scale public events.
So, much of what IMS staff did when we weren’t allowed to host anyone at IMS was invest in things we couldn’t do during a normal racing season – renovated restrooms, new video boards, grandstand infrastructure maintenance, widening pedestrian passageways, repairing failing asphalt, etc. And we are continuing to focus on those less than dramatic changes to the IMS facility.
What happened after 2021 – when we were only allowed to host 135,000 fans? The Indianapolis 500 fans turned out like never before, and we continue to see growth each year – and are ahead of 2024 for 2025. We’ll keep focusing on the fan experience as our primary driver of change at IMS.
We are, however, beginning to start putting longer-term plans together and explore what might be next to improve the overall facility and fan experience. The next big thing to open will be the renovated IMS Museum prior to the 2025 Indianapolis 500.