INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, Battle on the Bricks, and BC39 are the days that grab the attention of racers and fans around the world, but in terms of the year-round track calendar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, those events are mere blips.

In this week’s edition of Behind The Bricks, we learn that IMS is alive and hopping, even on ‘quiet’ days.

Zach Horrall, the speedway’s social media specialist, says this week’s podcast is an answer to a question.

“What do you do the other 11 months of the year? We get that a lot,” Horrall said. “Fans will drive by the racetrack and there’s, you know, Buick/GMC banners or Chevrolet banners and it looks like there’s something going on, but the gates aren’t open.”

The answer is very often a private event, allowing exclusive access through a rental of the facility. Horrall estimates there are 150 such days each year.

“The majority of those are events like we highlight in the pod, where these manufacturers come in,” Horrall explained.

He says he particularly enjoys carmaker events like the one featured in the new episode of Behind the Bricks because they echo the original purpose of the track more than a century ago — as a proving grounds for the car industry.

“It’s a kind of a cool tie to our history because they’re sort of testing the upcoming model year of cars or they’re letting dealers or customers get the opportunity to drive those cars for the first time. So, in this episode, you’ll hear and see the new electric Hummer.”

In the case of the two-week GM event, Horrall says IMS hosted some 2,000 people who might otherwise never have seen the track.

HOLIDAY EXTRA: Our Daybreak conversation also took an unexpected left turn in a Christmas direction. We asked Zach about souvenirs now that the IMS Museum is closed for renovations. He says not only are the museum’s gift shops still open, but there are special deals each day for the next two weeks.