IMS president Doug Boles: Speedway ready for full capacity at Indy 500

Helio Castroneves of Brazil drives his # 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda to victory the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is less than two months away and Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles is excited for fans to return to the track.

Boles tells WISH-TV’s Charlie Clifford that the stands are ready for hundreds of thousands of fans after the coronavirus pandemic cut the crowd to 40% of capacity — or 135,000 fans in 2021 and forced the race to be run without fans (and in August) in 2020.

“I think there’s a lot of that people are saying, ‘Look, it’s time to get out. We want to get back to what is such a Hoosier thing, which is going to the Indianapolis 500,’” Boles said.

The track has an unofficial capacity of about 350,000, including grandstands that hold around 230,000 fans. Boles and his team are hoping to sell every single seat.

“We’ve had a lot of fun talking to fans who can’t wait to bring new people back that maybe weren’t old enough to bring in 2019,” Boles said. “I think a lot of it is, just everybody’s ready to be back Indianapolis 500.”

The 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is May 29. General admission tickets and reserved seats are on sale now and tickets are also available for all other Month of May events.