I am a lifelong fan of the Indy 500. It was the first track I ever visited and although I'm clearly biased - I truly believe its the best race of all. Steeped in history and tradition, the Indy 500 is an experience like no other. Never been? Consider it for a bucket list item for sure. You can watch it on TV but nothing compares to attending in person.
I first went to the track as a young girl, attending practice sessions, Pole Day and Bump Day. In the years since, I've been to more races than I can count. I was lucky enough to marry someone even more into the race than I am, and as our kids were born, we requested extra seats for our ticket block the year they were born in hopes we would have a seat by the time they were old enough to go to the race (we got them!).
We drive when we go and park in Speedway, IN at a lot or near a home in the neighborhood. If you're visiting, though, and staying in a hotel downtown, the shuttle from downtown to the track is an excellent option. Side note: if you're in town more than just Sunday - Longs Donuts located on the way from downtown to Speedway makes the best yeast donuts ever (in some regions of the country they are called Glazed - but we call them yeast), In any case, the shuttle drops you off just a block or so from the main entrance to the track (Gate 1). Gate 1 is especially good if you're sitting in the 1st turn, main stretch or south short chute.
We typically take in a backpack cooler each with drinks and food. You can buy food at the track as well, we carry it in for the convenience of being able to have our favorite drinks and snacks and especially to not have to climb over people every time we want a snack. We also spend most of the day at the track, so its always nice to have snacks, especially if there is a rain delay or something like that which causes us to be at the track longer than expected. The best part of a backpack cooler vs. a regular cooler, is that they are super light at the end of the day when you're exhausted! Inevitably on the long walk back to the car, you see at least one group with a cooler that's broken and they're trying to drag it back... sometimes more than one! If you opt to buy food though, a fun fact is that all of the hot dogs and bratwurst sold on a typical race day were laid end to end they would circle the oval three times!
Be sure when you visit, especially if it is a once in a lifetime trip, to get there early enough to see the Opening Ceremonies. The Indy 500 is rich in tradition and many of the traditions are decades old and the excitement builds through it all. I'm always amazed at how many people just show up minutes before the race starts and miss it all. Watching the massive stands fill with people, cheering on the military parade around the track, Taps in memory of fallen soldiers for Memorial Day, God Bless America and Back Home Again in Indiana. I confess Back Home Again in Indiana sometimes brings a tear to my eyes, its been a tradition since 1946 and was sung by the late Jim Nabors most years from 1972 to 2014. A fun fact is that the first time he sang it, he did it at the request of track owner Tony Hulman who asked him to sing it just moments before the opening ceremonies - he had to write the lyrics on his hand!
The introduction of the drivers is another awesome moment. The drivers' fans are vocal and many of the drivers are very personable and having a last relaxed moment before they get the game face on. Many drivers even bring their kids! Ryan Hunter Reay's kids usually even have coordinating driver's uniforms to their dad's!
The race in itself is amazing. The size of the venue is the one comment I hear most often from people who go for the first time. Its simply huge. Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, Churchill Downs, the Colosseum in Rome and Vatican City could all fit together inside the track. The stands hold 250,000 but the total crowd is closer to 300,000. The crowd when close to full is larger than most US cities total population. (it would be 67th largest city in the US). It is widely considered the largest single day sporting event in the world and the IMS is the largest sporting venue in the world in terms of capacity.
After the race holds traditions as well. Of these, the drinking of the milk may be the most iconic. Louis Meyer drank buttermilk after the race in victory lane in 1936, but it wasn't cemented as a tradition until 1956 and has been repeated every year except when Emerson Fittipaldi won in 1993 and drank Orange Juice. Although he drank milk after the OJ, fan reaction was very negative and he was even booed in Milwaukee at another race later in the season over it. If you ask many long term fans about the milk tradition, it will often bring up negative comments about Emerson drinking milk. He has never been very popular in Indy since that event.
Long story short, if you have never been to the Indy 500, it should absolutely be on your bucket list. You may find that you go back again and again. If you go only once, it will be a memorable event all around!
