A pair of 2000s alternative rock favorites are slated to kick off the festivities ringing in the world’s largest single-day sporting event.

Counting Crows will headline the 2026 Miller Lite Carb Day Concert on May 22, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced. Fellow rockers Switchfoot will open the show at the IMS, kicking off the weekend festivities for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Carb Day admission tickets start at $50 and are on sale at ims.com. Purchase admits entry to the traditional Carb Day proceedings, including the final practice for drivers and the annual Pit Stop Competition, as well as the show later in the evening.

Pit wristbands, which allow for closer access to the concert, start at $40. A wristband, however does not allow for admission to the concert on its own. Purchase of a Carb Day admission ticket is required to attend the show. Carb Day admission and pit wristband combo packages are available starting at $90.

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Counting Crows rose to prominence in the 1990s with hits like “Mr. Jones” off their smash 1993 debut album “August and Everything After.” They maintained notoriety into the millennium with a string of successful releases punctuated by the 2004 single “Accidentally in Love,” which remains a collective favorite off the “Shrek 2” soundtrack.

Switchfoot, the Crows’ alternative compatriots, enjoyed similar success in the early 2000s. “Meant To Live” and a re-record of popular single “Dare You to Move” emerged as enduring tracks off the group’s 2004 album “The Beautiful Letdown.”

More Indy 500: Zedd to headline 2026 Indy 500 Snake Pit with a crop of DJs

The two bands join past headliners like last year’s double bill of All American Rejects and Bret Michaels, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rick Springfield, Journey and many others in the concert’s 34-year history. The 2026 event will mark both groups’ inaugural Carb Day performance.

Counting Crows and Switchfoot join popular EDM artist Zedd as the confirmed headliners for this year’s Indy 500 entertainment. The German producer will lead up the crop of DJs scheduled for the Snake Pit on race day, May 24.

• An Indianapolis detective was arrested for allegedly driving away from a crime scene while intoxicated.
• Colleagues reported Detective Caitlin Harris after noticing she smelled of alcohol while on call.
• Harris is the third Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer to be charged with a crime in March.

A city detective was arrested after being accused of driving away from the scene of an investigation while intoxicated, according to a news release from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Detective Caitlin Harris, an eight-year veteran of the Child Abuse Unit, faces preliminary charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, both misdemeanors.

Harris was acting as the on-call detective on March 22, 2026. Colleagues who summoned her to help with an investigation into a child’s injuries that evening noticed she smelled like alcohol and contacted a supervisor, the news release stated.

A sergeant immediately responded, the department said, but by then Harris had finished her investigation and left the scene.

The sergeant asked Harris to pull her vehicle over, but she instead drove home, where she was met by a lieutenant who also believed she’d been drinking, the department said.

Harris was taken to a hospital for a blood draw. Detectives from IMPD’s Internal Affairs, Special Investigations and OVWI units were all present, the department said, and Harris was “determined to be under the influence of alcohol.”

IndyStar was unable to reach Harris and court records were not available at time of publication.

Chief Tanya Terry placed Harris on paid administrative leave and stripped her of police powers later that day.

The investigation that Harris initially responded to has been reassigned to another detective, according to the department.

Once an internal affairs investigation is complete, IMPD will decide whether to review Harris’ recent cases.

Harris was one of two detectives subject to a Citizens’ Police Complaint Board case last summer after a woman said the investigators assumed her children were unresponsive due to an opiate overdose rather than a heat-related illness. The children had been left alone in a car for several hours while their mother worked at a temp agency, but charges were never filed. IMPD’s Internal Affairs office did not find the officers at fault for their handling of the case.

Harris is the third IMPD officer charged with a crime so far in March. Officer Anthony Mauk faces allegations of hunting deer without a license in Steuben County, and Officer Taylor Jones was arrested on an allegation of battery after an altercation at an Indianapolis gym.

More: These IMPD officers have been charged with crimes since 2024

Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.

When the lights come up on a championship court, most eyes are fixed on the game. The buzzer. The movement. The moment.

But behind every major sporting event — behind the spectacle that draws thousands into arenas and millions to their screens, there is another story unfolding. One that doesn’t always get the same visibility, but carries just as much cultural weight. It is the story of the artists.

In cities like Indianapolis, where sports are woven into the community’s identity, art often works quietly in the background — shaping how those moments are experienced, remembered, and understood. Murals, performances, visual storytelling, and cultural programming all help define what a moment means, not just what it looks like.

And for Black artists, that work carries an additional responsibility. Because too often, the cultural contributions of Black communities are present in the experience but absent from the narrative.

Black artists don’t just capture moments. We contextualize them. We connect them to history, to struggle, to joy, to resilience. We tell the fuller story, one that reflects the communities that have long shaped the culture surrounding the game itself. And the impact of that work is not just cultural — it is economic.

The arts and cultural sector contributes more than $1 trillion to the U.S. economy and supports millions of jobs. Cities that invest in their creative ecosystems are not simply supporting the arts; they are strengthening a major driver of growth, talent attraction, and community vitality. Research also shows that diverse creative environments lead to stronger innovation and more meaningful engagement, reinforcing what many communities already experience firsthand.

When Black artists are included, the work does not just become more representative; it becomes more relevant, more connected, and more complete.

Indianapolis has a deep and often underrecognized legacy of Black artistic expression. From visual arts to performance, from community-centered storytelling to intergenerational creative practice, Black artists in this city have consistently created work that reflects both who we are and where we are going. But visibility has not always kept pace with contribution.

Across the country, studies have shown that artists of color remain significantly underrepresented in major cultural institutions and platforms. That gap is not a reflection of talent—it is a reflection of access, investment, and whose stories have historically been prioritized.

Major events bring energy, investment, and attention to a city. They also create a rare opportunity: a chance to be intentional about whose stories are elevated alongside the main stage.

When Black artists are included — not as an afterthought, but as a central part of the cultural experience — the impact is different. The city feels more complete. The story becomes more honest. The moment becomes more connected to the people who live here every day. This is not just about representation. It is about accuracy.

Because culture is not created in isolation. It is built through community. And when we fail to include the voices of those who have helped shape that culture, we present an incomplete picture — not just to visitors, but to ourselves.

At the Asante Art Institute of Indianapolis, our work is grounded in that belief. We exist to create space for artists to explore identity, history, and creativity in ways that build confidence, deepen understanding, and strengthen community connection. Through arts-centered programming, we are not only developing artists; we are cultivating storytellers, leaders, and individuals who see themselves as active participants in shaping the world around them.

That work matters in moments like these.

Because when the spotlight turns to Indianapolis during championship season, the question is not just what the world will see, but what story we choose to tell.

Will it be surface-level, focused only on the game? Or will it reflect the depth, diversity, and creativity of the communities that make this city what it is? That answer depends on who we invite into the frame.

This championship weekend, that broader story will take shape through A Touch of Glory, a production that brings together art, history, and sport to honor legacy and connection across generations. It is a reminder that the game is only part of the story, and that the cultural narratives surrounding it deserve just as much attention.

When we make space for those narratives — when we invest in artists, elevate their voices, and recognize their role in shaping how moments are experienced — we don’t just enhance events. We strengthen the cultural fabric of our city. And long after the final buzzer sounds, that is the story that lasts.

Deborah Asante is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Asante Art Institute of Indianapolis, dedicated to advancing cultural storytelling, fostering creative expression, and empowering communities through the arts.