Indianapolis, IN
Less than 100 days to the Indy 500, ticket sales are nearly dead-even with 2016 sellout
Watch ‘More Than a Race,’ our mini-documentary on the Indy 500
Indianapolis is the 500.
A.J. Foyt once said, “If it wasn’t for the Indianapolis 500, none of you would’ve ever heard of me.” The same might be said of Indianapolis.
Jenna Watson, Indianapolis Star
It’s not the 100th running, nor is it fans’ full-fledged return following a pandemic – and Doug Boles doesn’t believe the ‘Kyle Larson effect’ has really set-in. Yet every day, the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway wakes up to daily ticket sales reports and sees the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 tracking nearly dead-even with the Greatest Spectacle in Racing’s most recent sellout eight years ago.
The 500 seems to be converting more and more casual fans into lifelong race attendees, pushing the race closer to the 350,000-fan sellout for its 100th running.
“Since the sellout in 2016, I think people are more apt to renew early, just to make sure they have their seats, and people are getting trained that way,” Boles told IndyStar in a 1-on-1 interview last week. “So when you see tickets go up in the renewal period, as they have every year (since 2016), you think, ‘Okay, good we’ve trained more people.’
“But now, what’s happened is over time, literally day after day after day, when we look at the ticket numbers, it’s more tickets sold today, 93 days out, than it was last year 93 days out, and we’re still tracking almost dead-even with 2016, which is crazy.”
Insider: Tracking IMS’s consistent growth in Indy 500 ticket sales
Boles said the Racing Capital of the World hosted more than 330,000 fans last year, the most since 2016 and falling less than 10,000 tickets short of a sellout of its grandstands that hold roughly 234,000 seats. The key in 2016 was the sellout of the track’s grandstand seats May 6, still more than three weeks to race day, which then led to a run on general admission access to the infield.
By May 25, IMS announced it was no longer selling tickets, leading to the lift of the local blackout for the first time in 65 years.
A year ago, IMS saw roughly a 1% uptick in ticket sales, moving from 12,000 unsold grandstand seats to 9,000 (and 325,000 to 330,000 race day attendees). It will still need to see an improvement year-over-year to reach that grandstand sellout mark with enough time for fans to feel a scarcity in infield admission that led to 2016’s sellout.
“For a period of time there, we were slightly ahead (of 2016 sales), and now we’re slightly behind, but without that 100th-running conversation to drive it, it’s amazing it’s that strong,” Boles said. “I keep wondering if I’m going to wake up one day and realize, ‘Oh, everyone’s bought and set now.’ But it just continues to go.”
Along with edge-of-your-seat finishes the last three years in eventual victories from four-time champion Helio Castroneves and first-timers Marcus Ericsson and Josef Newgarden, Boles attributes the upward trajectory of tickets sales to track owner Roger Penske’s continued investment into the track that presently stands around $50 million just over four years since he completed the purchase of IMS and the IndyCar series from the Hulman-George family.
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Renovations like new video monitors for those in the front stretch grandstands, several larger boards in the infield and high-end touch-ups from revamped bathrooms to coats of paint and paved walkways all across the venue’s nearly 1,000 acres weren’t initially meant to drive revenue, but Boles said IMS’ collective facelift has helped show customers on the fence just how much the track’s new ownership cares about their experience.
“We went through a period of time where we replaced or repaired something if it was broken, but since Roger purchased the Speedway, he’s allowed us to get ahead of things, and so as a fan, I think you feel better about what you see,” Boles said. “’Okay, we’ve got ownership who’s investing alongside us.’”
From 2023: Roger Penske’s IMS investment nearing $50 million. Here’s what’s new.
Beyond the grandstands, Boles says the track’s Snake Pit ticket sales are “crazy again,” tracking towards the pre-pandemic highs of more than 25,000. And in the infield on race day, he expects to see hordes of short-track racing T-shirts of fans there to watch famed rookie Kyle Larson’s debut as he registers the first attempt of ‘The Double’ in 10 years. Fans who want to see the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion’s first 500 miles of what could be an 1,100-mile day along with the Coke 600 that evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway could help give IMS the late boost it needs to seriously flirt with a sellout.
“I certainly think Kyle Larson will play into it, especially in the next three months. I think fans who may not regularly buy tickets to the 500, whether they’re NASCAR fans or short track fans, I think we’ll see a lot of that as we get closer,” Boles said. “There may have been a little impact, but I don’t think if we drilled down into it, we’ve even seen the ‘Kyle Larson effect’ yet.”
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Sunday’s edition of “All INdiana Politics,” WISH-TV Government Reporter Garrett Bergquist weighs in on Max Engling winning the nomination for secretary of state from Indiana’s GOP.
Later, Bergquist breaks down United Way’s 2026 ALICE report, which found that 40% of Indiana households can’t afford cost of living.
Last but not least, Bergquist sits down with Democrat Lindsey Haake and Republican Whitley Yates to discuss the race for Indiana secretary of state, the ALICE report, and the fragile peace deal between Iran and the U.S.
“All INdiana Politics” airs at 9:30 a.m. Sundays on WISH-TV.
CINCINNATI — The Savannah Bananas are back in Cincinnati, but this year they face a new opponent: the Indianapolis Clowns.
The Clowns were implemented into Banana Ball this season to honor the original Negro League team that played from the 1930s to 1989. The team also had stints in Miami (Florida) and here in Cincinnati as the Ethiopian and Cincinnati Clowns.
Rashawn Merchant
So, when 93-year-old West Chester resident Myra Merchant heard the Clowns were coming to town, she said she was shocked.
“It brings back a lot of beautiful memories,” she said.
Merchant’s husband, Henry Lewis “Speed” Merchant, was an outfielder for the original Clowns team. He coined the nickname “Speed” because of his pace on the bases.
WATCH: Meet the family of Indianapolis Clowns legend Henry Lewis “Speed” Merchant
The Savannah Bananas are back in Cincinnati, but their opponents hit home for one family
In 1950, he won the title for most stolen bases in a single season with 45 bases stolen in 80 games.
“(He) was a hell of a ball player,” Merchant said of her late husband. “He could run, he was a beautiful runner.”
“Speed” died of prostate cancer in 1982, but even four decades later, at the Merchant family’s table, sit dozens of photos and memorabilia — a physical record of a legacy Merchant refuses to let fade.
Noelle Blumel
“I can’t help it, it’s part of history,” she said. “I thank God he had a chance to prove himself in the Negro League.”
Their three children, Charisse, Herma Jean and Rashawn Merchant, still live in the Cincinnati area as well and remember the tricks he used to do as a player.
“They came up with tricks (like) hiding the ball and digging into the dirt and coming up (with it),” Charisse said.
Charisse added that even after his time as a player, their father would still perform the tricks from time to time.
“He just knew how to do so many things,” Rashawn said. “He could take the baseball and roll it down his shoulder… could catch the ball behind his back, over his head.”
Myra Merchant
Myra said the tricks, in addition to the baseball, made the games a joyful spectacle.
“There was laughter and fun in the game, the way they played it, and it was enjoyable,” Merchant said.
That enjoyment, however, came with adversity. The Clowns often had to perform in the face of open discrimination.
“It was rough,” Charisse said. “(Going to) certain places to eat, they would send whoever was the lightest-skinned guy on the team. He would go to the back and get the sandwiches or whatever to eat.”
The hostility didn’t stop there.
“Players being thrown ice, (patrons) would throw the bottles at them,” Charisse said. “But (the players) kept going and they would win the game and hurry up and get on the bus.”
Charisse added that sometimes the players could not change out of their jerseys after games because they had to leave the hostile environment immediately to avoid things escalating.
Myra described the era with unflinching clarity.
“Prejudice, back in the, the ’30s and ’40s, and even a lot of times in the ’50s, that prejudice was still there,” she said. “And you had to endure it, take it, smile and keep going.”
When asked what made the players want to keep going, Myra’s answer was immediate.
“I’ll put it this way, our Lord came here, and he knew what he had to endure,” she said. “He kept going, and that’s what the Black man has done. He kept going. Because had he stopped, where would he have been today?”
Charisse and Rashawn echoed that sentiment.
“He loved the game. It was just in his blood, and that’s what he wanted to do,” they said.
Now with a new generation of the Clowns making headlines, the Merchant family said their hope is that the fans and players know about the pioneers who wore the name first.
Rashawn Merchant
“I thank God because it lives on. He’s part of history. And it lives on through the children and every Black player. Every Black man that came through hell,” Myra said.
Charisse and Rashawn said they want that history to be part of the celebration.
“Just remember that it started through a lot of hardship, that it wasn’t all fun and games,” Rashawn said. “There’s a history there and all of it’s not the best, but they made the best of what they had.”
Myra said the struggles they went through, though grueling, are part of what makes America a great country.
“They were part of America. That’s what makes America great, and it is a great country,” she said. “This is a melting pot of beautiful colors. She have her problems — What country has none? But we can solve them together, united as one.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
2026 Pro Swim Series – Indianapolis
Finals Heat Sheet
Six women opted not to swim the 50 fly tonight, with Torri Huske, Erika Pelaez, and Liberty Clark all choosing to swim the 100 free A-final instead. They are the 7th, 8th, and 5th seed, respectively. Kristina Paegle and Anna Peplowski have likewise chosen the 100 free over the 50 fly, where they’re the 9th and 12th seeds for tonight.
On the men’s side, the only scratches come from the 100 breast, where American record holder Michael Andrew has decided to swim the 50 fly. He’ll be in lane 5 for that event tonight. Charlie Egeland has also scratched out of the 100 breast, which means his meet has come to an end.
Top – 16 SCRATCH REPORT
Women’s 800 Freestyle
Men’s 800 Freestyle
Women’s 50 Butterfly
Men’s 50 Butterfly
Women’s 100 Breaststroke
Men’s 100 Breaststroke
Women’s 100 Freestyle
Men’s 100 Freestyle
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