Indianapolis, IN

Less than 100 days to the Indy 500, ticket sales are nearly dead-even with 2016 sellout

Published

2 years ago

February 26, 2024

Less than 100 days to the Indy 500, ticket sales are nearly dead-even with 2016 sellout

It’s not the 100^th 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 108^th 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 100^th 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 100^th-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.

Indy 500 rule change: Newgarden’s winning move made illegal. How it’ll be officiated is unclear.

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.”

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Indianapolis, IN

ALERT DAY: Tornado threat north this evening; severe threat sinks south overnight

Published

9 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

ALERT DAY: Tornado threat north this evening; severe threat sinks south overnight

Headlines

TORNADO & HAIL THREAT NORTH THIS EVENING
STORMS SINK SOUTH OVERNIGHT
STORMY FOR THE WEDNESDAY MORNING COMMUTE

Severe weather will be possible for some this evening in northern locations. Most of central Indiana will remain storm-free until after midnight. The rare (for Indiana) Moderate Risk has been issued for far northwestern parts of the state this evening. Super-cell storms are expected to develop and move northeast along a cold front. Strong tornadoes will be possible, as well as very large hail, up to baseball size, in the most intense storms. The Moderate Risk is a threat level 4 out of 5.

WRTV

The best chance for the most severe storms this evening will be north of a line from Lafayette to Hartford City. If you live in this area, be very weather aware this evening and have a plan in place with your family. South of that line, we likely won’t see much storm activity until after midnight. This is when the line will start to sink south. It will weaken as it does so, but severe weather will still be possible, as well as flooding from very heavy rain.

Plan ahead for your Wednesday morning commute. Whether or not the storms are still severe, heavy rain is expected, and localized flooding will also be possible. The ground is very saturated from all the recent rain. Strong wind, hail, and even an isolated tornado will still be possible. The severe threat is just lower given the timing and how this will unfold in the weather setup.

Once the rain ends and we start to clear out, temperatures will tumble.

Indianapolis Weather Forecast:
This Evening: Severe storms north. Mostly cloudy elsewhere.
Overnight: Storms sink south. Low: 64°
Tomorrow: Stormy morning. Then drying out. Temps fall. High: 69°
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High: 49°

Indianapolis 7-Day Weather Forecast

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis isn’t known for skyscrapers, but these are the 10 tallest buildings

Published

21 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Indianapolis isn’t known for skyscrapers, but these are the 10 tallest buildings

Salesforce Tower is the tallest building in Indianapolis, standing at 701 feet with 49 floors.
The top three tallest buildings were all completed between 1969 and 1990.
One of the top ten, the Signia by Hilton, is currently under construction and expected to be finished in 2026.
Many of the city’s tallest buildings have been known by several different names over the years.

While Indianapolis isn’t exactly known for it’s tall buildings, we do have quite a few that tower above the city. The tallest, is visible nearly 10.5 miles outside the city.

These are the 10 tallest buildings in Indianapolis, according to Skyscraper Center.

1. Salesforce Tower

Salesforce Tower is the tallest building in Indianapolis. It’s located at 111 Monument Circle.

Construction on this building was completed in 1990. The office building boasts 49 floors and towers over the city at 701 feet tall.

It has also been known as the Chase Tower, the Bank One Tower and the American Fletcher Bank Tower.

2. One America Tower

The second tallest building in Indianapolis is the One America Tower. It is located at 200 N Illinois St., has 38 floors and is 533 feet tall.

The building was completed in 1982 and was previously known as the American United Life Insurance Tower.

3. One Indiana Square

The One Indiana Square building is the third tallest building in Indianapolis at 504 feet tall.

The building was completed in 1969 and has 37 floors. It has also been previously known as Union Planters Bank, Indiana National Bank Tower, INB Tower and NBD Bank Tower.

4. Signia by Hilton Indianapolis

Signia by Hilton, previously known as the Indianapolis Convention Center Hotel, is currently under construction, but is the fourth largest building in Indy.

The building is set to have 37 floors and be 441 feet tall once construction is complete, which is expected to happen in 2026.

5. Market Tower

Market Tower, located at 10 West Market Street, is the fifth tallest building in Indianapolis at 421 feet.

The building was completed in 1988 and has 32 floors. It has also been known as the Mansur Center.

6. 300 North Meridian

300 North Meridian, which shares a name with its address, is 408 feet tall and has 28 floors.

The building was completed in 1989 and is the sixth tallest building in Indianapolis.

7. BMO Plaza

BMO Plaza, located at 135 North Pennsylvania St. is 401 feet tall.

The building has 31 floors and was completed in 1988. It has also been known as M&I Plaza, First Indiana Plaza and Marshall & Isley Plaza.

8. JW Marriott Indianapolis Downtown

Perhaps one of the most visually recognizable on this list, the JW Mariott Indianapolis, located at 10 South West St. is the eighth tallest building in Indy.

The large blue hotel was completed in 2011, stands at 376 feet and has 34 floors. Over the years, the hotel has put giant images on the side of the building to celebrate current events in both sports and pop culture.

9. City-County Building

The City-County Building, located at 200 East Washington St. is the the ninth tallest building in Indianapolis.

The building was completed in 1962 and is 372 feet tall with 28 floors.

10. 101 West Ohio

The tenth and final building on this list is 101 West Ohio. The building, which shares a name with its address, is 360 feet tall and has 22 floors.

The office building was completed in 1987 and was previously known as Old National Financial Center.

Katie Wiseman is a trending news reporter for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Contact her at klwiseman@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Bluesky @katiewiseman and X, formerly Twitter, at @itskatiewiseman.

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Indianapolis, IN

IMPD reinforces downtown safety as crowds grow with warmer weather

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

IMPD reinforces downtown safety as crowds grow with warmer weather

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Metropolitan Police Department is reinforcing downtown safety as crowds grow with warmer weather.

This comes after a violent weekend that included an early Monday morning shooting, and in a separate incident, an officer and a security guard were hit by an impaired driver.

Police say the shooting that happened Monday near Maryland and Meridian Streets was caused by a fight that broke out at bar in the area and escalated into a shooting at a nearby parking lot. IMPD says a woman has been arrested in connection with the shooting.

IMPD Downtown District Commander Shane Foley says officers were able to take control of the situation quickly.

“Officers were there when the shooting occured, and then because of their presence, they were able to make a very quick arrest, and arrest another individual for possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon,” Foley said. He says the response from the officers is exactly what he expects to see as the temperatures continue to get warmer.

People who like to spend their time downtown on the weekends say they enjoy that there are things to do, but think the violence is getting out of hand.

“It just gets crazy at night for real, and then, everybody just drinking and stuff and they can’t control their liquor,” Indianapolis resident Schuyler Landrum said.

“Chill out man, you gotta know your limits when you’re drinking because stuff like that can happen. People who don’t go to clubs and stuff, we’re trying to have fun downtown but you guys are getting wild and drunk and stuff, so lets just help each other man,” resident Peyton Bush said.

Officers say they hear the public’s concerns and are doing what they can to prevent incidents before they escalate. Last week, IMPD announced the installation of new public cameras downtown to help assist with monitoring and crime prevention.

“If you come downtown and you engage in illegal activity, because we have people all over the place, the likelihood of you being arrested is increased. We’re being very proactive with our policing, and if we need to be reactive in making arrests, we’re doing that as well,” Foley said.

People who are frequently downtown say that they hope things get better, but one man says he believes he’s noticed an increase in crime downtown, especially among the youth. “Start thinking before you act, you know? It’s just the way it is,” he said.

“Our officers are working diligently to keep everybody safe. As we have more events, we’re going to have more officers downtown. We want people to not only be safe, but feel safe, visiting, living, working in Downtown Indianapolis,” Foley said.

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