Best spot at the Indy 500

[v8babe]

Hi All,

I'm coming over from Australia for the Indy 500 this May and need a little advice... where's the best place to watch the race from? Do I sit in the grandstand near the "yard of bricks" or are there better spots? I'd really like to be in a spot where I can look across to pitlane. Any feedback on this and anything else I can do while in Indianapolis for the week would greatly help.

Cheers,
v8babe

[marcus]

Lucky you

I would guess anywhere would be a great spot but im sure others can give you a more detailed view

[Greg2000]

From my experience of last years race, the higher up in the stands the better. I was sitting on the lower tier of seats along the main straight - towards the back of the pitlane, and although the view of the pit lane action was great, it was difficult to watch the cars out of the final turn or into the first (The big tv screen above the pitlane helped!), but it does give you an appreciation of the speed and sound of the cars.

If I was to go again, i'd probably try for as high up in turn one as possible.

Also, in the blazing sun, you may find it more comfortable sitting in the shade of the roof of the stands.

By the way, if you're in Indianapolis on the Saturday, make sure you don't miss the huge parade through the town when all the drivers are on display.

Enjoy!

[Tim Northcutt]

I'm from Indy, V8Babe, and have been going to the 500 for many years...

Very helpful hints:

1. Get Seats with "Double Lettered" Rows.....Like Greg 2000 said, the higher you can buy, the more racing you will see....

2. If you really want to sit near or across from the pitlane, look in the Paddock area, but try to get sections as close to the Turn 1 area as possible....But I do not like those seats nearly as well as siitting high in the turns...

3. If you can get them, Grandstand E are probably the best seats in the Turn 1 area...but people buy those up and hang onto them....

As for me, my seats are in Turn 3 in the Northeast Vista....Good seats usually can be bought over there for a good price and you see tons of passing and high speeds...If you arrive before Friday of Race Weekend, get the pitlane experience at Carburetion Day

If you do decide to go to Turn Three, buy the seats in Section 35 or Lower in number if you can, again with the Double-lettered rows, because anything lower in number to section 35 gets you closer to Turn 3, as opposed to sitting on the backstretch itself..

But your first and foremost key..."Double-Lettered" Rows (AA, DD, Etc.)

If you want to check availabilities and then e-mail me or PM me with sections and rows you are looking at, I will gladly offer you some opinions, etc....

[v8babe]

Wow that all sounds so exciting, thanks guys! I'll be in town from the Tues b4 to the Mon after race day so have plenty of time to check out the scenery. I've been invited over by one of the IRL tech directers but I want to sit in the grandstand for the actual race instead of being tucked in behind-the-scenes. Tim, I appreciate your offer and will certianly be in touch if I need direction on best seating ... Cheers

[jjordan]

I like sitting up in turn 2, just west of the suites and Motel. You can see the cars come out of one, through the short straight thru 2 and down the backstretch and into 3. The exit to turn 2 is where all the speed is, neat to watch the good handling cars werses the ill handling at the exit of 2.

[Team Owner]

In a car.

[Tim Northcutt]

But there are only 33 of them or Race Day....and most have already been spoken for, Team Owner....

[thebear]

Click HERE for more information. I posted it for marshals working the USGP F-1 race but you might find some things of interest.

Note to Tim: If anything has changed, please advise and I will update the material.

I hope this helps:

[Tim Northcutt]

The only thing that it does not show is the Northeast Vista, which is in Turn 3 on the Oval...

[thebear]

Originally Posted by Tim Northcutt

The only thing that it does not show is the Northeast Vista, which is in Turn 3 on the Oval...

If I can get an updated graphic I can fix it. How about the text?

[Tim Northcutt]

Looks pretty good