Indy 500 from the UK

[J50N WA]

As above, anyone from the UK been to watch the Indy 500? Whats best way to get there, where to stay? where on the actual track etc..
Actually any of our US cousins got any advice for a few UK lads wanting to pop over..

cheers in advance..

[realjv]

A whole bunch of times. Love it. The Indy 500 is the greatest absolutely no question about it.

How to get there - We usually fly to Chicago and then get a short connecting flight down to Indy itself. The other route that is well served with flights is in to New York and then connect however the drawback of this is you need to go through immigration in NY which can be slow where as in Chicago it is very quick. The drive from Chicago to Indy is easy if you choose to do it but it is basically 200 miles of nothingness.

Downtown is probably the best place to stay and its only 15 mins to the track on any day apart from race day. If you are staying downtown and are planning on going out to the track on the Saturday before the race for the drivers meeting, autograph session etc beware that a number of downtown roads are closed for the parade which makes getting out of some hotels impossible. (Check out the 500 Festival website for road closures and the parade route from this/last year for a guide). Downtown is very walkable, clean and safe with plenty of bars and restaurants.

In terms of seats at the track you want to get up high in the turns for the best views. You cannot see the whole track from any seat. Turns 1 and 3 are where most of the passing happens, good T1 tickets where you can see down the front straight are very hard to get, T3 tickets much easier. The drawback of T3 is it is the most remote point of the track and can feel a little disconnected. Tower Terrace tickets are good value if you want to be on the front straight. When you file your ticket request (Which you should do now for next year) via the IMS website you rank 4 grandstands in order of preference. You can be very specific about what sections and rows you are looking for in each stand and they do take these preferences into account. The 3D seat views on the IMS website are very good guide. You won't be able to buy 'deck' or 'penthouse' tickets from the Speedway itself as these all belong to long standing ticket holders who renew each year. If you want these you'll have to buy from secondary sources.

For the true Indy 500 culinary experience don't forget to visit the Mug n Bun drive in on 10th Street just south of the speedway and Charlie Browns on Main Street 5 mins walk from Gate 1.