rssWhat's New At Indy

Race fans headed for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the month of May 2011 will encounter major construction on Interstate 465 (the beltway that circles Indianapolis) as well as the I-74/Crawfordsville Road interchange at I-465. This construction will impact the main corridor of entry to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The project known as Accelerate 465 is intended to improve traffic flow and safety for motorists traveling around Indianapolis. The construction project, which began in 2007 at a cost of 550 million dollars, is expected to be completed by 2012.

The Bad News:

Drivers cannot exit Crawfordsville Road from the north. Crawfordsville Road (which is I-74 west of Indianapolis) is one of the primary routes of entry to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Race fans approaching the I-465 / Crawfordsville Road exit from the North will not be able to exit at Crawfordsville Road in May 2011. As an alternative, fans may exit at 38th Street (the exit just north of Crawfordsville Road), then go East approximately 1 mile, then turn right on Georgetown Rd. The track is located a few blocks south between 30th Street and 16th Street just off Georgetown Rd.

The Good News:

Drivers coming from the south will have access to the Crawfordsville Road exit during the month of May 2011. The exit is currently open as of May 14, 2011.

COMPRESSED SCHEDULE: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has announced a new compressed schedule of events for the month of May. In 2010 there will be two days of qualifications scheduled for the Saturday and Sunday prior to the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500. As of the time of this posting, not much is known about the rules that will apply to the qualification weekend, but with regard to the rest of the month, the track will officially open for rookie orientation on May 15, and 16, 2010 before reopening for open practice May 17th thru the 21st. The first day of qualifications will be pole day and the second day will be bump day.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway hopes to bring down costs for the smaller teams and for the speedway itself, while increasing attendance and excitement for the qualification segment of the Indy 500. The compressed schedule will leave no room for error and will intensify the experience for the teams, their drivers and the fans in the stands. The compressed schedule is also expected to increase fan attendance since the entire event now begins and ends in 15 days. With this new schedule it is now possible for a race fan to come to Indy and see qualifications, practice and the race all in 10 days.

Over the years the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has modified the qualification format a number of times with mixed results. The jury is still out on the new 2010 format, but some of the teams, including Penske, have already praised the change. The new format, however, may substantially reduce the opportunities for teamless drivers to buy their way into the back-up cars (“T cars”) of the larger teams. Still, the compressed schedule should work to conserve the valuable resources of the IMS, the teams, drivers and the race fans.

CHASSIS COMPETITION FOR 2012: The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race was the proving ground for early automobile manufacturers and its history of innovation has as much to do with its iconic status as its size, distance, and age. The invitation to brilliant automobile engineers to bring their best ideas to Indy has been kept in the box for years, as the historic venue has evolved into a spec race. The teams competing at Indy are currently all driving the same chassis and the same engine. The chassis’s are supplied by the Italian automobile company Dallara and the engines are leased to the teams by Honda.

The Indy Racing League, in an effort to boost competitive design options, has solicited entries from other chassis manufacturers for 2012, including Lola, Swift, Delta Wing. The IndyCar racing series set forth the specs and the manufacturers are looking for ways to develop a compliant product. Among the specs the manufacturers are expected to comply with is a requirement that the cars be manufactured within the united states and preferably in Indiana. Safety and cost specs are also specified.

CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP AT IMS: Announced in June of 2009, Tony George resigned his position as President of the Indy Racing League and resigned from the board of directors for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well. Revered as a hero to some and assailed as a villain to others, Tony George, will forever be remembered as the man who brought NASCAR and Formula 1 to Indy. He will also forever be remembered as the man who dismantled the Indy car series by giving CART teams an unceremonious boot on the rear end, which led to a fifteen year rivalry that threatened the future of both factions.

Shortly before his double resignation was announced, rumors circulated that other Hulman family members serving on the IMS board were in a state of revolt after years of what they considered imprudent spending by Tony George. Enormous sums of capital were invested into the speedway to accommodate Formula 1, including the construction of completely new high tech garages, the construction of an infield road coarse, and resurfacing of the oval segments of the track to accommodate the Formula 1 series. The total price tag for these accommodations is said to be in excess of sixty million dollars. After negotiations between IMS and Formula 1 failed to produce an ongoing working agreement, IMS abandoned its desire to host the F1 event in the future. The short 8 year run of Formula 1 at Indy is generally regarded as a failed experiment, having cost millions more to run than it generated.. This, coupled with the staggering expense of operating the Indy Racing League, brought pressure for a dramatic change of course in the operational map of the two racing organizations. Tony George, who was apparently not willing to compromise, elected to resign his post at both organizations.

In January 2010, Tony George also announced he would be closing the doors on his own personal racing team, Vision Racing. This move appears to signal the complete and total abdication of all things Indy for Tony George. His mother, Mari Hulman George, remains the Chairman of the Board, where she is joined by other George family members including daughters Nancy George, Josie George, and Kathi George-Conforti.

465 WEST CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: Indianapolis is in the midst of a major highway reconstruction project that will impact race fans attending the race related events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 2010 and possibly beyond. Interstate 465 is the beltway which circles Indianapolis and provides an efficient route by which Indianapolis can be circumnavigated safely. In an effort to ensure that route continues to serve the needs of a growing population two projects are currently underway which are designed to expand the six lane beltway into an 8 lane beltway. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is situated approximately 2 miles inside the western leg of 465, which is the site of the most expansive phase of the current road construction project.

The 465 West phase of the project begins at the I70 interchange on the south and continues to the 56th Street interchange on the north end. At a cost of 550 million dollars this project is expected to bring substantial improvement to the highway system, which serves both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis International Airport.

As of March 12, 2010, all three lanes running north and south were open though this stretch of the highways, and should not impede traffic attempting to enter or leave the airport or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Indy500Guide.com will update this information, if and when conditions change. More information can be found on our Maps page.

465 NORTH CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: On March 8, 2010, the north phase of the 465 reconstruction project began. This 435 million dollar upgrade is expected to last through May 2010. Interstate 465 circles Indianapolis and provides an efficient means of getting from one side of town to the other. This phase of construction will continue until sometime after the running of the Indianapolis 500, May 30, 2010 and has the potential, from time to time, to cause traffic delays for commuters driving around the north end of 465. For race fans this means that some extra measure of planning may be necessary to insure their ability to get to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on time. See our Indy 500 Survival Kit for more information regarding this project.