30 numbers that show the Indy 500's place in history and its impact across Central Indiana
It's so much more than a race.
Anyone who's lived in Central Indiana can tell you the Indianapolis 500 affects aspects of our lives that extend far beyond racing. With hundreds of thousands of race fans flocking to Indy each year, there's of course an increase in tourism. But did you know there are also thousands of pounds of food donated to local food banks following the race? Or that a non-Speedway suburb recently spent hundreds of thousands of dollars celebrating the race in the form of public art?
Here are 30 numbers that can help illustrate how huge the race is and show the ways the 500 influences life outside of the speedway.
The race in daily life
2: The number of times "Indianapolis 500" shows up in Indiana Code (under articles regarding the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission's regulation of advertising and exemption to the state gross retail tax).
4: The number of elementary schools in Speedway, each named for one of the four founders of the track (Arthur Newby, Frank Wheeler, James Allison and Carl Fisher).
7: The number of Fowling Warehouse sports center locations opened since the mashup of football and bowling (pronounced like bowling, but with an “f”) was invented by a tailgating group at the 2001 race. The first Fowling Warehouse launched in Hamtramck, Michigan, in 2018. The Indianapolis center, at 1125 Brookside Ave., opened in 2020.
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The Indianapolis 500's economic impact
?: That's not a typo. Visit Indy Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Chris Gahl said the Indianapolis 500 is such a unique and complex event that his organization can't accurately estimate the economic impact, even with their special impact calculator developed by a Harvard economist.
96.5%: The proportion of downtown Indianapolis hotel beds filled the weekend of the 2022 race.
$244: The average daily rate of a hotel room in Marion County the weekend of the 2022 race.
$351: The average daily rate of a hotel room in downtown Indianapolis the weekend of the 2022 race.
50%: The increase in volume of beer sales during race week compared to the average summer week in Indiana. Race week alone accounts for 3% of beer sales for the entire year, Tyler Starkey, executive director of the Indiana Beverage Alliance, told IndyStar.
$18,000: The amount of money raised by selling parking spaces at the high school to spectators on race day. Several hundred cars park at Speedway High School each year, and the funds raised support the athletics and band boosters.
44,000: The number of passengers that went through TSA checkpoints at Indianapolis International Airport from May 28-30, 2022.
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500: The number of limited-edition porch party decor kits distributed by the Harrison Center for the month of May. (Porch parties were started in 2014 as a way to have residents host events with neighbors to cultivate a sense of community, but the "porching movement" has since expanded in partnership with IMS.)
100,000+: The estimated number of fans who attend the Snake Pit and Carb Day concerts.
$465,000: The cost of a roundabout art sculpture at 96th Street and Priority Way in Carmel by Anderson-based artist Arlon Bayliss that features the Marmon Wasp, the car that won the first Indy 500.
Just how big is Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
2: The number of hours vehicles exiting Indianapolis Motor Speedway parking lots can be waiting following the race while awaiting pedestrian traffic to clear. Public safety officials direct traffic to ensure routes out of the area are as quick as possible, according to IMS.
143: The number of times it would take every single student in Speedway Community Schools to fill every seat at IMS.
560: The number of acres IMS grounds cover. Struggling to picture it? The following landmarks could all fit inside IMS at the same time: Yankee Stadium, Churchill Downs, Vatican City, the White House, the Taj Mahal, the Rose Bowl and the Roman Colosseum.
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1,863: The number of times 2023 Snake Pit performer DJ Diesel — Shaquille O'Neal — would need to lay head-to-toe to make a full lap around the track. (He's 7' 1", and the track is 2 ½ miles long!)
2,140: The number of David Lettermans it would take to make a lap around the oval (he's 6' 2", according to the internet).
250,000: The approximate number of permanent seats inside IMS. With general admission tickets included, that goes up to about 350,000 people.
Some Indy 500 stats to impress your friends with
5: The number of one-quart bottles on standby for this year's winning team in the official Indy 500 milk cooler. Three bottles will be made available to the winning driver (whole, 2% and fat-free, depending on their preference) and the other two are for the winning team's chief mechanic and owner.
9: The number of women who have raced in the Indy 500: Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James, Sarah Fisher, Danica Patrick, Milka Duno, Ana Beatriz, Simona de Silvestro, Pippa Mann and Katherine Legge. (Desire Wilson practiced, but didn't make the race.)
41: The number of race drivers that have died at IMS from 1909 to 2003. Sixteen have died during the race itself.
92: The high temperature for race day in 1937 — the hottest Indy 500 in history.
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125: The approximate number of gallons of fuel used per car that finishes the race. If every car were to finish, that's about 4,125 gallons for the entire race. (For a little perspective, the average U.S. car owner uses about 650 gallons of fuel a year!)
240: The top speed of an IndyCar on IMS straightaway.
359: The number of people treated at the IU Health Infield Care Center at IMS throughout the month of May last year. Of those, 212 were treated on race day.
576: The number of paving bricks that make up the Yard of Bricks. (There were originally 3.2 million paving bricks used at the speedway!)
750: The approximate number of volunteers who picked up trash at IMS the day after the 2022 race.
3,500: The number of pounds of food recovered from the 2022 race and saved from landfills. Food waste was sent for composting, and leftover food was donated to local food banks.
$3.1 million: The payout to 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson — the highest payday for a 500 winner in the race's history.
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And a dad joke for the road
How many different Speedways can you identify at 16th and Georgetown Road? Three: The Speedway (gas station) outside the Speedway (race track), inside Speedway (the town).
IndyStar is the ultimate source for comprehensive coverage of all the Month of May activities, from pre-race festivities to race day news and updates. Subscribe to get unlimited digital access to all our Indy 500 coverage: indystar.com/subscribe.
IndyStar's Jake Allen, Rory Appleton, Domenica Bongiovanni, Sarah Bowman, Nathan Brown, Brittany Carloni, Cate Charron, Ko Lyn Cheang, Tony Cook, Tim Evans, Rachel Fradette, Scott Horner, Binghui Huang, Cheryl Jackson, Bro Krift, Johnny Magdaleno, Sarah Nelson, Kristine Phillips, Claire Rafford, Shari Rudavsky, Karl Schneider and John Tufts contributed.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500's history, impact on Indiana shown in 30 numbers
