How to get to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Indy 500 race day without a car
Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2022. It has been updated and republished as part of our coverage of the 2023 Indy 500.
The 2023 Indy 500 crowd will be one of the biggest in the race's history, race officials said.
If you don't want to be one of those thousands of personal vehicles, you have options.
Though the green flag won't wave untila little before 1 p.m., the Indianapolis Motor Speedway recommends fans get to the gate closest to their seats by 10 a.m. Beginning at 11 a.m., 16th Street will be closed from Olin Avenue to the roundabout at Main Street.
Here are a few ways you may be able to get to the speedway sans-car on race day.
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Indianapolis Motor Speedway Shuttle
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is continuing its round-trip shuttle service again in 2023.
One shuttle pass costs $50, which riders can purchase ahead of time — IMS prefers that — or at the pickup locations: the Indianapolis International Airport and Gate Ten Events & Parking, located across from Lucas Oil Stadium downtown. (Warning: It will also cost $10 and $15 to park at these locations, respectively. Bring cash for parking, card for shuttle passes.)
The shuttles will run to the track from 7 a.m. to noon and drop people off at the Main Gate parking lot across from Gate 2, located on the south end of the facility. That's where they can meet the shuttle again to head home, beginning with 50 laps to go and continuing for two hours after the checkered flag.
Take a rideshare or taxi
If you're taking an Uber or Lyft or getting dropped off by a friend, they'll take you to the Main Gate parking lot. Taxicabs will drop you off at the corner of 10th and Polco streets. After the race, you can get picked up at 10th and Polco.
Rally is a charter bus ride-share program that picks up from 44 locations around Indiana and 11 more in neighboring states, as far as Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. A ride only gets confirmed when enough people sign up, usually 25 (otherwise, you'll get a refund). From Marion and surrounding counties, tickets have topped $110 round-trip.
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Bike to the Indy 500
You and your family could ride bikes to the Indy500 with hundreds of others — and a police escort.
This year, Bike Indianapolis' Bike to the 500 event will begin at the new AMP marketplace at 16 Tech on the northwest side.
Beginning at 7:30 a.m., cyclists can fuel up at the AMP and depart at 9:30 a.m. as one large group for the 6-mile trek. You don't need a lock — cyclists can park their bikes outside Gate 1, where they will be monitored until 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.00 in advance and $25 the day of the event. Children 15 and under ride for free with a paid adult. Race Day ticket sales end at 9:00.*
Though there isn't an official escort back home, some experienced riders will organize and lead small groups back downtown in the first 30 minutes after the checkered flag.
What about scooters?
Skip it. The town of Speedway outlaws electric scooters, and they are not allowed inside IMS.
Though IndyGo has several bus routes that usually border IMS — Routes 10, 15 and 25 — those routes will be detoured on race day due to road restrictions by police.
Contact IndyStar transportation reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2023 Indy 500: How to get to IMS on race day without a car
