Indianapolis 500 Weighing Postponement Options

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is preparing potential Indy 500 postponement plans in case it comes to that, sources say. However, IndyCar CEO Mark Miles today said that the goal is still to run as scheduled in late May. The 500 has been running on Memorial Day weekend for decades and its date equity is almost unrivaled for a single-day sporting event.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, sources say that IMS and IndyCar are planning for what would be a historic decision to postpone the event, should organizers feel there is no other choice. The 500 is the largest single-day sporting event in the world with around 300,000 people, and the event helps fund the entire IndyCar Series, so IMS execs want to hold off as long as possible. 

A source earlier this week said that it could be a couple of weeks until IMS makes a decision about the May 24 race, though clearly the fluid nature of the coronavirus situation could accelerate that timeframe. Miles this morning told SBJ: "Our objective is to run as scheduled, but we are monitoring all developments and planning for all contingencies." 

It is not yet clear when IMS would postpone the 500 to, but one natural potential option it could look into would be July 4th weekend, when NASCAR is scheduled to run the Brickyard 400, which would make that event a historic NASCAR/IndyCar doubleheader. Another would be Labor Day weekend, but IndyCar is scheduled to race in Portland that weekend.

The 500 is coming under increasing pressure to postpone simply due to how many other events in the same timeframe, or even later, have already done so, including F1’s Monaco Grand Prix being canceled earlier today in another historic decision. Monaco, Indy and NASCAR’s Coke 600 all run on the same Sunday near the end of May every year.