Indy 500 Sellout Prompts Lifting Of Local TV Blackout On Race Day

Tony Kanaan during practice for the 100th Running of the Indy 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. Photo: Chris Owens/IMS
 

INDIANAPOLIS -- For the first time in more than 60 years, the Indy 500 will be broadcast live on local television.

Track officials decided to lift the longstanding local TV blackout, declaring a sell-out of all tickets, including infield general admission tickets.

The race will be broadcast live on WRTV-TV, which will also continue its Sunday evening rebroadcast. The live radio broadcast will also continue.

“We were able to make this decision for today by thinking about ‘what does it mean to be sold out in the infield?’” said Mark Miles, the president and CEO of Hulman & Co.

Miles said they made the decision after analyzing aerials of the infield during previous races, estimating how many more people they could safely accommodate.

“Uppermost in everybody’s minds is to make sure fans want to come back,” Miles said. “We work very hard to be accessible and engage the community at all levels, and I don’t think we’re depriving ourselves of that vis a vis the television issue.”