The IndyCar race at the Indy 500 is just a small piece of race weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Daily concerts, fan experiences, historic cars on track, parades, presentations and an hours-long opening ceremony are all part of the mix. And that doesn’t even address the rest of the races and happenings throughout the month of May. Here’s a look at some of the goings on at the track for race weekend.
The Pagoda at Indy marks the center of the universe on race weekend at Indy., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
Nobody does heritage like Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Historic Indy 500 cars take to the track all weekend long. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved More Historics from Indy., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved The Yard Of Bricks. The only remaining section of the original brick track surface at the speedway. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
© Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
Will Power, the eventual race winner this year. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved The flags on the Pagoda., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved Colton Herta wins the Freedom 100 IndyLights race on Carb Day. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
© Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved The figure atop the Borg Warner trophy.
Detail from the Borg Warner trophy., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved The winner of the 2017 race, Takuma Sato, immortalized on the Borg Warner trophy. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved The Baby Borg, presented to the winner, sits ready for the presentation to Sato. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
Bands are omnipresent. In the infield, parading on the track, through the streets of Indianapolis and during the pre-race ceremony., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
The pit stop competition on Carb Day draws a huge crowd and entertains for hours. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved The Boy Scout marching band marches down the track early on race day. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved Gasoline Alley packs with fans shortly before the grid is set. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
Opening ceermonies kick into high gear after fans are cleared from the grid., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
An IndyCar official waits behind Simon Pagenaud’s car for the start of the race., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved Local favorite and hometown racer Ed Carpenter’s car sits on the grid. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved A B2 bomber ups the ante in the flyover category., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
Pit officials stand among the burnout skids on pit lane moments before the race start., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
Teams, media and VIPS clear the grid after the drivers are seated., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved The traditional balloon release fils the sky over the track., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved The green flag, after 5 parade laps, marks the official start of the Indy 500. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
A green flag marks a restart after a caution late in the race. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
Fans watch Ed jones’s crash on a large TV in Turn 2., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
