INDIANAPOLIS — It’s that time of year, again. The IndyCar teams leave their shops on Main Street and pull into the racing capital of the world for the centerpiece of the NTT IndyCar Series calendar, the Indianapolis 500. Penske Entertainment Corp. president and CEO, Mark Miles, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway track president, Doug Boles, kicked off the Month of May at the Brickyard, Saturday, by unveiling an environmental initiative to make the 2023 edition “the most sustainable on record.”
For all that IndyCar and IMS changed for 2023, however, one tradition lingers: The Indy 500 local blackout.
Why the blackout?
While the rest of the United States sees the Indianapolis 500 live, the NBC affiliate blacks it out for its namesake city and airs it later that day, in primetime, to incentivize locals to pack the grandstands. This practice started in 1986 and continues to this day, except for 2016 (sellout for 100th Indy 500), 2020 and 2021 (COVID restrictions). Meanwhile, NASCAR doesn’t blackout races for the local markets. Not even for its crown jewel race, the Daytona 500.
So why does IndyCar and IMS continue this tradition? It’s a question Miles has had many times over many years.
“We have to get people here as they have been here in growing numbers for many, many years,” he said. “We’re really clear-minded about the fact that for us, attendance is first, and this spectacle emanates from the vibe here on race day with 300,000 plus people here. I think that’s unique.”
Unlike NASCAR, where tracks get 65% of its $6.6 billion TV deal, IndyCar doesn’t make those numbers public. How much IndyCar and the track rely on ticket sales, vs. the league’s TV deal, is unknown. And that doesn’t include how much the teams and drivers get from the TV deal the league signed in 2021.
So there might be a financial rationale to continue the practice.
“We think this is a unique event,” he said. “With all due respect, and I mean with complete respect to our friends at NASCAR, at Indianapolis for the 500, we sell as many tickets in the 500 hours after this race, renewals, as they have at the Daytona 500 in total by the time they run the race. And that is in no way meant to be — like I said, we have complete respect for them. It is meant to emphasize how important attendance is to us, to the success of this event.”
Of course, NASCAR doesn’t disclose how many tickets its tracks, Speedway Motorsports Inc., Indianapolis, Pocono Raceway or World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway sold, unless it’s a sellout. So I can’t verify the veracity of Miles’ statement on ticket renewals, compared to Daytona.
Bottom line
At the end of the day, IndyCar and IMS see a financial incentive to continue the local media blackout. Unlike NASCAR, however, IndyCar hasn’t struggled to pack the stands for its events.
“We also, I think, have demonstrated over the last few years that when getting people here is not an issue,” Miles said, “either because it’s COVID and we can’t bring anybody here, or because the number of people that could come were limited and we were definitely going to have that total here, then we do open it up. We like the idea that people can take it in, whether it’s linear or streaming.
“But for now, that’s our rationale, and it’s important to us.”
Really Mark Miles and Doug Boles?
Do you really think blacking out the race for the people that support the track and the race is going to make us want to go to the track more…..it’s quite the opposite…… all I can see is greed on your part. It’s not about the people that support the the race, it’s about Indycar greed and putting money in their pockets. What will you tell the people that are handicapped and can’t make it to the race? Sorry about your luck, our greed here at Indycar is far greater then all the support you have given to the track and event for all these years.
Brad McCanless
Crew Chief for the all time track holding Indycar.
Luyendyk 1996
The math is just dumb. I get it that you want people to attend but there’s probably 6 times as many people in the area as could possibly fit in the place. So you’re guaranteed to make over a million people miss a race in real time, who actually wants to watch it on replay come on, to fill 350,000 seats? Mind you those million local people are some of the most likely to attend upcoming events if they like what they, should, see on tv. By the time you consider the amount of people driving in from outside the blackout zone how many seats are really left? Less than could fill Lucas Oil Stadium probably.
Just get with the times already. Making the locals mad isn’t going to convince them to come next year so stop the stupid blackout already. All sports should stop blackouts at this point. Not everybody has the free time, money or desire to be crammed in with over a quarter million people so stop forcing it.
The Indianapolis 500 blackout is blatant discrimination against Hoosiers who live too close to the track. Plain and simple. Thanks again for ruining the Merry Month Of May for your closest neighbors. What a HUGE disappointment. Doug Boles seems to have the same mindset as many of our current politicians. They don’t care about, We The People, either.
Your reasons for the continued Blackout of the greatest spectacle in racing to those of us who are unfortunate to live too close to the event only confirms your distain for your neighbors and fellow Hoosiers. Even to the point of blocking any and all other possible means of watching and participating in the excitement and joy. We feel like we’re being punished. Many of us have been to the track several times over the decades past. We’ve had family members that worked the race. Many of us are physically unable to attend such events. Between the traffic and the unchecked, out of control violence in our Capital City, I think it’s a good idea to stay from there all together. It sounds like it’s all about Greed and Power. We who are your closest neighbors, who live in the very shadow of the Motor Speedway, don’t appreciate your attitude towards us one bit. I know that this communication won’t mean anything to you and that no changes will come because of it either. So you just rake in your profits and continue to thumb your nose at those of us Hoosiers, your neighbors, who just happen to live too close for you to care. From all of us I’d like to close with, Thanks Pal.