IndyCar driver parade, gifts for longtime fans ahead of Indianapolis 500 without fans
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Legends Day events may have been canceled, but fans in Speedway on Saturday were treated to a parade of IndyCar drivers.
The 33 drivers who will compete in the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday participated in a parade that started at Indianapolis Motor Speedway then headed down Main Street.
From there each driver dropped by a different race fan’s house to deliver special Indy 500 themed gift bags.
Lucky fans say the drivers and the gifts were a big surprise when they answered their doors.
And while some longtime race fans who sit in the stands every year may have been worried about losing their streaks, IMS President Doug Boles reassured them that wouldn’t happen.
He even issued a decree to to let them count their home viewing of the race this year. Boles said if you watch or listen to the race this year and return to IMS for the 105th running in 2021, your streak will remain intact.
Indianapolis 500 ticketholder streaks range in length from two years to 68, and more than 36,000 tickets are sold annually to customers ho have attended the race for 35 consecutive years or more.
Decree from IMS:
“I, J. Douglas Boles, President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, do hereby declare and express the Speedway’s deepest gratitude and appreciation to our race fans, and hereby proclaim that by watching or listening to the 104th Running with their family and friends and by returning for the 105th Running in May 2021, race fans will officially “Keep Their Streak” and extend their consecutive Indianapolis 500 attendance record, unbroken and unblemished, well into the future,” Boles stated in the decree.
To view the complete decree that was sent to all ticketholders, click here.
Indianapolis 500 ticketholder streaks range from two to 68 years in length, and more than 36,000 tickets are sold annually to customers that have attended the race for 35 consecutive years or more.
“We love our fans and their passion and commitment to the Indianapolis 500,” Boles said. “We appreciate their loyalty and they truly help make this event ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’ So many of our loyal customers have been attending the Indy 500 for decades, and certainly the conditions we have faced this year as a result of COVID-19 are beyond their control. We wish our fans could be here with us at IMS on Sunday and know they will be here in spirit. We will preserve all attendance streaks, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back home again for the 105th Indianapolis 500 in 2021.”