INDY DIARY 2025: Episode #1
Dale Rodgers has joined the massive media pack and more than 350,000 spectators for 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing'. He is on the ground, and on the spot, to report everything from the food to the racing and the political upheaval in IndyCar.
The calm before the storm.
The mid-week weather at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been cold and windy, with passing rain showers. The giant grandstands are empty, workmen continue at a measured pace to put final touches to all sorts of pop-up tents for merchandise, food outlets and more. The weather forecast is looking better each day.
It all seems incredibly calm and well-scripted – no surprise as the whole show is now in the hands of Penske Entertainment.
But beneath the surface calm is the storm that has developed since Qualifying day.
It is well documented that the two of the three Team Penske entries, the cars of Aussie Will Power and Josef Newgarden, failed a technical inspection and were relegated to the rear of the grid. Scott McLaughlin’s ‘Yellow Submarine’, 'thanks' to an earlier crash, was not affected.
For IndyCar president Doug Boles, and his boss Roger 'The Captain' Penske, the whole week has since become a nightmare.
Boles had to make the call to Roger Penske – his boss – to tell him that two of his cars had been disqualified,
But there were more bombshells to follow, when Penske fired his long-time director Tim Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer for “organizational failures.”
Boles will need a holiday after the race weekend.
Look Dad – it’s a Weiner.
If you didn’t think Indy couldn't get any weirder, think again, as US food giant Oscar Meyer stages the inaugural Wienie 500 on Carb Day Friday.
Six different mobile hot dog ventors, known across the USA as 'Weinermobiles', will stage an epic showdown on the Speedway.
With speeds expected to be . . . very slow, the event is still being shown live on FOX Sports.
It’s a sellout.
The grandstands that circle the 4-kilometre Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be filled to capacity for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 after every reserved seat, including the luxury suites, was sold out.
With the race just over a day away there are still a few general admission tickets for the infield.
That means a forecast crowd of 350,000 – confirmed by Doug Boles – although there have been unofficial claims in the past of more than 400,000 people making the pilgrimage for the race.
The sellout means there will be live television coverage for people in the Indianapolis region, for the first time since 2016, instead of a blackout to try and boost the attendance.
Warnings have been issued for spectators to arrive from 6am (previously gates were going to open at 7.00am) on race day, although cashed-up fans will have booked a motorcycle escort – a tasty bonus for local police – to cut through the traffic chaos.
