What are the best seats at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to watch the Indy 500?

Question

I am thinking about taking a road trip in 2009 with my son and want to start my research now. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Stand E Penthouse, the most expensive and the hardest to get, but anywhere in Stand E is great!! I have to say I have never had a bad seat at the track and this is my 14th year going and I have sat all over the track!!

Answer 2

I always liked sitting in turn 3 or 4. You can see more of the track if you sit in the corners but you will miss the pits and the pre-race activities. There are a lot of pre-race activities at Indy. Most of the seats in the corners don't have seat-backs or overhead cover. If either of these are important to you then sit in the Paddock on the front straightaway. The problem with sitting on the straightaway is that the cars move so fast that you can hardly tell who is who.

Try this website:

http://indymotorspeedway.com/500sit.htm#...

There are no bad seats on the outside of the track. I wouldn't go in the infield with a young child, it gets rowdy.

Answer 3

I'd recommend Grandstand A 'cause that's where I worked, but anything up high in turn 4 is good. Grandstand B is OK since it's on turn 1, but with either grandstand, you have access to the big screens.

Be sure to take ear protection though.

Answer 4

I have been to Indy many times (10-15) for both the 500 and the Formula 1 race. I have sat in some of the best seats in the house including the Penthouse seats. Each seat has its pro's and con's. Under the roof in Penthouse is a great view but way too noisy as the engine noise radiates off the tin roof and you miss the military aircraft flyby before the race.

I prefer Tower Terrace from about the middle of the front straight or closer to the south, towards turn 1.  Get seats up high though otherwise you can't see as well. Tower Terrace has been redone since the F1 races started several years ago and is not as exciting as they used to be, but in my opinion still the best seats because you are closer to cars, close to the pits, you can get right up to the pits, fuel tanks

and pit crews, you can see the fly by of military aircraft before the race starts, you can see all of the thousands of fans across the track from turn four all the way down and around turn one. Very impressive. If you get seats near or south of the scoring tower you will be able to see all the drivers as they get into their cars just before the race starts and all of the wives, girlfriends, famous people etc.  The only negatives about sitting in Tower Terrace is you can't see the release of all the baloons before the race and after the race is over, you will have a very long wait to get out of the speedway because all the fans sitting on the outside of the track exit before you do, so don't be in a hurry to go anywhere after the race. Attending the 500 in person is one of the most impressive events you could ever attend. Get there a few days early and visit the museum and take your son for a ride around the race track in the shuttle vans and visit all the exhibits in the infield. There are all kinds of gift shops and food stands directly behind Tower Terrace grandstand. Don't buy tickets from ticket brokers, they charge way too much. Buy from a ticket holder selling tickets on Ebay or there are always ticket scalpers outside the speedway on 16th and Georgetown Street. Do not pay more than double the face value of a ticket. You can expect to pay between face value and double face value but don't pay more. Obviously, the closer it gets to green flag the better deal you will get on the price. Good luck and I hope you have a great time. Take a headset radio so you can listen to the race on the radio as you watch, then you know everything that is going on that you are unable to see i.e. crashes out of your view, yellow flags, who is out of the race etc and take binoculars.

Answer 5

I think that the best seats are on turn 4 where the race has alot of action in this part of the track, my uncle and I sat in the pits and they were really exciting, but I really enjoy the turn 4 seats alot better.

Answer 6

Driver seats!

Answer 7

There are so many good seats that this a harder question than it appears.  It would depend on what your criteria is for "best seats", such as 1. Do you want to watch the entire track at once? 2. Do you have any physical limitations? 3. Do you get nosebleeds at high altitudes? etc. etc. etc.

Personally, I find each and every viewing area perfect, unless you have physical limitations.  The handicapped seating areas are well-positioned and I recommend them.

There are ample places to view the race without reserving seats (which is often difficult for some children) at different places around the venue.  The Family Viewing Mound at Turn 2 is quite good...

Answer 8

Couple of suggestions to consider:

1.  You can buy the most expensive and best seat in the house, and you will *not* be able to see the entire race track.  The track is just too big, and too full in the infield (golf course holes, stands, trees, viewing mounds, museum, etc.)

2.  If you're wanting to go for the atmosphere more than the racing, you can purchase a $20 Gen. Admission ticket to the infield.  Viewing mounds are good, though it does get difficult to follow who's winning, and you don't have true access to video boards (bad angles).  Otherwise, it's more of a party atmosphere - not that *that's* a bad thing.

3.  Regarding grandstands:  For the race, I've been in the North Vista (between Turns 3 & 4), Stand G (Turn 2 - very underrated stand), and now the S.W. Vista (Turn 1).  If I were to recommend a stand now for a first-time visitor, I think I would almost suggest going back in Turn 2, so Stand G or the S.E. Vista.  The primary reason is that this year, IMS management removed the Inside Turn One stands to prepare for this year's MotoGP (motorcycle race) in September.  By doing this, it opened that corner up BIG TIME for viewing.  It's almost a new look to a 100-yr-old-track.  By sitting somewhere in Turn 2, you should now get most (if not all) of Turn 1, all of the South Chute, all of Turn 2, and most (if not all) of the backstretch, plus you have 2-3 video boards in front.

4.  In my opinion, corners are better than straights for raw racing action (passing, close calls, contact, wallbangers).  However, if you enjoy teamwork, there's no better place than along the frontstretch to see teams go to work in the pits.  Choreography at its finest.

5.  Before leaving after the race, go to the infield, and check out the museum.  Not only is it a great walkthrough of history, it'll take you a good 45-90 minutes to go through in its entirity, and by then, most of the crowds will have dispersed, and traffic may not be as bad.  I get a thrill going through there every time - you and your son will step back in time/history.  Worth the $3 entry fee - best bargain in auto racing!

Answer 9

High up in the main grand stand.

Answer 10

I would recommend Stand A,C or Paddock for your first trip.  You can view the pits.  See the Pre Race activities, including moving the cars into position.  In addition, I would recommend you get seats in the higher rows to be under the 'roof' to avoid inclement weather.  I'm basing these recommendations that your son is not an adult.  Two of the most exciting places to watch the 'race' are the NW Vista or Stand E.  However, all the pre race 'stuff' is a long way from those two locations.  Hope this helps.  I've been going to the Speedway Since 82.  Attending the 500 is one of the worlds greatest events.   Good Luck

Answer 11

The best seats I ever had, for watching the race, were in the NW Vistas (4th turn) as you can see most of the 3rd turn and all the way around to the first part of the 1st turn. This is basically half the track.

If your son is older you may want to choose the infield as the seats are cheap, there's plenty of alcohol and hotdogs, the women occasionally lose their tops (Snake Pit) and the mood is party central. Of course this option lets you see about 200 yards of track and that doesn't allow you to see much race action.