How many people are expected to attend the Indy 500 this year?

The 2023 Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, May 28. This race is one of the motorsport staples for Memorial Day Weekend. The iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the race, which begins at 12:45 p.m. ET and will air on NBC.

The Indy 500 is one of the biggest racing events in the U.S., as the racetrack has a permanent seating capacity of 257,325. When you throw in the capacity of the infield of the track, it isn’t uncommon for around 300,000 fans to attend. The event wasn’t open to the public in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. Last year, fans were happy to be back in attendance as records were nearly broken. 325,000 fans were at the race, which marked the second-largest attendance in the last 20 years.

When it comes to this year, could the same hype be retained? The expectation is that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be near capacity if not a full house. The 100th running of the Indy 500 in 2016 saw 350,000 people in attendance at the historic landmark race achievement. The crowd is expected to be larger than last year, but it remains to be seen if enough people will show up to eclipse the 350,000 mark.