(NewsNation) — Indianapolis is gearing up for the 300,000 people coming to witness the biggest spectacle in racing.
While some storms in the forecast had some concerned that the race could get delayed, it didn’t dampen people’s spirits.
The organizers of the Indy 500 say this year’s race will have the second-largest attendance in the last century, with people coming in from around the world.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles told NewsNation Saturday morning that drivers were going through pre-race runs to get ready for the big day.
But preparation for the Indy 500 starts long before the race weekend. Boles said on “Morning in America” that organizers start pulling together all the assets about 18 months in advance. With tickets for next year’s Indy 500 starting the Monday after the race, he expects 200,000 tickets to be gone before the middle of June.
“That’s how quickly it sells,” Boles said. “We have to start thinking through that. Who are your celebrities going to be? What’s the cadence going to be for the event?”
Why is the Indy 500 so important to so many people? Boles said it’s “history and tradition.”
“Once you come for the first time you really realize that,” he said.
To honor the legacy of the sport, Boles said, there will be an autograph session Saturday, with the 33 drivers expected to compete in the race. On Sunday, over 100 drivers from past Indy 500s will join to sign autographs.
“These people come back and it connects to their history and they bring their kids and that’s really what it’s all about,” Boles said.
One driver, rookie Kyle Larson, is attempting to do something that only four other drivers have done before: race 1,100 miles in just one day.
Immediately after he’s done competing in the Indy 500, he’s hopping on a plane to NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in North Carolina.
“I like chaos. I like challenges,” Larson told NewsNation. “And it probably doesn’t get much more chaotic and challenging than doing two races in one day in two different cars in two states.”
Johnny Rutherford, who has won the Indy 500 three times, said in an interview that racing takes “a lot of mental preparation.”
“This is not just a fast drive around a track,” Rutherford said. “This is high speed, something you have to work at and make yourself ready to do.”
Most important, Rutherford said, is that drivers don’t have a crash.
“You want to be known as a driver that can run the 500 miles and be there at the end,” he said. “That’s good for your credit.”