There is a moment, standing at the edge of the main straightaway at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when the sheer scale of the place stops you cold. The grandstands rise like canyon walls on either side, the asphalt stretches out in a long, confident ribbon ahead of you, and even on a quiet Tuesday afternoon with no cars on track, you can almost hear the ghost of every engine that has ever screamed past this spot. This is not just a racetrack. This is hallowed ground.
Located on the west side of Indianapolis in the community of Speedway — yes, the town takes its name from the track — the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been operating since 1909. It covers more than 850 acres, making it the largest spectator sporting venue on the planet by seating capacity. That fact alone tends to rearrange people’s sense of scale the first time they visit. But what surprises first-timers most is how accessible and genuinely welcoming the entire experience is, long before race weekend ever arrives.
During non-race periods, you can purchase a track tour that takes you out onto the actual racing surface by bus, looping around all 2.5 miles of the oval. Your guide narrates the history with the kind of easy authority that comes from real passion, pointing out the yard of bricks at the start-finish line — the original 1909 surface material, preserved as a single strip of tradition — and the subtle banking of the turns that looks gentle from a distance but commands enormous respect at racing speed. Most people step off that bus grinning.
The adjoining Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, while listed separately in our exclusions, is technically a distinct attraction from simply visiting and touring the grounds themselves. Walking the facility, photographing the iconic pagoda timing tower, or sitting alone in the grandstands imagining 250,000 fans packed around you — these experiences stand entirely on their own.
If you can time your visit around the month of May, when the track comes alive for practice, qualifying, and ultimately the Indianapolis 500, the atmosphere transforms into something genuinely unlike anything else in American sports. Practice days are often overlooked by casual visitors, and they are extraordinary. Tickets are affordable, the paddock buzz is electric, and you can watch open-wheel cars at full speed without the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd pressure of race day itself.
Speedway, Indiana, surrounding the track, has developed into a charming little district of its own, with restaurants, bars, and shops that cater to racing fans year-round. Grab breakfast at one of the diners on Main Street, then walk over to the track. The neighborhood has genuine character and does not feel like a tourist trap.
Whether you are a lifelong motorsport devotee or someone who has simply always been curious, Indianapolis Motor Speedway rewards the visit with history, atmosphere, and a quiet sense of awe that is hard to manufacture and impossible to fake. Come stand at the brickyard. You will understand immediately why people keep coming back.
