INDIANAPOLIS – The gates remained closed on a quiet Sunday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the largest sports venue in the world that is unable to allow spectators inside for the first time in 104 runnings of the Indianapolis 500.
Some diehards refused to be deterred by the pandemic that forced Roger Penske to stage his first 500 as owner of the iconic speedway in front of empty grandstands.
They set up chairs in gravel parking lots across the street from the speedway and staked out spots along the fence on 16th Street, where gaps in the grandstands provide views of the track and an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the American classic.