“Underneath those video boards, we will have these eight-foot deep, long boards that will be solely dedicated to getting the running order delivered to our fans, so they know where the drivers are and can see information,” Boles explained. “It’s also going to be a good board for us to basically do what the pylon does for the rest of the facility. When it goes green, they’ll go green. When it goes yellow, they’ll go yellow.
“We also will be looking at 24 additional boards that will sit to your guys’ right (in the press box) underneath the paddock penthouse and above the paddock. Those sold-out seats in those areas really don’t have good access to the video boards. For the first time when they come to the facility, they will be able to watch replays and activities on the video boards at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”
The restroom upgrades will be very important in the days following the COVID-19 pandemic when personal hygiene will be more important than ever.
“When you go into our restrooms, there will be new sinks where they were needed, all brand-new LED lighting and the paint inside the restrooms throughout the facility will be a consistent paint,” Boles said. “Some of the exterior of those will be cleaned up. It will be clear to tell whether it’s male or female restroom.
“As Roger said, that is not a revenue-producing investment, but it certainly does help us with the customer experience. We certainly want that to be one that people aren’t worried about.”
Penske is making a serious investment in the sport.
“This is a multi-million-dollar commitment when you think about this,” Penske said. “This is a thousand acres.
“I think it’s the right thing. The racing product, obviously, Doug, has been terrific here when you think about the finishes over the last few years,” Penske continued. “The commitment by the teams. I think Jay and the teams at IndyCar have done a great job.
“Without IndyCar, we don’t have the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Without Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we might not have IndyCar.”
The event purse for the 104th Indianapolis 500 will be the largest in the history of the event.
“Our purse will go up $2 million to $15 million,” Penske said. “It will be the largest purse paid here. The winner will get at least $2 million, then you have the other winnings you might get for pole position, leading laps that can add to that. I think last year Simon Pagenaud got almost $2.6 million. We think that’s important. We’re investing in the track but also trying to provide additional monies to the teams that are successful here.”
Of the additional $2 million that has been added to the purse, Penske said $125,000 will go directly to the Winner’s Circle program that financially rewards full-time IndyCar Series teams.
Last year, Penske advocated guaranteed starting positions for full-time entries in the NTT IndyCar Series. Now that he is the owner of IMS and IndyCar, Penske has listened to the fans who prefer to keep Bump Day as part of the Indianapolis 500.
“I quickly realized from listening to the fans, looking at the information that flowed to my desk, the fans here, the history here, is having a Bump Day,” Penske said. “I think that will take place at this year’s Indy 500.
“They’re going to add an additional 15 minutes, there will be 75 minutes. You’ll be able to have more than one attempt. I think that’s going to make it really exciting based on the entry level. We’re seeing some real interest.”
Miles has been overseeing IndyCar and IMS since he became CEO of Hulman & Co. in 2012.
“I personally believe time trials for the Indianapolis 500 is one of the most dramatic, exciting weekends in sport, any sport anywhere,” Miles said. “I’m delighted there have been a few changes planned which I think will build on a really great year last year to make it even more so.
“We expect bumping will continue. We’ll see. I would be surprised if we don’t have something like 36 cars trying to make their way into the field of 33.”
In addition to a series of competitive enhancements for the 104th Indianapolis 500, Penske and his staff announced the addition of six new sponsors..
Pennzoil, Verizon, Snap-on Tools, DEX Imaging, Road & Track magazine and Global Medical Response have joined the roster of IMS and IndyCar official sponsors..
For now, construction on the improvements detailed earlier has been paused. The GMR IndyCar Grand Prix, the first major event at Penske’s improved speedway, has been moved from May 9 to July 4. It will be part of an IndyCar/NASCAR doubleheader, provided the COVID-19 shutdowns have been lifted.
In addition, because of the many postponements and cancellations of IndyCar Series races, speedway and series officials announced the addition of the IndyCar Harvest Grand Prix to be run Oct. 3 on the IMS road course.