How are ticket sales for the 500 compared to last year?

[J-Man]

I'm sure this will be moved to the biz forum, but I'm just curious in the post centenial era.

[slompappy]

Bump

[9rows]

I bought more.

[Ren Butler]

Every year around now, I use imstix.com to find the best tickets available in every section. It's a non-scientific way of determining sales, but my numbers usually are a good barometer for the race-day crowd.

I've tried only once so far this year, and so far it seems like the availability is lower than recent years. That is, it appears that advanced sales have improved.

I've been doing this for almost ten years now. Although I don't keep my results from year to year, this estimate is based on a fair amount of experience. Take it for what it's worth.

[jkg]

I've checked out imstix.com fairly obsessively since the site started about 8 years ago, and you can usually get a fairly decent guesstimate on how ticket sales are going. It appears to me that ticket sales are off compared to 2011, and maybe below 2010 levels. Still groups of 20 in the double letters available in Tower Terrace, North Vista, South Vista, and Northeast Vista Backstretch.

I've said it before, but even if Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso entered the race in cars that qualified at 240MPH, there's no way IMS is going to approach a sell out with their current pricing structure. With resources available online, ticket buyers are savvier and savvier (even knowing where to sit in stands like NE Vista down to the "sweet spot" section) and simply aren't going to pay $90 for a seat low in Tower Terrace or North Vista.

[Ren Butler]

I've said it before, but even if Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso entered the race in cars that qualified at 240MPH, there's no way IMS is going to approach a sell out with their current pricing structure. With resources available online, ticket buyers are savvier and savvier (even knowing where to sit in stands like NE Vista down to the "sweet spot" section) and simply aren't going to pay $90 for a seat low in Tower Terrace or North Vista.

I agree with that. Virtually every race track that I've been to with reserved seating sets prices higher for higher seats and lower for lower seats.

All they need to do is determine which areas are unsold for a couple years in a row and offer discounts for those seats.

[KevMcNJ]

I've said it before, but even if Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso entered the race in cars that qualified at 240MPH, there's no way IMS is going to approach a sell out with their current pricing structure. With resources available online, ticket buyers are savvier and savvier (even knowing where to sit in stands like NE Vista down to the "sweet spot" section) and simply aren't going to pay $90 for a seat low in Tower Terrace or North Vista.

Very true. This will be my 5th Indy 500. Ive bought tickets from IMS only once, I havent paid over face value yet and I sit where I want to sit

[Chris Paff]

I bought 5 tickets, 2 new seats from IMS for my 2 rookies.. I did my part

[AFColt]

I bought around the same time this year (Feb.), and I ended up 2 rows lower than last year in J Stand. Bad for me, possibly good for IMS.

[Truth Detector]

Are they selling the lower seats in the south & north vista? I thought I remember reading that the lower 10 rows wouldn't be offered.

[Ren Butler]

Are they selling the lower seats in the south & north vista? I thought I remember reading that the lower 10 rows wouldn't be offered.

It looks like nothing is available low in the South Vista -- whether those rows are sold out or restricted.

But you can get seats low in the North Vista. I know that the platform in front of those seats is one of the prime wheelchair seating areas, right up against the fence.

[Doyouloveit?]

My Father and I have 8 tickets in NE Vista, last two rows. Only 4 of us probably going this year due to other regulars have schedule conflicts. I'm not surprised that ticket sales will be down this year compared to last year. I agree with jkg though, some sections i.e., short chute need to be priced accordingly....IMO, general admission for $40/ticket and first come first serve.

[Formula Indy]

I found that tickets on the resale market were more expensive this year than last year. I got nervous and bought my 6 tickets from IMS that were much lower, than I have found at face value, on the resale market in years past. But we are still in the shade, a requirement of one of my party.

[jkg]

But we are still in the shade, a requirement of one of my party.

Covered seats sold out completely last year, and look on their way to doing the same this year.

As the race fan (as well as US population) demographic skews older, IMS needs to find a way of getting more seats in the shade. If they could find a cost effective way to get one of the vistas out of the sun, it would definitely increase ticket sales.

[Fro]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/au...240/story.html

sez attendance is going to be up this year at Indy

"We did have some hurdles but now, with Octane here, we're going the right way. We need a successful event. We've had four successful doubledigit growth-attended races this year. The (Indianapolis on May 27) 500 is going to be up this year. Detroit (June 3) is hitting a home run.

[Ren Butler]

As the race fan (as well as US population) demographic skews older, IMS needs to find a way of getting more seats in the shade. If they could find a cost effective way to get one of the vistas out of the sun, it would definitely increase ticket sales.

It seems practical on the south end of the track, but the geometry of the sun and earth would make it more difficult up north...

[TimmyZ1]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/au...240/story.html

sez attendance is going to be up this year at Indy

I think that's a lie perpetrated by our oval hating leader. Seriously who wants to go the 500 this year???

Cars are slow
Cars are ugly
no bumping on bump day???
Only 32 cars??
Engine lease??
8 American drivers??
Way to many foreigners

Everything sucks I don't know why they just don't tear the place down and replace it with a strip
mall

[HUASOLANDIA]

Per Robin Miller:


Checking the IMS web site, 13 sections are sold out for the Indy 500 and not one for the Brickyard 400.

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...r-may-musings/

[Ren Butler]

Personally, I don't care much for the 400, but that fact is due more to the decline of the 400 than the rise of the 500.

The sections sold out for the 500 are not unusual at all, as those sections are sold out pretty much every year.

[LarryJr]

I'll go to Indy500 cause it's Indy and I love Open-Wheel racing but the fact is most people who aren't such big fans as me won't likely go to the race because as stated above, the cars are slow and they look ugly (they look ok with RC/SC wings but I wanna puke everytime I see the oval version). Besides we'll probably have less than 33 cars on the field, when was the last time that happened? It's a disgrace.

[KevMcNJ]

The sections sold out for the 500 are not unusual at all, as those sections are sold out pretty much every year.

Still quite the accomplishment.

They are sold out every year because enough people want to go every year

[Ren Butler]

Oh, sure, it's still a huge crowd at the 500, even if a few sections are a little sparse.

I'm just saying that the comparison with the 400 doesn't actually shed light on the original question: "How are 500 ticket sales compared to last year?"

[Doctorindy]

The "good" seats will sell out.

The "bad" seats will be sparse.

If rain is not in the forecast, the infield mounds will be overflowing.

Same way it's been for the past 6-7 years now.

IIRC, they put the marching bands and their chaperones in the NE Vista Backstretch sections, which fills those up, otherwise no one would buy those.

[LarryJr]

The difference between Indy500 and BY400 is rough 2 months so comparing the sales right now is pretty silly. The fact that BY400 hasn't sold much yet says nothing.

[KevMcNJ]

Oh, sure, it's still a huge crowd at the 500, even if a few sections are a little sparse.

I'm just saying that the comparison with the 400 doesn't actually shed light on the original question: "How are 500 ticket sales compared to last year?"

just having a little fun with ya

There was a clip on TF a few weeks ago of the 1974 Indy 500 and even back then the Turn 3 seats had large clusters of aluminum visible in the middle of the race.

[BrakeEarly]

The "good" seats will sell out.

The "bad" seats will be sparse.

If rain is not in the forecast, the infield mounds will be overflowing.

Same way it's been for the past 6-7 years now.

IIRC, they put the marching bands and their chaperones in the NE Vista Backstretch sections, which fills those up, otherwise no one would buy those.

No one would buy those? The entire north end of the track used to be full with people with far less of a view. They were admitted until capacity was hit and the gates were closed. At one point there were a large number of aluminum stands along the inside of the north end... And those were filled too.

It is amazing that 25 years of upgrade requests moved us all of the way to row g with 8 seats spread across 3 locations. Then within 5 years we jumped up to HH in the same section with all 8 in a block.

The fact that seats aren't sold now does mean something, no matter how you spin it. The past 6-7 years have not been banner years for the 500, why pretend they were?

[roach]

There was a clip on TF a few weeks ago of the 1974 Indy 500 and even back then the Turn 3 seats had large clusters of aluminum visible in the middle of the race.

And back then, those stands (K - L - M) even had their own private parking area on a "first come basis". I never had to walk more than 100 yards to my seats.

[Ren Butler]

No one would buy those? The entire north end of the track used to be full with people with far less of a view. They were admitted until capacity was hit and the gates were closed. At one point there were a large number of aluminum stands along the inside of the north end... And those were filled too.

I won't argue that things are as good as ever. But ever since great new oval tracks started springing up up all over the country in the 1990s, people have started expecting to see quite a bit more of the track than most of the NE Vista Backstretch seats provide.

I've sat there, and I won't make that mistake again. Not for $80 a pop. Maybe if I need to save a little money and can sit there for $40...

[BrakeEarly]

I won't argue that things are as good as ever. But ever since great new oval tracks started springing up up all over the country in the 1990s, people have started expecting to see quite a bit more of the track than most of the NE Vista Backstretch seats provide.

I've sat there, and I won't make that mistake again. Not for $80 a pop. Maybe if I need to save a little money and can sit there for $40...

People have been paying much more than that for nosebleed seats in Lucas Oil that offer 1/10th the quality viewing that people can get in their own living room. Pacers tickets that were given away in the early 90's and in past years offered inferior views to your living room or any Butler home game... yet they went for an arm and a leg during a couple of runs toward the finals.

If the sport is en vogue, people will pay good money for bad views just to say they were there. Indianapolis is a poster city for fair weather fans who pose as die hards.

Its odd to me that you connect the decline in Indy with introduction of new oval tracks.... but don't connect it with the same decline in interest for Indycar that yielded smaller crowds each year at those other oval tracks as well.

[Ren Butler]

You're trying to compare a 200,000+ seat venue with much smaller venues.

BTW, there wasn't a bad seat at MSA, IMO. I sat at the top many times and never felt like I wasted my money.

Its odd to me that you connect the decline in Indy with introduction of new oval tracks.... but don't connect it with the same decline in interest for Indycar that yielded smaller crowds each year at those other oval tracks as well.

We were talking only about the quality of the seats, friend, so that's all I was addressing. I have no interest in participating in your line of discussion for the millionth time.