| FOOD & DRINK |
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You are allowed to bring food and drink with you to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
But what should you bring? This depends upon what day you are going and where you are parking.
If parking inside the track, you can take whatever will fit in your car or truck.
If you park outside the track, you cannot leave the track, go to your car, and come back in.
Since going to the Speedway involves lots of walking and usually your car will be parked far away, you may be
taking your whole day's supplies with you. With all the walking and stair climbing, it is nice to travel as light
as you can. If you like the track's food and beer and can afford it, you might as well just buy it as you go
and use your muscles for carrying your camera and souvenirs. Food stands are scattered everywhere.
Track Food
There is plenty of food available that you can buy at the track and prices are reasonable - beef Indy dogs
are $3, Hamburgers are $4, Shishkabob are $6, Funnel cake is $5. If you walk around and check out the
various stands scattered about, you'll find a variety of food to choose from, such as Bar-b-que, Turkey legs,
Polish Sausage, Asian, etc.
Bring Your Own Food
A bucket of fried chicken is a popular choice. You can even bring a grill and have a cook out in the infield.
I've seen people cook an entire lamb, then hand out free meals to whoever happened by! You'll usually find
folks at the track are very generous. (although you may not find them very generous when fighting for a
parking space!) All of the Indianapolis grocery stores will have box lunches available during racing season
too. The speedway also offers a box lunches that you can order when buy your tickets. I avoid chocolate
and other snacks that might melt. I usually grab some track food and then have some stuff in my cooler to
munch on through the race.
Drinks
Beer and soda are available at the track.
Water and 16oz Soda is $3 and 32oz is $5
16oz Miller Light is $5 and a large Fosters is $6
Margaritas are $6.
If you bring drinks, make sure they are in cans or plastic bottles - NO GLASS!
We used to bring in mini-kegs on race day in a bag full of ice. This supplied 3 drinkers for the race.
If you bring in a alcoholic mixer, note that it is very hard to get a cup of ice at the speedway. The colas are
sold in plastic bottles. I did find a Asian food stand outside of Turn 4 that would sell me a glass of coke
with ice during the Indy 500.
Coolers
Lots of people bring coolers. I have found that the collapsable soft coolers are nice, because after you
empty them, you can use them as seat cushions... assuming you used ice and not coolie packs. Also, they
usually have some extra pockets for food storage. It seems coolie packs stay colder than ice...
There is a limit on cooler size if you are walking into the track on race day. Since seating is tight, they do
limit cooler size to 14" x 14" x 6" which is large enough to hold a 12-pack.
Hints
But what should you bring? This depends upon what day you are going and where you are parking.
If parking inside the track, you can take whatever will fit in your car or truck.
If you park outside the track, you cannot leave the track, go to your car, and come back in.
Since going to the Speedway involves lots of walking and usually your car will be parked far away, you may be
taking your whole day's supplies with you. With all the walking and stair climbing, it is nice to travel as light
as you can. If you like the track's food and beer and can afford it, you might as well just buy it as you go
and use your muscles for carrying your camera and souvenirs. Food stands are scattered everywhere.
Track Food
There is plenty of food available that you can buy at the track and prices are reasonable - beef Indy dogs
are $3, Hamburgers are $4, Shishkabob are $6, Funnel cake is $5. If you walk around and check out the
various stands scattered about, you'll find a variety of food to choose from, such as Bar-b-que, Turkey legs,
Polish Sausage, Asian, etc.
Bring Your Own Food
A bucket of fried chicken is a popular choice. You can even bring a grill and have a cook out in the infield.
I've seen people cook an entire lamb, then hand out free meals to whoever happened by! You'll usually find
folks at the track are very generous. (although you may not find them very generous when fighting for a
parking space!) All of the Indianapolis grocery stores will have box lunches available during racing season
too. The speedway also offers a box lunches that you can order when buy your tickets. I avoid chocolate
and other snacks that might melt. I usually grab some track food and then have some stuff in my cooler to
munch on through the race.
Drinks
Beer and soda are available at the track.
Water and 16oz Soda is $3 and 32oz is $5
16oz Miller Light is $5 and a large Fosters is $6
Margaritas are $6.
If you bring drinks, make sure they are in cans or plastic bottles - NO GLASS!
We used to bring in mini-kegs on race day in a bag full of ice. This supplied 3 drinkers for the race.
If you bring in a alcoholic mixer, note that it is very hard to get a cup of ice at the speedway. The colas are
sold in plastic bottles. I did find a Asian food stand outside of Turn 4 that would sell me a glass of coke
with ice during the Indy 500.
Coolers
Lots of people bring coolers. I have found that the collapsable soft coolers are nice, because after you
empty them, you can use them as seat cushions... assuming you used ice and not coolie packs. Also, they
usually have some extra pockets for food storage. It seems coolie packs stay colder than ice...
There is a limit on cooler size if you are walking into the track on race day. Since seating is tight, they do
limit cooler size to 14" x 14" x 6" which is large enough to hold a 12-pack.
Hints
| The Greatest Spectacle in ...Tailgating? |
You can NOT buy take-out beer in Indiana on Sunday. The track has a special permit that lets them
sell beer on Sunday, but they must first wait until noon. If you want beer before noon on Sunday,
better buy it Saturday and bring it with you.
You can save time by hitting the consession stands when the race is going on. Right before the race
and during caution periods, the lines for the concession line are long.
On long practice and qualifying days, it is nice to be able to park inside the infield so that you can
stop at your car occasionally and restock your supplies or drop off souvenirs. I prefer to park in
Turn 1 since it is closer to things. However, it seems they usually park me out in Turn 3.
If grilling out, you may need a tarp for protection from rain.
sell beer on Sunday, but they must first wait until noon. If you want beer before noon on Sunday,
better buy it Saturday and bring it with you.
You can save time by hitting the consession stands when the race is going on. Right before the race
and during caution periods, the lines for the concession line are long.
On long practice and qualifying days, it is nice to be able to park inside the infield so that you can
stop at your car occasionally and restock your supplies or drop off souvenirs. I prefer to park in
Turn 1 since it is closer to things. However, it seems they usually park me out in Turn 3.
If grilling out, you may need a tarp for protection from rain.
