INDIANAPOLIS — It was the largest sporting event held since the pandemic began. On May 30, around 135,000 people poured through the gates of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Race organizers had agreed to safety procedures approved by the Marion County Public Health Department to reduce chances of COVID-19 spread.
Less than a month later, MCPHD Director Dr. Virginia Caine said they only traced 19 people being infected and attending the race.
The 19 people were all from Indiana and all lived outside of Marion County.
MCPHD did work with health departments in other counties and the Indiana State Department of Health to track the cases and look for other potential exposure.
Caine did not clearly say if there were any additional infections related to the 19 cases.
Among the safety precautions that were agreed to at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway were: spacing between fans in the stands, cleaning and sanitation processes, hand sanitizer stations, cashless concession stands and merchandise locations, and vaccine clinics were offered at first aid stations throughout the track.
Ahead for the IMS will be the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Aug. 15. It is part of a tripleheader weekend including the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, each set for Saturday, Aug. 14.
All three races will be televised live on NBC or NBCSN. For ticket information, click here.
There will also be the Indy Autonomous Challenge set for Oct. 23 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Learn more about the race by clicking here. Learn about the team from Purdue by clicking here.