FUELING A LEGACY
Q & A with Doug Boles, President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
It's May in Indianapolis and no better time to sit down with Doug Boles and catch up on this year's Indianapolis 500. From its rich history and traditions to the extensive planning and challenges, the President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway shares his insight on what makes this iconic event so special to our city.
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Indianapolis 500 so enduring?
A: It boils down to two words: History and tradition. As we get ready for the 108th running of the race, what has made it so special year in and year out is the history upon history upon history—we write a new chapter every year. And the traditions that have been developed over those 107 previous runnings are ingrained in the way the race takes place. So it started in 1911 with 500 miles. And since then, we've added in all these really cool elements that people look forward to every year, and it makes it something really familiar to our fans when they come. But at the same time, it's new every year. Maybe the third piece of it, especially in the last four years, is that we've really seen a resurgence in the number of people that come. I think there's something to be said for continuing with an individual owner in Roger Penske that our fans can connect with and know that he's investing in their experience. Q: Tell me about the first time you saw the race. A: The first time I was allowed to see the race in person was in 1977. The rule in our house was you had to be 10 years old to go to the 500. I sat in the Paddock Penthouse with my dad. If I had to list the ten most important days in my life, that would definitely be one of them. That's the crazy thing about working at the Speedway. I think about that walk into Gate One—there at 16th and Georgetown—with my dad every single day I show up here. It's really cool. Q: What kind of extensive preparations and planning go into organizing the Indianapolis 500? A: The question I get more than any, all year long, is, “What do you do the rest of the year?” Because so many people obviously know us for the Indy 500. But we've got something on track for almost 150 days during the year. Preparations for the Indy 500 actually started about 18 months before that particular race. So right now, we're in execution mode for the 2024 Indianapolis 500. But we’re in planning mode for the 2025 Indianapolis 500. 
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Q: What are some of the key challenges faced during this process?
A: We’re the second largest city in the state of Indiana inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day. It's like running a midsize city—you have 330,000 people here. But a lot of it is planning, blocking and tackling operations. Our biggest challenge is to think through the staffing. So we have about 200 full-time employees between the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and our production company and the folks in IndyCar that really put on the Indy 500. But it takes over 10,000 people on race day to execute it. So the biggest challenge is putting those people together, whether it's our safety patrol—which folks think of as yellow shirts—the staff, the not-for-profit companies and help with concession stands and merchandise booths, the parking lot attendants and all of that. So that's the biggest challenge—getting those people sourced, then getting them trained, and then working through the scheduling, in addition to all of the other things you have to do to put on a small event. 
Q: What can fans look forward to at this year’s event?
A: This year we had a significant investment in the way that the fans, when they are at the Speedway, are able to consume the event. So it’s not just what they see, literally, on the racetrack, but we’ve continued to add more video boards. At one point in time, we had under 20 on the property, and now we have over 50 large video boards that really allow our fans to interact—especially those who buy a GA ticket and sit in the infield. We’ve also continued to invest in our PA system. Over the last couple of years, Roger Penske has put well over seven figures into the PA system each year, and we will continue to do that for another two or three years to ensure every customer gets information and can stay connected to what's going on the race, no matter where they are inside the Speedway. Visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 4790 West 16th Street in Indianapolis. Find this year’s race schedule and more information online at indianapolismotorspeedway.com and follow @indianapolismotorspeedway on Instagram. |