SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Racing returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend.
Hundreds of people poured out to the IMSA Street Festival on Main Street tonight in Speedway as fans gear up for this weekend’s “Battle on the Bricks.” Thursday night’s celebration gave fans a chance to get up close and personal with some of the fastest sports cars in the world.
“As a race fan living in the town of Speedway, it’s Christmas in May, it’s Christmas all year around for us,” said racing fan Tanner Hudson.
As fans strolled along Main Street, many had the chance to chat with drivers and their crews.
“These guys love race cars,” Chelsea Burkhart described, as she walked around with her three sons. “So we just came out to have fun and see what it’s all about.”
“Every year May comes around and it’s a big party pretty much,” said race fan Aaron Hamilton. “It’s definitely different than what we’re used to with IndyCar, but it’s a nice change of pace.”
Some of those lucky racing fans got a front-row seat to the fun and had the chance to step inside a few of those four-wheeled speed machines and sit behind the wheel.
“Growing up around here, you kind of wish to see these all your life and now’s the time to be able to do it,” Hamilton said after he had the chance to sit inside one of the race cars.
Those decked-out race cars are part of the “Battle on the Bricks.” The event showcases the best in sports car racing, with 18 different manufacturers competing. Those sports cars are put to the ultimate test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“A lot of these cars are cars you’ll see on the street, the racing version of it anyways,” said racing driver Kyle Marcelli. “We’re in a Lamborghini, we’re racing against Porsches, BMWs, Corvettes and Ferraris.”
Drivers FOX59/CBS4 spoke to said it is a privilege to bring these cars to the racing capital of the world.
“There’s so much history at IMS,” racing driver Ashton Harrison said. “It’s an honor to drive anything around this circuit. Driving these cars around this place is very quick. You have to be smart with your moves, especially with IMSA having such a high car count.”
IMS president Doug Boles said this weekend and the Indy 500 are just a snapshot of what the world-famous track has to offer. Boles said there is a busy schedule ahead over the next several weeks.
“These three weeks are almost busier than the month of May,” he said. “So for me, when you can put a lot of racing together in a short period of time, it’s a lot of fun.”
Practice starts on Friday. Then qualifications take place on Saturday. It all leads up to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Sunday, a six-hour test of endurance and racing prowess.
