Indy 500 Camping

[PCronin68]

Well of course watching the Indy 500 has peaked my interest about camping with a class A motorhome. Have have been to several NASCAR events but never Indy. Any information or thought would be greatly appreciated. Do they allow infield camping? Is that the best approach? What should I be thinking of for a first timer? What is a must see and do?

[hotpepperkid]

I dont know about the indy 500 but here is camping info for the brick yard 400 NASCAR Im guessing they have the same camping for the 500. We stayed in Lot 4 it is near a gate at turn 4 which we had tickets for and it was just a short walk to our seats. Some of the lots are for adult only as adult only activities go on there. Lot 4 is a quite sort of lot.

[TxGearhead]

We used Lot 4A Premium for 2 years. It was for the 99th and 100th running of the race. I think it is the only lot with electricity. They used big industrial CAT type generators. Noise wasn't an issue but we weren't right next to them. I'm thinking they had 2 or 3 gens. Basically they ran heavy cords down the middle of the campground with plug ins. You might take an extension. The lot is big gravel. Not exactly the best but it worked good for us. If I were going back, I would do the same thing. The lot is just north of turn 4 and you enter from Georgetown Ave. It's a short walk to the track. I would take a bicycle though. I rode my bike to the track before the race to check out displays etc. Locked it to the fence across from the track entries. Might not want to do that on race day though. There are a couple of bakeries and cafes south of the track on Georgetown within bike range. It's pretty good entertainment just sitting in a lawn chair in the campground watching the foot traffic. Think: "Midwest Mardi Gras".
I would call Indy as soon as tickets are available and get the campground reserved. We were right up front about 50 ft from the street...1st row. They don't advertise it but there is a black tank dump.
As for the race, it was a "bucket list" for me. Try to get under the overhang for some shade. It was very hot and humid both times for us, and we're from Houston. Take a hat and lots of water. If you can get seats in a turn, that is best. We were right at the start/finish line with a good view of the pits, but the cars on the straightaway are just a blur.
Whatever you do, go to the USAC Silver Crown races. There is the 1 mile dirt track race at the old fairgrounds before the 500. It's an easy drive across town. There is also the pavement Silver Crown race at Lucas Oil Raceway. I'm looking at this years schedule on USACRACING.COM and the fairground dirt track race was the 23rd and the Lucas race was 24th. These races were better than the 500, for me anyway.
Good luck. Any questions, let me know.
edit add: Seems every law enforcement in Indiana is there, including helicopters.

[jkwilson]

Because of the enormous crowds, seeing much of anything outside the track is tough. They do have camping on the property, including sites with electricity. I believe all camping sites are outside the track but on the property.

[Lwiddis]

2020 should be similar. https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500/fan-info/parking-tailgating/rv-parking