INDIANAPOLIS — The festivities for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 kicked off on Friday with Carb Day, giving attendees the chance to see the final practice for IndyCar drivers before Sunday’s race.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles confirmed Friday’s turnout is the largest Carb Day crowd in history.
According to previous reports, this event gives teams the chance to make adjustments to the cars and finalize the setups before the Indianapolis 500 begins at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday.
Other events that will take place during Carb Day include the Wienie 500, the $150,000 Pit Stop Challenge and a concert featuring Bret Michaels and The All-American Rejects.
Fans at Carb Day this year told FOX59/CBS4 how much they enjoy the event every year.
Dallas Rhude, a race fan, said that Carb Day is their favorite event, stating that they cut school to come to the event during high school.
“I think how it brings everyone together, people from everywhere. It’s an experience for Indianapolis, it puts us on the map,” Rhude said.
Pallas Dominion said it was their first Carb Day experience, stating that the cars are the main focus for them. But Dominion said that they were going to “jam out” to the Carb Day concert.
Carb Day is a family affair for Davis Cruise, a race fan.
“I’m over 50 now, I’ve been coming with my father for years, and now my daughter is behind me. It’s her first time at the track,” Cruise said. “So the opportunity to bring her, she has a newborn granddaughter, well my granddaughter, and she was able to get out without her. That’s the greatest thing about today… It’s crazy, you know what I mean? To let them know the experiences I’ve had here, how great it is here, the smell of the track, to have her walk up and her hearing the race car and saying, ‘They’re moving so fast you can’t see em.’ Those are the things that stand out to me.”
Take a look at some of the photos from Friday’s event below. This story will be updated throughout the day as the event continues.