Indy 500 postponed until August

The Indianapolis 500, promoted as the world’s biggest single-day sporting event with an estimated crowd topping 350,000, has been postponed until Aug. 23 because of the coronavirus pandemic, Indycar said on Thursday.

The crown jewel of American open-wheel racing, which is traditionally staged each U.S. Memorial

Day weekend at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was originally scheduled to be held on May 24.

Roger Penske, who last November took over Indycar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said he was disappointed to add the Indy 500 to the list of major sporting events hit by the coronavirus.

“The health and safety of our event participants and spectators is our top priority, and we believe that postponing the event is the responsible decision,” Penske said.

According to Indycar, enhanced measures like higher frequency of cleaning, more hand-sanitizing stations and reducing hand-tohand interactions between staff and customers will be in place when activity resumes at the track known to many as “The Brickyard.”