New attractions unveiled at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — As fans count down the final days before the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is showing off new attractions and updates to enhance the fan experience.

One major addition is the new Midway Superstore, which is opening just in time for the Sonsio Grand Prix. The air-conditioned space offers a wide selection of branded merchandise, including an exclusive 50-piece Under Armour collection only sold there.

“We have offerings from Lululemon, TravisMathew, you name it, we’ve got it,” said Michael Kaltenmark from IMS.

The store is packed with dozens of shirts, shorts, hats, and other gear, some of which will only be available during this year’s race. Merchandise demand has grown each year, track officials said.

“We think this jacket is going to be the item to have this May,” said Kaltenmark. “It’s a lot, but so is the racing capital of the world and the greatest spectacle in racing, and we feel like this fits the theme perfectly.”

Senior Art Director for IMS and IndyCar, Mandy Walsh, also noted the popularity of limited-edition apparel.

“I wore a jacket the other day, and everybody’s like, ‘I want that jacket.’ I’m like it was last year’s jacket, and it is sold out. It’s gone,” Walsh said.

IMS and INDYCAR’s art team continues to incorporate new materials and designs.

“We are trying to get more into driver-specific stuff. We just kind of, you know, dipped our toe in it this year, but next year we’re gonna probably do more of that,” Walsh added.

In addition to the store, the iconic Pagoda is also receiving updates. After the scoreboard software on top of the structure became outdated, the large panels were removed and refurbished over the winter.

“Over the winter, we removed those panels, which, by the way, are quite large, 25 feet long, eight feet tall, about a foot wide, pulled those down, refurbished the panels,” Kaltenmark said.

The pagoda now features state-of-the-art LED screens that can display anything from the race’s running order, to the date and more.

“Over the last few years, it was dark at the top of the pagoda, and now to be able to not just turn them on again, but program them and really enhance the guest experience really is befitting of the racing capital of the world,” Kaltenmark said.

The Midway Superstore opens to fans starting Friday.