Indianapolis, Indiana – The Indianapolis Motor Speedway played host to a record-breaking crowd of over 325,000 spectators for the 100th running of the Indy 500 in 2023, making this year’s event the most attended since the race’s centennial celebration in 2016.
As the weekend draws to a close, those fans and holiday travelers are gathering their belongings and making their way back home, making stops along the way at the Indianapolis International Airport. This has caused an increase in the number of passengers taking flights.
On Monday, the Transportation Security Administration anticipates screening more than 22,000 passengers at airports around the country. That is an increase of 5,000 since the previous Memorial Day. The airport estimates that the number of passengers could be the largest it has been since the day following the Super Bowl in Indianapolis in the year 2012.
“It’s nice to see everybody is getting back out into the world and having fun and kind of going about their lives,” said Amy Rogers, who is one of many passengers flying out of Indianapolis Monday.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was filled to capacity with visitors from all over the world for the annual Indy 500, including a father and son team, Jonathan and Andrew Gottlieb, who traveled all the way from the state of California.
“We had a lot of beer, which is a lot of fun and it was just great seeing the race cars in a circle,” said Jonathan.
“Oh, just seeing the crowds and the great people that were there and the ending of the race was really thrilling,” Andrew added.
But for others, it wasn’t about the race cars but rather a chance to spend time with their loved ones.
Rogers shared stories with her audience about her daughter’s early life in Indiana. She said, “It was great. It was her first time meeting a bunch of cousins, so it was really cool for her to just get to meet the family she’s never met before.”
Some of the passengers remark that they are relieved to see an increase in the number of people traveling over the holiday weekends, particularly after having first-hand experience with the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
