Readers, Start Your Engines! 2025's Indy 500

Before May even starts, Indianapolis transforms the city into a month-long celebration of speed, tradition, and community as it gears up for the Indy 500. From kids' festivals to practice races and one of the biggest parades in the nation, locals and tourists alike are buzzing through a fun-filled calendar that builds up until the official annual event. From 1911's first race in the Brickyard, this annual race is a testament to American motorsport heritage, earning the nickname "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." From drinking milk to kissing bricks, there's more to the Indy 500 than just racing, and these traditions have come from a long line of customs carried on from years past. Let's rev up for a quick race through all you need to know about the Indy 500!

The Indianapolis 500, or Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway traditionally every Memorial Day weekend. After seeing success from two smaller races started in 1909, the first "500" was born, with its inaugural race in 1911. We talked a lot about the origin of the Indy 500 before, and for that blog post, please go here. Otherwise, let's talk about a history tidbit we missed last time! Known as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," this tagline was born from the IMS Radio Network. The first time the race was broadcast on the radio from beginning to end was in 1953. The following year, they sought to make improvements on the broadcast. One of these improvements was to create an "out cue" in order to alert the board operator of an upcoming break. In a staff meeting for WIBC (the network's flagship station), 21-year-old copywriter Alice Greene came up with the words that would be aired in 1954, and heard every year since: "Stay tuned for 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.'" By carrying on traditions from over a century ago, the Indy 500 continues to be a cherished event that weaves together past and present.

You can't have the Greatest Spectacle in Racing in just a day, which is why Indianapolis has an entire month of festivities. The last week of April started preparations for the Month of May, with museum footage of archival games at the Bricks and Flicks series in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, baseball and volleyball games, and starting it all was the installation of new Indy 500-themed signage for the city's downtown area. April ended with the 500 Festival Kickoff to May, the opening of a month-long festival full of events to get locals and visitors alike hyped for the big finale: the 109th Indy 500!

Though several events have already passed, there's plenty to do this Month of May. This Mother's Day weekend has fun for the whole family at the 500 Festival Kids' Day on May 10th — the state's largest outdoor festival just for kids! There's even a Rookie Run for kids ages 3–10 to get them into the racing spirit, where they finish and receive a goodie bag and finisher's medal. Next Monday, the 11th, is the Indy Pride Hoosier 250, an Indy Pride-hosted tricycle race, with a full vendor market to peruse with the community. Monday through Thursday, visitors are welcome to watch the racers practice for the Indy 500 — but this one requires a ticket for each day. The following weekend of the 17th–18th is launched with the 500 Breakfast Festival at the Brickyard, before the qualifying races begin! Folks will then watch as their favorite racers compete to be in the top 33 to race in the official event the following weekend.

In the immediate days leading up to the big race, everyone takes a moment to pause and remember the reason for the holiday with the American Legion 500 Festival Memorial Service on May 23rd. For over 60 years, the Indy 500 has made sure to remember our fallen servicemen and women with a wreath-laying ceremony, a funeral procession, posting of colors, and more. This day is also known as Carb Day, or "Carburetion Day," which is the official kickoff to the Indy 500 weekend. Carb Day not only marks the final day of practice for the racers but also finishes off with the Miller Lite Carb Day Concert, where people can enjoy live music performed by Bret Michaels and The All-American Rejects.

May 24th gets even BIGGER, with over 200,000 people lined up to watch one of the nation's largest parades, the AES 500 Festival Parade! Spectators can enjoy massive helium balloons, elaborate floats, listen to award-winning marching bands, see cameos from celebrities, dignitaries, and all 33 of the Indy 500 drivers. This day is called Legends Day, and after the parade, fans can collect autographs directly from the 33 racers, and even a few IndyCar veterans! Legends Day is closed out this year with a live performance by Midland at the Firestone Legends Day Concert. The next morning starts bright and early with the 2025 Bike to the 500, where hundreds of cyclists are escorted on the 5-mile bike ride to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Coors Light "Snake Pit" is an EDM festival that'll start at 8 AM and end at the same time as the race, featuring Illenium, Two Friends, Kayzo, Oliver Heldens, and Sammy Virji. But of course, we can't forget the reason for the season: the Indy500! Gates open at 6, and it's officially the day of the 109th Indianapolis 500, where over 300,000 fans will gather to watch The Greatest Spectacle in Racing as 33 of the world's best drivers compete for the trophy!

If you want to act like you're "in the know" when attending the Indy 500, then you have to know about the traditions that make this race truly unique. For 50 years, "Back Home Again in Indiana" has been sung to cue up the drivers and prep the fans that the race is soon to follow. This custom started with Jim Nabors, the voice at the Indy 500 for the most years, but from 2014 to the present, this song has been performed by Jim Cornelison. Fans join in as thousands of colorful balloons are released — the iconic symbol of the race officially starting. When this song ends comes the next long-standing tradition: the announcer calling out, "Drivers, start your engines!" Started in 1951 by John Hogan, the phrase has evolved from "Gentlemen…" to "Ladies and gentlemen," finally becoming the more concise "Drivers" that remains as the official alert today.

After the race, the winner follows in the footsteps of Louis Meyer, the first driver to win three Indy 500s. After he asked for a glass of buttermilk to top off his 1936 win, the dairy industry saw it as the perfect marketing opportunity. All 33 drivers are now asked their milk preference so that whoever crosses the finish line first can be greeted with a bottle of milk. Over the years, the winner has gone from downing the bottle, taking a few sips, to pouring it over their head — either way, milk is a must. Finally, before they go, winners and their teams kneel in front of the 1-yard span of bricks that remain from the original "Brickyard" days during the first races and give it a kiss. This tradition started in '96 with Dale Jarrett, who kissed the bricks with his crew after winning NASCAR's Brickyard 400 as their way of paying tribute to the long history they were now a part of. Winners of the Brickyard 400 kept the tradition going, but it was Gil de Ferran who brought it to the Indy 500 after winning in 2003.

When this is published, you'll still have time to join in the festivities of the Month of May, in case you're only learning about it right now. For people local to Little Rock (where we are), Indianapolis is within 500 miles, and you can still make it to the Kids' Festival, practice races, and the 109th Indy 500 race if you want! Whether you're living in Indiana already or traveling for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, remember that Interstate Signways marked the way!