Indy 500 ticket pre-sale?

[CARTer]

I received this e-mail from IMS yesterday:

EXCLUSIVE TICKET PRE-SALE – TICKETS START AT $20.
As a current Indy 500 ticket holder, you can purchase additional tickets to the 90th Running of the Indianapolis 500 before the tickets go on sale to the general public. Starting Monday, November 14th through Thursday, November 17th, you will have an exclusive opportunity to purchase some terrific seats for everyone on your list. Tickets start at just $20!!! You’ll receive a Holiday Gift Letter to present to that special someone, then the actual tickets will be mailed as we get closer to the race

Anyone know what this is about? What seats have not yet been released to the general publc?

[Z28]

Haven't got it yet but it doesn't sound much different than what they do at MIS for their ticket holders. If when you renew your tickets you wish to add to your seats or move after all the renewals are in there is a period when you can call and try to move or add seats from what remains. Of course this is mostly geared towards their sold out NASCAR races but it is mostly a reward for their renewing ticket buyers and not a fire sale of secretly held tickets. It would seem like IMS is simply giving existing ticket holders first choice of seats before they go on sale to the general public.

[Air Jack]

The email also mentions Dan "Weldon" Not a big deal, but you would think they would spellcheck the champion's name. Seems like every email the IRL or IMS sends out has spelling, time, or date errors.

[CARTer]

I think I figured it out. If you go to IMSTIX right now, you can only submit an application for new tickets - you cannot search for particular seats and buy them right away, instead, you list your top four desired locations.

My guess is that they are about to "switch on" the system that lets you actually search for and buy the tickets on-line.

And here I was hoping they'd found an extra section of unsold seats in E Stand ...

[Ken-Paul]

My guess is that they are about to "switch on" the system that lets you actually search for and buy the tickets on-line.

2006 Indianapolis 500 Ticket Sales Start Friday, Nov. 18

[Doctorindy]

2006 Indianapolis 500 Ticket Sales Start Friday, Nov. 18

I thnk everyone's looking a little too deep into this. After reading that article, I interpret it as they have finished processing all of the renewals/renewal upgrades, and are ready to release the rest as they normally do around this time of year. They always wait until all renewals are done before they start processing "new" customer orders.

It says...
"Ticket prices start at just $20."
Sure they do...general admission that is (which you can buy online). "Starts at $20" is a lot different than saying you can get any ticket for $20.

With the way everyone seems to have gotten their renewal processed, I bet that's all it means.

[Ken-Paul]

I thnk everyone's looking a little too deep into this.

"Starts at $20" is a lot different than saying you can get any ticket for $20.

Where did anyone post that they thought IMS was offering all remaining tickets @ $20?

I simply posted the link showing the date that IMS will begin offering tickets to the general public.

My interpretation is that all 2006 renewals, upgrades and new customer requests have been processed and starting Monday, IMS is giving current customers a chance to buy from the remaining inventory before it is offered to the general public on IMSTIX.com next Friday.

[Indyknut]

Has IMS always had the whole renewal thing figured out by November?

I'm thinking back to the old days when the race was essentially "Sold out" the year before. We'd always turn in our order the day after the race and prayed for an upgrade. Has the speedway always had November as the cutoff date where they considered anyone renewing would've already done so? Just wondering as they were never really clear on that.

[indyrjc]

Has IMS always had the whole renewal thing figured out by November?

I'm thinking back to the old days when the race was essentially "Sold out" the year before. We'd always turn in our order the day after the race and prayed for an upgrade. Has the speedway always had November as the cutoff date where they considered anyone renewing would've already done so? Just wondering as they were never really clear on that.

Although I'm not sure they had a real policy in place before, this is easily the earliest that IMS has publicly said that unsold seats would go on sale to anyone who wants them for the 500. Unless you have really primo seats that you and your family really want then there is no reason to buy a ticket ahead of time. This is true of all three of the IMS events nowadays. The 500 will still have a big crowd next year. It's just that a lot of the tickets (especially in Turn Three and north end of the track) will be sold both the week before and the morning of the 500. That's exactly what happened this year once Danica-mania got going and the weather forecast for great weather came out. Advance purchases of rather mediocre seats just to get your name on a list are pretty much a thing of the past.

[Ken-Paul]

Has the speedway always had November as the cutoff date where they considered anyone renewing would've already done so? Just wondering as they were never really clear on that.

The ticket order and renewal forms have always been very clear about the cutoff date for Indianapolis 500 ticket renewals.

That date is in June, not November.

[hanger]

this is easily the earliest that IMS has publicly said that unsold seats would go on sale to anyone who wants them for the 500.

Actually, this is almost 3 weeks later than they went on sale to the public last year:

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50535

[hanger]

Ticket sales went online this morning and I'm glad to see that there are no better seats available in A Stand than the ones I already have. Being denied an upgrade just became a little easier to take.

[jkg]

There are far fewer tickets available at the start of online ticket sales than there were in the last 2 years.

[stretch51]

There are far fewer tickets available at the start of online ticket sales than there were in the last 2 years.

Well, then...I guess the computer must be down all the pre-sale tickets are DOOMED!!!

[Dizz Fan]

I'm sure they would love to get $20 out of the empty seats on the north end of Tower Terrace. Not good seats, but a dang good value for a first timer, or the casual fan.

Dizz Fan