Indianapolis 500 On Tap For Sunday

Categories: News | Published by: Corey Scott

22/08/2020

The Indianapolis 500 will be held on Sunday, but it will be a race unlike any other.

“The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” will be held without fans in attendance, and fans in Indiana could still be subject to a local TV blackout.

Roger Penske became the new owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway less than 10 months ago, but his group will miss out on millions of dollars in revenue by holding this race without fans. Penske originally announced that he would cancel the event if fans could not attend but has since changed his stance.

The 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 still comes with plenty of excitement and anticipation, even if there will be several changes to this event. The Indianapolis 500 is traditionally run on Memorial Day weekend, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the race to be postponed.

More than 300,000 fans normally pack the Indianapolis Motor Speedway each year, but the grandstands will be empty. Penske and his team originally reduced the capacity to just 25 percent, before health officials stepped in and demanded that all fans be kept away.

Each driver will embark on 200 laps around the 2.5-mile course, and there will be plenty of excitement once the race gets going. Businesses and restaurants that normally see a huge influx of revenue during race weekend will also feel the financial hardships of the changes.

Qualifying Has Already Taken Place

Qualifying rounds for the Indy 500 have already taken place, and there are some big names at the top of the list. Marco Andretti will hold the pole position for the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 after qualifying with a speed of 231.068.

Scott Dixon (231.051) and Takuma Sato (230.725) will round out Row 1 when the race begins on Sunday. Alexander Rossi, another popular name in the sport, will be in the third position in row three when the race begins.

Pacers in 0-2 Hole

The Indiana Pacers might be the higher seed in their first-round matchup against the Miami Heat, but they have yet to look like that. Miami has won each of the first two games of the series, and they have put the Pacers in a huge hole.

All-Star Victor Oladipo made a surprise return to the lineup during the restart, but the Pacers are still without Domantas Sabonis. Oladipo suffered an eye injury that cut his Game 1 short, but he led the team in scoring in Game 2 with 22 points.

Indiana has scored just 201 total points in their first two games of the series, and their offense has been a mystery. The Pacers have been able to compete with the Heat, but haven’t had enough firepower to come away with a win.

Point guard Malcolm Brogdon leads the way with 19.5 points and 9.5 assists per game, but he hasn’t gotten much help from his teammates. Indiana can climb back into the series with a win on Saturday, but its season ends with just two more losses.

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