Indy 500
Faster Gates. Stronger Security. The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The Challenge:
Process nearly 300,000 attendees faster without compromising security
Every May, over 300,000 fans pour into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) for the world’s largest single-day sporting event. As a result, The Indianapolis 500 presents security challenges few venues ever face. Hundreds of thousands of attendees arrive within hours of the race, and every person, bag, and cooler must be screened before the green flag drops.
For years, this produced long gate lines stretching for blocks outside the Speedway. Entry points were bottlenecked which inconvenienced the track’s loyal fanbase. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway needed a new approach to attendee screening, one that moved fans through the gates faster without compromising a single layer of security.
The Solution:
Hire an experienced, well-staffed security company
Eclipse Staffing & Security was built for this moment. In 2015, after being selected by IMS as the sole security provider, our team began assessing the situation and exploring avenues for improvement. The Eclipse answer to the gate challenge came in two parts: advanced screening technology backed by a highly trained security workforce.
The Eclipse team and IMS worked together to bring advanced security screening technology to Speedway entrances, a first-of-its-kind protocol. The new system allowed fans to keep their belongings in their pockets and walk straight through detection stations, replacing slow manual checks while upholding strict security protocols.
Technology alone does not secure over 300,000 people. Behind the gates, Eclipse fields more than 30 on-site managers and 350 trained personnel on race day, with deployment beginning at 2:00 a.m. Staff are trained in crowd control, bag screening, emergency evacuation, and conflict de-escalation, and roam teams monitor crowds in close coordination with Speedway leadership, local law enforcement, emergency management, and medical personnel throughout the venue, including at gates, grandstands, garages, and the Snake Pit.
Proven Results:
Improved safety and fan satisfaction
- Faster gate entry. Fans now keep their belongings in their pockets, allowing over 300,000 race fans to be processed within six hours at the new system’s debut, significantly reducing the long lines that once stretched outside Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race morning.
- No security trade-off. Strict screening protocols remain in place, with over 300,000 attendees safely processed throughout race weekend.
- A better fan experience. Smoother entry sets the tone for race day, turning the first touchpoint at the gate into a positive, seamless experience.
- A trusted, growing partnership. More than a decade after the relationship began, Eclipse remains the sole security provider for Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with our Indy 500 operation earning statewide media coverage from WIBC, WISH-TV, Fox59/CBS4, and WOWO.
Eclipse Indy 500 Media Coverage:
Behind the Scenes:
Eclipse at the Indianapolis 500
