INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The rush to leave central Indiana after this year’s Indianapolis 500 started early Monday morning, according to officials at the Indianapolis International Airport.
This year, the airport estimated more than 70,000 people would fly out of IND during Memorial Day weekend.
That’s considerably fewer than the 111,000 people who flew out during the same weekend last year, which set a record.
Among the passengers were plenty of racing fans.
Dave Gaspar was traveling back to California around 5:40 Monday morning. He went to his first-ever Indy 500.
“it was quite spectacular, you know. They just, the venue, the number of people they get, and get in and out of there, and just all the activities going on.
Meanwhile, Ben Ellis was traveling home to Odessa, Texas. He went to his third Indy 500 on Sunday.
The passenger says his friends and the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team keep him coming back to the race.
“[RLL] did really good yesterday,” Ellis said. “Takuma Sato finished in 10th place. They had a fast car, and just really quality team. I love the Indianapolis 500 — it’s the best race in the world to me, and just an incredible place to be.”
Felix Rosenqvist’s win was a heartbreaker for David Malukas fans, including Ali Masoud, who also attended his first Indy 500.
He says his tickets were a birthday gift.
“That was really crazy,” Masoud said. “I’m sure [Malukas] is gonna be like a contender for the next couple years. He seems really good. Can’t wait to watch more races, learn more about him.”
Memorial Day weekend is often considered the kick-off to the summer travel season.
Monday was expected to be the busiest day of the long weekend at the airport. IND estimates nearly 23,000 people flew out on Memorial Day. Peak hours were between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. all weekend.
