Father and Son road trip to the Indy 500

Well this is sort of an adventure in the making. My Son and I are heading to the Indy 500 this year. This is a trip he has waited 20 years for and also a gift for his 21st birthday which is on May 25th. On his first birthday I was not there because I was at the Indy 500. A long story short I was invited to go to the race for free; motel, rental car, plane and race tickets included. A friend who had a brother that worked for a Castrol distributor won the tickets and passed them to his brother who asked me if I wanted to go. My wife could not believe I would miss his first birthday but I assured her that someday he would understand after all it was the Indy 500. The unofficial plan for now will be to get a rental car from the airport here in Augusta Ga. and drive to Bloomington which seems to be closest place I can find a room for reasonable rates. I'm sure the room rates around the race are adjusted the same as they are here during Masters week which means you are paying three times more for the same room you would any other week of the year. After the race we will stay overnight then head to the Indianapolis International Airport to fly back to Augusta GA.
If anyone here can share some tips advice etc. I would greatly appreciate it.

Camping is a fun option if you don't need a hotel. Just stay clear of the Coke Lot, as it's pretty wild and crazy. (Lot 1b and 1c on this map http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500/fan-info/parking-tailgating/rv-parking)

Camping spots are probably still available, but I'd book them now if this is an option for you.

Driving from Bloomington to Indy on race day--expect lots of traffic--- hours worth. There will be 300K people headed to the same place you are!

You are allowed to bring food and drink into the track. Picking up subs, fried chicken, or other food and bringing it in, is a much better choice than waiting in line for semi-crappy concession food. Check their website for restrictions, but small coolers are allowed in.

Wear comfortable shoes, as you'll be doing a lot of walking--- regardless of where you sit.

Bring sunblock, and rain gear! You never know what the weather will do on Raceday! Binoculars are another good thing to bring, although there are jumbotrons throughout the complex these days.

Get there early if possible---- there will be a ton of pomp and circumstance--- especially this year. The word is, the speedway is really pulling out all the stops, with former drivers, cars, and tributes leading up to the race. I'm sure it will be fun!

Have a great time! It's a place unlike any other!

Thanks Joe that's the type of advice I was hoping to get! He's pretty exited about the trip. I have tickets in the northeast vista section 28 row ff. Motel,plane and rental all taken care of. Ended up booking a room in Lafayette nothing planned for parking yet. I did run across the possibility of a shuttle but need to check into it more.

A shuttle would probably be a good idea, as most of them park right outside of the track, and you'd be able to let someone else deal with the frustration of sitting in traffic! Good luck! Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

I've attended twenty 500's and have driven to the race in pouring rain to see the sky open and the race go on. Plan on being in your seats 90 minutes prior for all the festivities. I always envy those that bring those seat cushions cause the aluminum seats do get uncomfortable. We also brought sub sandwiches and our own food.

Back in the late 1970's my dad was a fireman and got us in on Saturday night. Late that night my cousin and I wandered over to the ballon tent and they had a bunch of hippies filling balloons for the next day. They encouraged us to help fill balloons.

As of now everything is a go. Got the rally bus confirmation Friday and we are scouting out our route for driving up. Looks like the weather got a little rough along 65 today but that's not unusual for this time of year. Pretty cool that reserved seating is officially sold out for the 100th running of the 500.