The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil in 2016 was nominated for the Sports Event of the Year award to be presented at the 10th annual Sports Business Awards, the leading recognition for the North American sports industry.
Sports industry leaders will gather Wednesday evening, May 24 at the New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square for the ceremony, presented by Street and Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal. This year’s event features 87 nominees across 17 categories.
“The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil was an incredible success that created lifelong memories for our fans and generated significant momentum for the Verizon IndyCar Series,” Hulman & Company CEO Mark Miles said. “We’re grateful to the SportsBusiness Journal for its recognition of the hard work that went into years of planning and execution for this once-in-a-lifetime event.”
This is the first time “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” has been nominated for this esteemed award. Other 2016 nominees are the Copa America Centenario Knockout Round, Ryder Cup, World Series, Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol and the World Cup of Hockey.
The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 was one of the most memorable and successful editions of the world’s most prestigious race, which has been an American icon since the inaugural running in 1911.
IMS was completely sold out for an Indianapolis 500 Race Day for the first time, with a massive crowd witnessing Alexander Rossi become the first rookie winner of the race since 2001.
The facility, which opened in 1909, also underwent many significant physical improvements for spectators as part of the Project 100 program that culminated with the 100th Running.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway