Have fun exploring the city with Play List, Mirror Indy’s midweek arts and culture newsletter. Sign up here:

Support local news that keeps Indy informed.

The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 happened this Sunday, and it was a thriller.

According to IndyCar, the 2025 Indianapolis 500 had 14 different lap leaders, tying for third-most in race history with the 2013 and 2023 races. In the end, Spanish driver Alex Palou, of the Chip Ganassi Racing team, won the race for the first time.

But everyone knows that what happens on the track isn’t the only reason more than 350,000 people from all 50 states and 37 countries flocked to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The sights and sounds on race day are something you’ll never forget. Even the bad parts — a little rain, the hours stuck in traffic or walking along 16th Street — it all becomes part of the fun when you’re among friends at the track.

The great vibes on race day need to be experienced firsthand — but if you missed it, we’ve got the next best thing.

Westside neighborhood reporter Enrique Saenz took his camera to the race and went wherever a general admission ticket let him go. Check out what he saw.

A child wears ear protection during the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

Race fans watch the Indianapolis 500 from a hill on Turn 2 on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

A person records F-16 jets from the South Dakota National Guard’s 175th Fighter Wing flying over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou salutes fans as he walks by IMS Victory Podium on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

People walk by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pagoda during the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

The crowd watches as driver Alex Palou races by at the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

Kids take turns rolling down a hill as adults watch the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

Indianapolis resident Lacoya Love poses for a photo at the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

Race fans watch the Indianapolis 500 from screens at the base of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pagoda on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

Race fan Tim McDonough watches the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025 while listening to a radio broadcast of the race. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

Race fans line up by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Gasoline Alley to watch drivers head to their vehicles before the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

Decatur Township resident Alec Lawson wore a pool noodle flag pole that says “rookie,” May 25, 2025 to commemorate his first Indianapolis 500. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

A busker sets up along 16th Street by pedestrians headed to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

A member of the U.S. Army Parachute Team, known as the Golden Knights, unfurls a U.S. flag above IMS before the race. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

A helicopter from the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment flies over the crowd. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

The crowd watches as driver Scott McLaughlin’s car is towed off the track at the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025. McLaughlin crashed on a warmup lap before the race began. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

Indianapolis Motor Speedway safety crew supervisor Mark Jones looks toward the track as a car zooms by during the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

Chip Ganassi Racing crew members celebrate Alex Palou’s Indianapolis 500 win on May 25, 2025. Credit: Enrique Saenz/Mirror Indy

Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.

Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on Bluesky at @enriquesaenz.bsky.social.

I hope this story helped you feel more connected to our arts and culture scene. Our nonprofit newsroom runs on donations from people like you who share our passion for arts and culture and our city's innovative spirit. You help us make good on our promise to deliver stories that reflect our community.

Give $25 Give $50 Give $20/month

Community-powered journalism can't exist without you. Please support our work today.

Amanda Kingsbury
Managing Editor for Innovation, Mirror Indy

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

Republish this article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.

Photos: A ground-level view of the Indy 500

by Enrique Saenz, Mirror Indy
May 27, 2025

<h1>Photos: A ground-level view of the Indy 500</h1>
<p class="byline">by Enrique Saenz, Mirror Indy <br />May 27, 2025</p>

<p>The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 happened this Sunday, and it was a thriller.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.indycar.com/news/2025/05/05-25-500-notes-ic" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IndyCar</a>, the 2025 Indianapolis 500 had 14 different lap leaders, tying for third-most in race history with the 2013 and 2023 races. In the end, Spanish driver Alex Palou, of the Chip Ganassi Racing team, won the race for the first time.</p>
<p>But everyone knows that what happens on the track isn’t the only reason more than <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/theindycarseries/posts/1458384668876687/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">350,000 people</a> from all 50 states and 37 countries flocked to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.</p>
<p>The sights and sounds on race day are something you'll never forget. Even the bad parts — a little rain, the hours stuck in traffic or walking along 16th Street — it all becomes part of the fun when you're among friends at the track.</p>
<p>The great vibes on race day need to be experienced firsthand — but if you missed it, we've got the next best thing.</p>
<p>Westside neighborhood reporter Enrique Saenz took his camera to the race and went wherever a general admission ticket let him go. Check out what he saw.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES28-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53235" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A child wears ear protection during the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES15-1024x559.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53266" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Race fans watch the Indianapolis 500 from a hill on Turn 2 on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES33-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53240" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A person records F-16 jets from the South Dakota National Guard's 175th Fighter Wing flying over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES1-scaled-e1748380606878-1024x757.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53252" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou salutes fans as he walks by IMS Victory Podium on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES40-1024x693.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53247" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">People walk by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pagoda during the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES17-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53268" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The crowd watches as driver Alex Palou races by at the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES9-1024x628.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53260" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kids take turns rolling down a hill as adults watch the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES14-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53265" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Indianapolis resident Lacoya Love poses for a photo at the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES6-1024x635.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53257" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Race fans watch the Indianapolis 500 from screens at the base of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pagoda on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES18-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53269" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Race fan Tim McDonough watches the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025 while listening to a radio broadcast of the race.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES38-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53245" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Race fans line up by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Gasoline Alley to watch drivers head to their vehicles before the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES10-1024x668.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53261" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Decatur Township resident Alec Lawson wore a pool noodle flag pole that says "rookie," May 25, 2025 to commemorate his first Indianapolis 500.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES44-1024x722.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53251" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A busker sets up along 16th Street by pedestrians headed to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<div class="wp-block-columns">
<div class="wp-block-column">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES35-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53242" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A member of the U.S. Army Parachute Team, known as the Golden Knights, unfurls a U.S. flag above IMS before the race.</figcaption></figure>
</p></div>
<div class="wp-block-column">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES24-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53274" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A helicopter from the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment flies over the crowd.</figcaption></figure>
</p></div>
</p></div>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES23-1024x724.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53273" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The crowd watches as driver Scott McLaughlin's car is towed off the track at the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025. McLaughlin crashed on a warmup lap before the race began.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES45-scaled-e1748380832298-1024x644.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53278" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Indianapolis Motor Speedway safety crew supervisor Mark Jones looks toward the track as a car zooms by during the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/052525_Indy500_ES5-1024x730.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53256" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Chip Ganassi Racing crew members celebrate Alex Palou's Indianapolis 500 win on May 25, 2025.</figcaption></figure>
<p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/photos-2025-ground-level-view-indianapolis-500/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org&quot;&gt;Mirror Indy&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-Mirror-Indy-square-logo-1.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p>
&lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=53393&amp;amp;ga4=G-X0R0QW371R&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://mirrorindy.org/photos-2025-ground-level-view-indianapolis-500/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/mirrorindy.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

Local news delivered straight to your inbox

Mirror Indy's free newsletters are your daily dose of community-focused news stories.

In the Mirror Daily: News you can use
Play List Weekly: Arts and culture

By clicking Sign Up, you’re confirming that you agree with our Terms of Use.

Indy 500 to showcase reimagined Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum
Date
May 22, 2025
Author
Associated Press
Anticipation grows for Indy 500 as JW Marriott displays race logo
Date
April 17, 2026
Author
WRTV
‘Indianapolis’s shapeshifting superstar’ competes on hit reality TV series
Date
January 8, 2026
Author
Emily Worrell

Keep up with what's happening in Indianapolis

Photos: A ground-level view of the Indy 500

Related

Andrea Hunley to run for Indy mayor in 2027

Mirror Indy wins ‘Story of the Year’ for second straight year

TWG residents share complaints, concerns about housing

Earth Day 2026: 10 headlines to check out

Meet the Far Eastsiders working to better the neighborhood

Keep up with what's happening in Indianapolis

Related

Local news delivered straight to your inbox

Related Articles