E Stand

one of my best experiences ever at the INDY 500 was sitting in this section………

you can see the pits, the front stretch, the pre-race activities, the people watching, the cars setting up to pass into the turn, the cars passing as the go away from you in the short chute………..

my favorite seats ever……….

parking is tough, try for the infield………

there is just something about watching the 33 fastest cars come down to take the green……oh yeah…

race on

R22

Ahhh yes, E Stand. If you sit in the Penthouse, you’re in “tall cotton”. This is the most coveted stand for the “500″ and the “400″. The cars come right toward you and the racing view is second to none.

If you want to see lots of pit action, be careful. A seat that’s in a high box number will have you so far into Turn 1 that the view angle of Pit Lane is diminished. But don’t let that stop you.

How many rows are their in E Stand Box seats from bottom to top? How many rows are there from bottom to top in the E STAND PENTHOUSE AREA?

This is a total guess, but I would say about 10 rows in the Penthouse and 20-25 rows in the boxes. I’m pretty sure there are no double-letter rows in the boxes so obviously that means there are less than 26.

Just received Brickyard tickets, they are different from last year. Stand E box 3. Can anyone help me determine the location of thes seats? Are they in the regular stands?

If by “regular stands” you mean “not the Penthouse”, then you are correct. E Stand boxes are on the first level, and box 3 is at the entrance to turn 1, closer to the front straight than the short chute.

I got my Brickyard tickets. Can you help me plan my trip? My seats are E Box 25 Row M. Do these seats have shade and do they have backs on the seats? Was at the 500 and seen many people in the sun get heat exhaustion want to plan ahead to avoid that.

Traci- According to my notes, box 25 is not covered but the seats do have backs (boxes 1-24 are covered). There’s a chance you could get a little shade later in the afternoon (depending on how close your seats are to the covered section), but I wouldn’t count on it.

I currently have Box 11, row C. Row C is great in that it is the first row (at least in Box 11) and you get some Leg room. Last year we figured that you want Box 8 or lower for a good view of both the Pits and Short Chute.

What’s the best way to get a pass to watch from the spotter’s area on top of E-stand?

1. Get a job as a spotter; 2. Get a media job that requires you to be there; 3. Buy the Speedway and watch from wherever you want.

In the E Stand box, Will there be an obstruction from the safer barrier if you sit low? Obviously the higher the better, but one year we wasted tickets sitting in single letter seats on the frontstrech b/c we couldn’t see the cars over the barrier. Also, can you see the big screen pretty well from anywhere in E?

Ashley- I don’t think you’ll have a problem in E Stand. For one, you’ll be looking straight up the frontstretch with the cars coming toward you, and you’ll be able to see through the fence. The other thing is that the cars typically hug the inside of turn 1, which means they will be further away from the wall. You should be able to see the big screen in the parking area inside turn 1 very easily from anywhere in E Stand.

As an aside, I have a friend who sat very low in E Stand the year that Vitor Meira’s car flipped up on its side and slid along the turn 1 wall… he got pelted with rubber bits from the tires and said that was about as “close to the action” as he would ever like to get!

Curious if you know how many seats are in Stand E Box 18 Row F? Would seats 21-24 be aisle? I know I WILL have fun no matter where we sit but what are your thoughts on these seats. We sat in Paddock Sec. 17 Row UU and we had a great view of pre-race activities, straight, pit action. We love pre-race & pit action. Are we going to miss this if we get these tickets?

Jen- I don’t know for sure if 21-24 are on the aisle. If they’re not, they’re probably close. In E Stand you will not have as good a view of pre-race activities or pit stops. They will be off in the distance, but you should be able to follow things on the jumbo TVs. On the plus side, E Stand will give you a *much* better view of the race itself. I would certainly give E Stand a try and if you don’t like it, switch back to the Paddock the following year.

Stand E Box 14 Row K. How much up the front straight away will I see? Am I up high enough to see the cars come thru turn 1, the short chute, and into turn 2? I want to see racing. I gave up top row A penthouse tickets for these. Good or bad move?

[…] and entertain clients at the track. Each year he purchased the two top rows of a section of Grandstand-E which, in our opinion, was the best seat at the track. Seeing old friends (clients) was great year […]

Regarding the move from A penthouse to E Stand Box 14 Row K… hard to say, since opinions about what’s “good” or “bad” are so subjective. It’s certainly not a bad switch… I can understand why you decided to take the chance. You’ll definitely get a different perspective and it may very well work out for you. You don’t really have the same problem in E Stand with lower rows that you have in some of the other stands… the cars tend to stay low on the track where you can see them… I think row K will be “high enough”. Have fun at the race and let us know how the seats were!

Thanks Paul. I’ve been to 26 races since ‘72 and never had a seat in E stand or E penthouse. I sat in E penthouse after a long rain delay about 3 yrs. ago and seen what I have been missing. I was just curious if you knew how much up the front straightaway we would see from those lower seats in that section. Thanks again!

I just acquired seats in E, Section 1 row “R” Are these to high for good visibility?

Too high? Heck no… generally speaking, the higher the better. Those sound like real good seats… you’ll have a great time!

We just got tickets to E Stand, Row 26-D for the 500 this weekend. What are your thoughts on these seats? Are they too low? Can you see any Pit action or the start/finish line from these seats? Thanks for your time! (:

Indiana Race Fan- I assume you mean section 26, row D. I don’t think you’ll be able to see much pit action because you’ll be too far into turn one. You will be able to see the cars leaving pit lane though. Row D is low, but being low in E Stand is not much of an issue because the cars stay low on the track in the turns. Plus you’ll have a good view of a video board. You might get an up close and personal view of a turn one crash… you never know. Have fun!

Those seats are great. I’m 22 and have gone to every race since I was 9 and my families been going for over 80 years. Anywhere in E is great and the higher the better. If you have a pair of cheap binoculars those will work great to really see the pit action although you can see it fairly well without. If you have any questions feel free to ask more on here or find me on facebook I would love to help!

[…] and entertain clients at the track. Each year he purchased the two top rows of a section of Grandstand-E which, in our opinion, was the best seat at the track. Seeing old friends (clients) was great year […]

We requested 4 tickets, with 2 right behind the other 2 so we would be in two rows and have “a square” of 4 seats. Tickets read E Stand, Box 20, Row X, seats 3,4,14,15. Did we get what we asked for? I can’t find the actual seats on a chart anywhere.

Thanks for your help.

JJGebo- I would call the IMS Ticket Office and ask them. When it comes to seating at the Speedway there are definitely some odd numbering situations that can occur, but your example doesn’t seem quite right. Sorry I can’t give you a better answer.

Just got E stand Box 1 Row B seats for the Brickyard. Add said these were first seats in the shade and were shaded all day. Is that true?

Indy Fan- If those are in the shade, it must be just barely. They certainly are not shaded “all day” since the sun rises in the east (last I checked). It’s quite possible that they could be shaded by race time (1pm) but I really have no way to know for sure.

I got tickets for Indy 500 2012 for my husband’s big 60! He has watched every Indy race since the beginning of time, but never been to one. I just received my tickets and we are in Stand E. Box 26, Row K, seat 17 & 18. I believe we are uncovered, but can you tell me if we have backs on the seats?

JJMoore- You got some good seats! With backs! (yes they have backs) You will have a great time… have fun and enjoy the race!

I just got my tickets in Section 26 of Stand E. I’ve never sat in Stand E before (have always wanted to). Looking forward to seeing the race!! By the way, do the seats in Section 26 have seat backs?

John- I just recently answered the same question right above yours. Yes, the seats in E Stand have backs. Enjoy the race!

Does the E Stand seats start with AA to EE? I thought the last time I attended the event, the rows next to track were double lettered in the E stand and then the Rows start at A to Z in the actual boxes? I generally have always like K and up and just was sure about the first 5 rows in front of the lower railing?

JC- I don’t believe there are any double-lettered rows in E Stand.

Thanks Paul!!

I just bought some tickets from a re-seller online and spoke with them before purchasing. They offered some information that I didn’t read in this discussion that might help.

We wanted 5 seats together and were fine with having 3 in one row and 2 directly above or below. What I learned is that the rows in Stand E start with “C” and that there are TWO ROWS with each letter. One row has seats 1-12 (left to right) and the other has seats 13-24 (left to right).

So we got seats in Section 18 Row L, Seats 13, 14, and 15 and also Row L Seats 1 and 2, and they are directly below the first 3.

Very expensive seats, I hope they are worth it!

Beth- Thanks for adding that info! Just another of the many quirks that make seating at Indy so confounding.

We have tickets for E Stand, Section B01, Row P — sounds like from reviewing the posts above, these should be pretty good seats and we should have a view of the front stretch, turn 1, and the short chute, plus have seat backs and be in the shade?? Hoping I’m reading all this right

P.S. - Thanks also for this site, lots of great info and feedback!

Marc- Yes, I would say you’ll be livin’ large… made in the shade… livin’ the high life… whatever! Have a great time!