I attended my first IndyCar race in Toronto! I learned a lot and want to pass off some of that knowledge… Here are my highlights from the weekend and some tips for anyone planning to attend an IndyCar race
The race will be held at Exhibition Place and which follows a circuit that takes the drivers throughout downtown Toronto around the Lakeshore Boulevard.
This is a perfect location for a street circuit as it is close to all of the main Toronto attractions and things to do throughout the city.
Traffic in Toronto is notoriously bad. In order to avoid ridiculously long wait times in the car, I would recommend taking public transportation down to the circuit. The GO train has a station right at Exhibition place which is where the race takes place. Although it will indefinitely be packed during the race weekend, I would still choose public transportation over arriving by car.
GO Train or Subway
Prices for the GO train are very reasonable and will only cost you roughly $6 (CAD) each time you ride. Keep in mind that this is dependent on where you are coming from within the city.
At each station, there will be an option allowing you to purchase a Presto card or one-time ticket. If you choose the Presto card option, you can load money onto it to eliminate the need of buying a ticket each day. Keep in mind that there is an extra fee when purchasing the Presto card. If you choose to buy a ticket each day, then be sure to factor in time for purchasing as the lines may be long during the race weekend.
Depending on where you are traveling from within the city, you may need to take the subway to the GO train station. Each time you ride the subway, it will cost $3.30 (CAD). Again, there is an option to purchase a Presto card or a one-time ticket. Conveniently, you are also able to use Apple Pay when taking the subway.
Traveling from Union Station:
Traveling from Bathurst Station
Car
If you are choosing to drive to the circuit, keep in mind that parking will be limited, expensive, and unfortunately, quite hard to find due to the closure of numerous streets for the race weekend.
Paid parking will be available at Exhibition Place on each day of the race weekend (Friday - Sunday). Please be aware that parking will not be available for purchase prior to the event.
All prices listed in CAD
Friday - $40
Saturday - $40
Sunday - $40
I believe you may have to pay for parking with cash, but I do not know for sure so please come prepared with cash and card.
For more information on parking, please check the official website.
Rideshare
Uber, Taxis and Lyft are all available rideshare options within Toronto. If this is the option you choose, please be aware that traffic will be worse than normal as there are road closures due to the race weekend.
The suggested taxi drop-off point would be at the intersection of Strachan Avenue and Fleet Street, east of the EC and north of Gate1.
Since this was my first IndyCar race experience, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had always heard that the atmosphere at an IndyCar race is completely different than at a Formula 1 race. When I arrived at the track on Friday morning, I was overwhelmed by the excitement and the amount of people who came down to the track. Normally Fridays are fairly slow during a race weekend as it is just the practice sessions, but Friday at the Toronto IndyCar race was packed!
I later learned that this was mainly because of the Free Fan Friday partnership that IndyCar has with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the Toronto Indy race. With a minimum donation of $20, any fan could attend the race and gain access to all General Admission areas, every Grandstand, and even have access to the Paddock. This level of access was very exciting to see as it allowed people to get an inside look at how a race weekend is run.
Because of the Free Fan Friday, the atmosphere at the race was exceptional. There were people of all ages, from babies in strollers to seniors. I really loved seeing this as normally any motosport event is hard to attend since tickets are expensive and the circuit itself can be hard to reach. Seeing this race be so accessible to everyone and anyone made me really appreciate the way IndyCar runs their race weekends. It is fully fan focused, something that Formula 1 is still working towards.
The Saturday and Sunday of the race weekend also had an amazing atmosphere as people were so excited to be there and watch their favorite drivers take to the track. The General Admission areas were packed, but not to the point where you couldn’t see a thing. This was something else that felt vastly different to a Formula 1 race. At the IndyCar race, the general admission areas were big enough and had clear viewing spots of the cars, where F1 sometimes has a hard time providing fans with clear GA spots. The Grandstands were all fairly packed and there were people buzzing around the circuit all day long. There were numerous food and drink options for race goers to indulge in as well. Prices ranged from $8-20 and lines were never too long or unreasonable. In front of all the food trucks, there was also a plethora of picnic tables and umbrellas for race goers to have a seat and eat their meal while also being protected from the unrelenting elements.
Because we had the Media Credentials for the race weekend, I had the honor and privilege of being able to chat with some drivers for content purposes. I was unsure how this would go, given I’ve never had the chance to do this before and I know that they all have very busy schedules. Emma Novak (Host of Track Talk Podcast), and I were able to set up time with four different drivers, Scott McLaughlin who drives for Team Penske, Pietro Fittipaldi who races for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Hunter McElrea who had his IndyCar debut with Dayle Coyne racing and lastly, we had the opportunity to talk to Nolan Siegel who races for Arrow McLaren.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the drivers were all excited to chat with us! Despite their busy race weekend schedules, they took the time out of their day to film some light-hearted content. On-camera they were all great but off-camera they were even better! It was amazing to get to know each driver individually and see their personalities shine through from our interviews. Emma had some personal connections with different team members which definitely allowed us to get inside access and time with the drivers, but IndyCar itself was much more lenient with letting the drivers do these media interactions in comparison to Formula 1. They are more accessible and love giving fans insight into who the drivers really are and what the teams are about.
Besides getting a chance to meet some drivers, I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people throughout the race weekend. There are countless roles that people need to fulfill in order for a race weekend to run and it was a pleasure to learn more about the behind the scenes roles and see the people who work so hard each race weekend to ensure everything runs smoothly.
As I’ve mentioned, the access that IndyCar gives its fans is unmatched in comparison to Formula 1. With our media credentials, Emma and I were able to access the Paddock, Pitlane and all the GA areas. Although this was a special pass, the regular tickets also allow fans much more access in comparison to a regular Formula 1 GA ticket.
Besides the actual access itself, fans are able to see the drivers, team members, cars and mechanics all up close. The cars are wheeled out into the pitlane in front of Grandstand 10, but any fan lingering in the GA area will be able to stand and watch which allows for a great close up look at the design and features of an IndyCar. The drivers will also take this route to the track which allows fans to get a glimpse of their favorite driver as they walk or take their scooter to and from the Paddock. If you’re lucky, you might even get a picture or autograph with one!
Once again, because I had media credentials, I was granted access to the pitlane during the race. This was an incredible experience because there were limited tickets for this as the pitlane gets too busy and it can become a hazard for the teams as they are trying to run through their race weekend. Before the start of the race, Emma and I were able to join the Grid Walk which was my favorite part of the whole weekend! We were able to see the teams doing the final set ups on the cars as well as watch the drivers get suited up and ready to take to the track. Despite the chaos, the teams, drivers and mechanics all seemed so calm. Emma and I were able to wish some drivers good luck before the race and enjoy this special experience.
Since I learned a lot at my first IndyCar race, I want to make sure I pass on some of that knowledge to help anybody else who is planning on attending a race weekend in the future!
In partnership with the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, the Ontario Honda Dealers IndyCar race has created Free Fan Friday, which is exactly what it sounds like, a free day for fans to enjoy the IndyCar race on the Friday of the race weekend!
The only condition is that you make a minimum donation of $20 and then you will be granted access to the Paddock, all the General Admission areas and even get to sit in any grandstand around the circuit! This is an incredible opportunity for anybody who is looking to experience the IndyCar race but may not be able to purchase the full price of the tickets. The access to the Paddock was something that especially surprised me. This is normally a very ‘exclusive’ thing and unless you have the correct credentials, tickets for Paddock access are quite expensive. I loved seeing young kids in the Paddock, getting the chance to take pictures with drivers and different team personnel as well as having the chance to get a closer look at all of the cars. If you are in Toronto during the IndyCar race next year, I would highly recommend checking out the circuit during Free Fan Friday as the atmosphere is incredible and the ticket prices go to an amazing cause.
For more information on this partnership, check out the official website.
Just like with Formula 1, an IndyCar race weekend will normally host one or two other support series throughout the weekend. For the Toronto race weekend, the IndyCar series also shared the track with the Radical Cup, USF2000, USF Pro 2000 and lastly, the SportsCar Championship Canada. I don’t follow any of these series too closely so it was incredible to watch them live on track and get a sense of who the drivers are, how their championship works, and just how hard all of these people work despite not receiving the same recognition as some of the bigger motorsport series. The support series usually always run during the morning which is a great way to start off a long day at the track!
If you are heading to an IndyCar race, I definitely would factor in watching at least one of the support series sessions as they are just as exciting as the main event itself.
Like any race weekend, you definitely want to come prepared. This past IndyCar race was very hot and there wasn’t too much sun coverage for the race goers. All of the Grandstands were completely open and didn’t have any sun or rain protection. Because of this, the viewers are very exposed to the elements and should definitely make sure they come prepared for all weather conditions. Below is a short checklist for things that you may not think to bring!
I hope that these tips and the highlights from my first IndyCar race weekend will implore you to attend your first IndyCar race!
1. Want to learn more about the IndyCar Grid? IndyCar Grid Guide
2. Want to learn about attending an IndyCar Race? Fan Guide: IndyCar Tickets
3. Already an IndyCar fan and want somewhere to connect with other fans? Join our Track Talk Base
