Indy 500 attendance up

If the Indy 500's crowd seemed larger than last year's, that's because it was, George said.

Even with the removal of the infield grandstand in the first turn, George said the crowd increased by about 16,000. He said the gain was "about four or five percent."

He did not give additional information except to say 5,000 more general admission tickets were sold, resulting in a larger infield crowd.

"You could really see it in (high-definition) TV," he said. "They were really jammed in there." Indy Star