Brickyard 400 Celebrates 30th Anniversary with 70k Fans

It was an incredible weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as NASCAR fans gathered to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400.

READ MORE: Brickyard 400 Returns to Indianapolis Oval for 30th Anniversary

Having never been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to say I was overwhelmed with excitement would be an understatement. My wife and I left home for Indianapolis that Saturday morning and got settled into our hotel just in time to watch the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on TV. By the last few laps, I had regretted not buying tickets to that race. It was an intense show with a dramatic finish. Riley Herbst (No. 98) from Stewart-Haas Racing was able to steal the lead on the final lap, which led to his first victory of the season.

On Sunday morning, my wife and I got up early to snag some breakfast and head on over to the track. We got there within 20 minutes of the gates opening, but the track was already full of eager race fans. According to the Indy Star, over 70,000 fans were in attendance to watch the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was a huge increase over previous years. It was a hot, busy day, but I already can't wait for next year's event. You can see photos from the race festivities below.

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Seeing all of those drivers race in person was a ton of fun, and it was certainly an experience. From hearing the roar of the engines to getting a whiff of buring gasoline, it all felt so unreal. We had so much fun, we almost didn't even mind the heat. That is, until it was time to walk another mile back to the car. Either way, it's definitely something I'll be doing again.