The Weekend a Crew Is on Site
The Indianapolis 8 Hour runs 9-11 October 2026 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event is round five of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, run with GT World Challenge America. The eight-hour race falls on Saturday 10 October.
The venue's ticket pages publish a noon eastern start. The sanctioning body's provisional schedule, revised 31 July 2026, times the race from 12:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. eastern and lists sunset at 7:12 p.m. on race day.
The Field in Numbers
The provisional entry list dated 15 September 2026 carries 29 cars from nine manufacturers. Porsche holds 11, Mercedes-AMG six, Ferrari three, BMW three and Chevrolet two. Ford, Lamborghini, McLaren and Aston Martin each hold one.
Entries run to 25 registered in the United States and one each from Canada, Denmark, Germany and San Marino. Every party works to the same three-day timetable once the transporters are parked.
The list names teams, nationalities and cars. No driver names appear on it, so confirm the crew list with the team before booking rooms.
Registration Opens Before the Gates Do
Registration sits at 4910 W 16th Street, Speedway. The published windows are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 October, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 October, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday 10 October, and 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday 11 October.
The credential office at 4790 W. 16th Street answers on 317-492-6500 and credentials@brickyard.com, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours during events. Garage and pit access is sold out.
The Speedway is a cashless facility. Tickets, credentials, parking, concessions and merchandise take a debit or credit card.
What the Gate Lets a Crew Carry
Coolers no larger than 18 by 15 by 15 inches are permitted, hard or soft sided. Food and drinks are permitted in non-glass containers. Glass containers are prohibited, and oversize bags and luggage are prohibited.
There are no provisions for checking or holding prohibited items, and prohibited items may not be left at or around the gates. Leave equipment that fails the gate in the vehicle.
Also permitted: camelbacks, carts and wagons where the venue allows them, strollers, lawn chairs and folding chairs, umbrellas, binoculars, personal cameras, and tripods and monopods outside the grandstands. Also prohibited: selfie sticks, flagpoles, drones, fireworks, bicycles, scooters and weapons.
The garage area adds three rules. No smoking. No alcoholic beverages. Shoes and shirts worn at all times. Sanctioning-body restrictions apply on top of them.
The Rota Turns on Saturday
Friday 9 October carries practice and qualifying, with the last session ending at 7:35 p.m. Sunday 11 October carries the support races, which close at 2:25 p.m. Saturday 10 October holds the eight-hour race and the longest block of trackside hours.
Plan the whole party into one property for the Saturday night. The venue publishes a gate and stands map for the weekend.
Parking for the Vehicles a Crew Brings
Every vehicle must fit within a 10 by 20 foot space. The Speedway publishes that buses and box trucks are not admitted, even when they fit inside that space.
Paid parking and accessible parking sit at Lot 2, on Georgetown Road across from Gate 6, at $10 a day or $25 for three days. Camping sits off site at American Legion Post 500 for RV, pull-behind and tent camping, at prices the venue lists as varying.
The Cost Stack Per Person
Three-day admission is $85. Garage access for all series is included, and general admission is first come, first served in the open grandstands. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.
The Paddock Plus Pass is $90 and adds the area between the garages and the track. It carries no gate admission and no pit lane access, and every person needs one at any age. Three-day admission plus Paddock Plus is $175 a person before travel. A $5 carbon offset is offered at checkout.
Rooms for a Party Below the Block Threshold
A six-person crew sits under the group threshold. bookMyTeam publishes its group rate from a block of 10 or more rooms a night, and its FAQ adds that some hotels discount from as few as five rooms.
Three doubles for three nights is nine room-nights. At a labelled example rate of $200 a room a night that is $1,800, or $1,530 at 15 per cent off, or $1,080 at 40 per cent off. A crew arriving for the Tuesday test day needs five nights, which is 15 room-nights on the same three doubles.
bookMyTeam publishes 103,857+ hotels across 46 states, a 50+ hotel request, a 24-72 hour response window and no markup on your rate. Its Indianapolis directory lists 273 hotels as of 23 September 2026. Send the room request with the crew size and the night count, or run the figures on the group rate calculator first. How the request works.
