New Facilities Director Adds IMS As Building Block to Impressive Career That Includes Super Bowl, Final Four

He’s been the stadium director for Indianapolis venues that have hosted six NCAA Final Fours and Super Bowl XLVI.

Now Mike Fox is responsible for the immense Indianapolis Motor Speedway facility and getting up to speed as quickly as possible for the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 28.

“I’ve been so busy here, my first week was 12-hour days,” said Fox, hired in March as IMS senior director of facilities and planning. 

Evidence of his fast-track learning curve could be found on a scooter he was using Friday, May 12, the first day open to the public for the INDYCAR Grand Prix. A day after receiving his scooter training, he had already driven 19 miles.

Members of Fox’s staff are familiar with what’s expected and were hard at work as soon as the INDYCAR Grand Prix concluded Saturday, May 13. They worked until late at night, then returned again Sunday to convert the grounds from hosting a race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course to the traditional setup on the four-turn, 2.5-mile oval. The opening practice for Fox’s first Indy 500 is Monday.

Fox, 54, from Zionsville, Indiana, became a Hoosier Dome intern in 1984, then was promoted to stadium director in 1989. When the renamed RCA Dome was razed, he moved to Lucas Oil Stadium in 2008. In addition to being home to the Indianapolis Colts, the downtown venue hosted Super Bowl XLVI in 2012 as well as men’s NCAA Final Fours in 2010 and 2015.

One might think that the responsibility of managing venues for such important events led Fox to IMS.

“My desire to come to the Speedway was more about the people as much as it was about the event, and the direction that the Speedway is going,” he said. “You think about it: That’s a pretty special thing, to be able to — one of these days down the road — say you were part of multiple Final Fours, a Super Bowl and hopefully multiple Indianapolis 500s.

“(IMS Director Competition and Performance Events) Tony George Jr. and I share the same workspace area, and I’ve learned a lot from him, not only the history of this place and racing in general. He said, ‘Mike, the family has always looked at this like Wimbledon, Augusta National (Masters), a couple other venues and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Now, it’s a massive space, but that’s how we’ve always looked at it. And especially the racing parts of it, we want to keep it as nice as we can because this is the biggest event in auto racing, period.’

“I carry that with me, and I often mention that to people when we talk about whether we want to do this project or that project.”

Growing up in Richmond, Indiana, he recalls his first trip to IMS as a youngster for time trials. Then a few years later he attended his first Indy 500 while in middle school.

“I remember sitting about two rows up on the main straightaway on the outside, and all I saw was the tops of helmets go by,” Fox said. “I don’t remember who won. What I do remember about that is I came with three of my friends from Richmond and there was a lady and family sitting next to us, and they had chicken, biscuits and beer. They brought out a four-course salad about halfway through the race. ‘What is going on here?’”

Since then, he’s had the opportunity to witness so many memorable sporting moments. He saw quarterback Eli Manning lead the New York Giants to a Super Bowl XLVI victory over Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. Fox was standing courtside with an ideal view when Butler’s Gordon Hayward fired a desperation, last-second, half-court shot that bounced hard off the iron as the hometown Cinderella Bulldogs lost to Duke in the 2010 Final Four title game.

He has so many keepsakes, and added another with this job change. Longtime friend Pete Ward, the Colts chief operating officer, gave him a framed Colts jersey with a Fox nameplate and the number 33 that was signed by owner Jim Irsay.

“The 33 on my jersey was for 33 seasons at the stadiums with the Colts.,” Fox said. “I wasn’t going to bring that in and hang it in my office, but once someone brought that 33 significance to my attention, oh yeah, I’m going to bring that in and hang it.

“I’m going to have a nice picture of Lucas Oil Stadium, a panoramic shot, and then I have a panoramic shot of Indianapolis Motor Speedway from last year’s 100th Running, and then I have yet to get framed a panoramic shot of the 2015 Final Four to have in the office. Those will be my three reference points.”

That is, when he has time to organize his office after May. For now, he’s learning what’s important about Indianapolis Motor Speedway and racing from everyone else.

“It continues to be a great career,” Fox said. “I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to feel like when the green flag flies on my first ‘500.’

“As a Hoosier, at least me listening to the event on the radio all these years, you get goosebumps whether you’re here or not. So I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like on that morning. Honestly, I’ll probably be running around so fast that I won’t even know what hit me. It will be a special moment that I’m looking forward to.”

Visit IMS.com to purchase tickets for the 101st Indianapolis 500 Presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on Sunday, May 28, and for more information on the complete Month or May schedule at IMS.