Final practice, air demonstrations and music acts round out schedule Friday, May 24 at IMS. Read More>
Two departure times provide more flexibility for fans who want to commute to the track on their bike on Race Day. Read More>
This partnership represents the first time a major athlete's sponsorship has been decided by a vote using blockchain technology. Read More>
View images from the shortened first day of the Indianapolis 500 Open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. View Photos>
View images from the once-in-a-lifetime Total Solar Eclipse event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. View Photos>
Josef Newgarden unveils the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Ticket View Photos>
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway prides itself on its fire rescue and medical response teams that arrive to the scene of an accident within seconds. But how do they get that good? On Behind the Bricks, IMS President Doug Boles takes you through the annual Motorsports Safety Training at IMS, which features specific training scenarios for INDYCAR, NASCAR, IMSA and more to make sure every driver at IMS is safe. Watch Video>
On this episode of Doug and Drivers, 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson sits down with Doug Boles to talk about the pain of coming so close to scoring back-to-back wins, how he wanted to compete on ovals after his Formula 1 career and the transition to Andretti Global. Watch Video>
Why does Scott McLaughlin move his hands around so much in the car? What "button" is he pushing? What's the pressure of the iconic Yellow Submarine like? We cover that and so much more with Scott McLaughlin on the latest Doug and Drivers. Watch Video>
May 22, 2019 | By Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, hosts of NBC’s three-time Emmy Award nominated obstacle course competition series “American Ninja Warrior,” will serve as co-grand marshals of the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Iseman and Gbajabiamila will be the first co-grand marshals in the race’s history. They will give the traditional command for drivers to report to their cars during the official pre-race ceremonies. “American Ninja Warrior” will premiere its 11th season on NBC May 29 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT). The high-octane series follows competitors as they tackle obstacle courses in city qualifying and city finals rounds around the country. This season, the show makes stops in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Seattle before heading to the national finals in Las Vegas. Indianapolis has hosted “American Ninja Warrior” on two previous occasions and many NTT IndyCar series drivers have run the course over several seasons, including Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Josef Newgarden, Conor Daly and most recently, Scott Dixon. “It’s awesome to get to take part in something that is an American sports institution,” Iseman said. “I’ve been to the Brickyard before, but never during the ‘500.’ I can’t wait to see it in its full glory.” “I am so honored and excited to be participating in this year’s Indy 500 as a co-grand marshal,” Gbajabiamila said. “After multiple seasons of seeing top race car drivers compete on the ‘American Ninja Warrior’ course, I can’t wait to see up close the athleticism and energy of this hallmark race.” “Matt and Akbar are so dynamic and fun on ‘American Ninja Warrior,’ so they’re ideally suited to serve as the first co-grand marshals of the Indy 500,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Their historic role in ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ is yet another testament of our strong, growing partnership with NBC and NBC Sports.” NBC will televise the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at 11 a.m. (ET) Sunday, May 26. Iseman graduated with honors from Princeton and earned his medical degree from Columbia College. However, during his residency at the University of Colorado he quit his job and moved to Hollywood to pursue stand-up comedy, and the rest is history. The Daytime Emmy Award winner has hosted “American Ninja Warrior” for 10 seasons and has hosted the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular for NBC and HISTORY’s “Evel Live,” which honored legendary daredevil Evel Knievel. He also won NBC’s “The New Celebrity Apprentice” hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. He frequently tours around the U.S. and Canada as a stand-up comic. Gbajabiamila, a Los Angeles native and one of seven children of Nigerian immigrants, is a former NFL defensive end and linebacker who played for the Raiders, Chargers and Dolphins over a five-year career. His inspiring new book, “Everyone Can Be a Ninja: Find Your Inner Warrior and Achieve Your Dreams” (Gallery Books) is out now. Gbajabiamila’s first name means “great” in Arabic and his last name, meaning “big man, come save me,” derives from his Nigerian paternal great-great grandfather. Gbajabiamila avidly volunteers his time to community service. He serves as a board member for both the Asomugha Foundation – aimed at creating better educational opportunities for impoverished communities – and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Visit IMS.com to purchase tickets and for more information on the complete Month of May schedule.