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A Victory for Fans and Sponsors: the Indianapolis 500

2 minute read | May 2018

Singing “Back Home in Indiana.” Kissing of the Yard of Bricks. Drinking a bottle of milk in victory lane. For more than a century, these celebrated traditions have solidified the storied history of the Indianapolis 500 like no other motorsports event in the U.S.

And it’s an event that attracts far more than just die-hard racing fans. Even the most casual fans are drawn to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on the last Sunday of May. Last year, the Verizon IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 on ABC reached 12.6 million viewers, and there were 9.7 million social media interactions about the race across Facebook and Twitter.

A Nielsen Sport24 analysis found that 333 brands appeared during Indianapolis 500-related broadcasts* in 2017, accumulating nearly $63 million in combined Quality Index (QI) Media Value.

INDYCAR fans are a desirable audience for sponsors, as their average annual household income is $88,500, and 42% are Millennials, according to Nielsen Sports Sponsorlink.

The average annual household income for INDYCAR fans is $88.5K, and 42% of these fans are Millennials

Compared with the general population, INDYCAR fans are 22% more likely to be college graduates and 31% more likely to be employed.

INDYCAR fans also highly receptive to sponsorship when it comes to loyalty, brand consideration and purchasing products and services after seeing a sponsorship, more so than the general population and fans of major sports leagues.

The 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 is Sunday, May 27.

Methodology

The insights in this article were derived from the following sources:

  • Nielsen Social Content Ratings, linear metrics 05/28/17
  • Nielsen National TV Toolbox P2+ audience, HHLD Live + Same Day Reach (6-minute qualifier)
  • Nielsen Sport24 (*Cumulative QI Media Value includes Indianapolis 500, pre-race, Carb Day and qualifying races)IND
  • Nielsen Sports Sponsorlink 2018

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