Three Door Windows for One Weekend
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway runs the Indianapolis 8 Hour on 9, 10 and 11 October 2026 on its road course. The venue publishes one gate window for each day. Friday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. All times eastern. The windows total 10, 12 and 5 hours, which is 27 hours of gate time across the weekend.
One entrance serves the three days. The venue's directions page names Gate 6 for Friday practice and qualifying, for Saturday race day and for Sunday's support races. Outside parking lots open at 7:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. Inside lots open with the gates.
The Venue Prices Its Own Days
The ticket-prices page carries four dated columns. A reader on 23 September 2026 finds the live column running from 22 September to 11 October, the last of the four. General admission in that column: three days $85, Saturday $40 to $45, Sunday $30, Friday $20. The same column prices the Paddock Plus add-on at $90 for three days, $50 for Saturday and $45 for each of Friday and Sunday.
Each step is published in the four columns. The three-day price moved from $70 to $85 in the final step, which is 21.43 percent. The Saturday price moved from $35 to a $40 to $45 range, which is 14.29 percent at the floor and 28.57 percent at the ceiling. The Sunday price moved from $25 to $30, which is 20 percent. The Friday price has stood at $20 since the May 1 to July 30 column.
Saturday admission is priced at two to 2.25 times the Friday figure. A three-day ticket at $85 costs $5 less than the three single days bought at $20, $40 and $30, and $10 less where Saturday is bought at $45.
Saturday Is the One Window That Runs Late
Saturday's gate closes at 8:00 p.m. The eight-hour race is listed 12:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., a 480-minute session. The race finishes after sunset on 10 October. The venue's own ticket pages state that cars are expected to compete into the dusk.
Friday's gate closes at 6:00 p.m. The last item on the Friday grid, the Car Collective Laps, is listed 7:05 p.m. to 7:35 p.m. Sunday's gate closes at 2:00 p.m., and the closing support race runs 1:40 p.m. to 2:25 p.m. Saturday carries the only door window that runs past 6:00 p.m.
What the Venue Does Not Publish
The Speedway publishes no attendance figure for the weekend, no room block and no lodging rate. Its event FAQ answers the hotel question with a phone line: Visit Indy on 1-800-556-INDY. A front desk asked to set a weekend forecast against published demand holds no figure from the venue's pages.
Parking is published in full. Lot 2 sits on Georgetown Road across from Gate 6, is a grass lot, and costs $10 a day or $25 for the three days. The pass rules state that each pass allows one vehicle, that a pass without a vehicle is not eligible for any space on site, and that all vehicles must fit within a 10 by 20 foot space. The same page bars buses and box trucks where they fit that space.
The transportation page lists rideshare and taxi drop-off and pick-up at Lot 3P and bicycle parking outside Gate 6. Overnight camping for RVs, pull-behinds and tents runs off site at the American Legion Post 500 at prices the venue does not publish.
The Party Size and the Payment Clock
General admission admits children 15 and under free with a paid adult. Every person entering a reserved seating area needs a ticket regardless of age. The group programme starts at 20 tickets. Its published terms put full payment no later than 30 days before the race, which is 10 September 2026 for the Saturday. Tickets may be cancelled until final payment is due, and they are non-refundable and non-exchangeable once full payment is received. The venue states there is no cost to reserve.
The group benefits published for new purchases of 20 or more are up to $40 in savings on ticket options, a $5 retail discount at participating IMS Retail Shops, a personal group sales representative, and special group block seating. The page states the offer cannot be applied to previously purchased tickets.
Two Published Start Times for One Race
The venue's day-ticket pages describe the eight-hour race as starting at noon eastern on Saturday. The race-day schedule lists it 12:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Both are the Speedway's own publications. A front desk building a late check-out, a staff shuttle or a bar plan around the finish should hold the schedule's clock and note the noon line.
Handling the Weekend
Roster the Saturday close. Guests leave a site that stayed open to 8:00 p.m. and finished a race after sunset. Price the Sunday against a 2:00 p.m. gate close. Ask a coach party for its parking plan at booking, because the venue publishes no bus space on site and its transport page offers rideshare, taxi and bicycles. Quote the payment deadline as the venue states it and confirm every term with IMS Group Sales on 317-492-8100 before promising it to a buyer.