Camping the 500 with a group?
Tell us whether your pass is interior or exterior and we will spec to that policy, including whether a tow vehicle fits. Send your headcount and dates.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway maintains a separate parking and camping policy for the interior of the track and for the exterior lots. The two documents disagree on the numbers that actually govern a booking, and the interior is more generous on space while being stricter on almost everything else.
| Interior (infield) | Exterior lots | |
|---|---|---|
| RV Pass site size | 25' x 60' | 20' x 40' |
| Tent Pass site size | 20' x 20' | 20' x 20' |
| Pop-Up Pass | 20' x 40' | Not published |
| Curfew | 12 a.m. to gates opening, confined to your assigned campsite and barred from the rest of the facility | 1 a.m. to public gates opening, remain in your assigned campsite |
| Wristbands | Mandatory for all guests 16 and over | RV Pass includes 6, Tent Pass 4; up to 10 per passholder, sold 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Towing | Class A/C may tow one vehicle; all must fit within the assigned space | Not published |
| Pets | Not allowed | Not addressed in the policy we read |
| Campfires | Elevated devices only | Elevated devices only; digging a pit prohibited |
| Hookups | Not published | Not published |
Transcribed from the Speedway's interior and exterior parking and camping policies, checked September 7, 2026. Neither policy publishes hookup availability or campsite rates.
Twenty feet decides whether the tow vehicle comes
The interior RV Pass buys a 25 by 60 foot site. The exterior RV Pass buys 20 by 40. That is the single largest difference between the two documents and it is not a matter of comfort.
The interior policy states that a Class A or C RV may tow one vehicle, and that all of it must fit within the assigned space. Sixty feet accommodates a large coach plus a towed car with something to spare. Forty feet does not: a 36-foot coach leaves four feet, which is not a car.
Run the measurement against the right policy
Coach length plus tow length has to fit the site you actually hold, not the one you read about. A group that plans a towed vehicle for getting around Indianapolis during the week, and then lands an exterior pass, has to leave the car somewhere else or leave it at home. Confirm which policy applies to your pass before you plan transport.
The interior policy also notes that pull-behind and fifth-wheel trailers do not require a separate Vehicle Pass, and that daily parking is limited to vehicles that hold no more than 15 passengers and fit in a standard parking spot. That last figure is worth noting if you were planning to shuttle people in a large van.
The infield curfew is an hour earlier and considerably stricter
In the exterior lots, between 1 a.m. and the time public gates open, guests must remain in their assigned campsite. In the interior the same rule starts at 12 a.m., and it goes further: guests "must remain in their assigned campsite and must not enter any other part of the facility."
So the infield trades an hour of evening and adds a restriction on moving around the venue at all. For a group that imagined wandering the infield late into the night, that is the rule to know before booking rather than after.
Count wristbands, not beds
The exterior RV Pass includes six wristbands. A Tent Pass includes four. Additional wristbands are available up to ten per passholder, and they are sold from the ticket office or the lot entrance between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
That requirement applies in Lot 1A and Lot 1C on May 21, 22, 23 and 24. In the interior the framing is different again: wristbands are mandatory for all guests aged 16 and over.
The arithmetic that catches groups
A coach that sleeps eight arrives with six wristbands. Two more have to be bought, and only during the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. window, from the ticket office or the lot entrance. A party arriving at nine in the evening cannot solve it that night. Ten per passholder is also a hard ceiling, so a group of eleven needs a second pass rather than more wristbands.
What most people get wrong: pets in the infield
The interior policy states, without qualification, "Pets are not allowed." The exterior policy we read does not address pets, which is not the same as permitting them, so confirm that directly if it matters to you.
For a multi-day May stay this is a genuine planning problem rather than a detail. Anyone bringing an animal needs an answer before travel, and the answer for the infield is already published.
Both policies want the fire off the ground
Campfires are permitted in "appropriate elevated devices such as a fire pit or grill" under both policies. The exterior policy spells out the rest: fires must not be left unattended, ashes or coals must be properly disposed of, and "Digging into the ground to create a fire pit is not permitted."
That prohibition on digging is the specific version of a rule we have now found at Bristol, at Talladega and at NFL venues in slightly different words. An elevated fire pit with legs is close to a universal packing item for this kind of work.
Neither policy publishes hookups or rates
We looked for both. Neither the interior nor the exterior policy states hookup availability, and neither publishes a campsite rate. Reports elsewhere describe services such as pump-out and non-potable water fill being available, but those are not in the policy documents we read, so we are not going to present them as published fact.
Treat power and waste as open questions to put to the Speedway for your specific lot, and treat any per-night figure you find quoted online as an estimate rather than a rate.
"The 500 is the one where people say 'we have got camping' and I have to ask which policy that falls under, because a 25 by 60 site and a 20 by 40 site are different jobs. Inside you can bring the coach and the car. Outside you are picking one. And every year somebody buys the pass for eight people, gets six wristbands, and finds out the desk that sells the other two shuts at six."
— Ben Kiser, Co-Founder, EventFleetRV
Book it in this order
- Establish whether your pass is interior or exterior. Every number below changes with the answer.
- Measure coach plus tow against 25 by 60 for the interior, or 20 by 40 for the exterior.
- Count your party against the wristbands included, and buy extras inside the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. window.
- Check the ten-wristband ceiling against your headcount before assuming one pass covers the group.
- Note the curfew that applies: midnight in the interior, 1 a.m. outside.
- Settle pets before travel. The interior does not allow them.
- Ask the Speedway directly about hookups and rates for your lot, since neither policy publishes them.
- Pack an elevated fire pit. Digging one is prohibited.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is an Indy 500 RV campsite?
It depends which side of the track you are on. Indianapolis Motor Speedway publishes an interior RV Pass site of 25 by 60 feet and an exterior RV Pass site of 20 by 40 feet. The interior policy also states that a Class A or C RV may tow one vehicle, but that all of it must fit within the assigned space. Twenty feet of extra length is the difference between a coach with a towed car fitting and not fitting.
What is the curfew at Indy 500 camping?
The two policies differ by an hour. In the interior, from 12 a.m. until gates open, "guests must remain in their assigned campsite and must not enter any other part of the facility." In the exterior lots the equivalent rule runs from 1 a.m. to the time public gates open. The interior rule is also stricter in substance, because it confines you to your own campsite rather than to the campground.
How many wristbands come with an Indy 500 RV pass?
An exterior RV Pass comes with six wristbands and a Tent Pass with four. Additional wristbands are available up to ten per passholder, from the ticket office or the lot entrance between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. That requirement applies in Lot 1A and Lot 1C on May 21, 22, 23 and 24. In the interior, wristbands are mandatory for all guests aged 16 and over.
Can you bring pets to Indy 500 camping?
Not to the infield. The interior parking and camping policy states plainly that "Pets are not allowed." That is a straightforward planning constraint for anyone who was intending to bring an animal and camp inside the track, and it needs settling before travel rather than at the gate.
Are campfires allowed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
Only raised off the ground. Both policies permit campfires in "appropriate elevated devices such as a fire pit or grill," and the exterior policy adds that fires must not be left unattended, that ashes or coals must be properly disposed of, and that "Digging into the ground to create a fire pit is not permitted." Bring an elevated fire pit with legs.
Sources
Both Indianapolis Motor Speedway policies, checked September 7, 2026.
- IMS — Interior Parking & Camping Policies — the 25' x 60' RV, 20' x 40' pop-up and 20' x 20' tent sites, the towing rule, the midnight curfew, the 15-passenger daily parking limit, the 16-and-over wristband rule and the prohibition on pets.
- IMS — Exterior Parking & Camping Policies — the 20' x 40' RV and 20' x 20' tent sites, the six and four wristband allocations, the ten-per-passholder cap and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. sales window, the Lot 1A / 1C date restriction, the 1 a.m. curfew and the campfire rules.
More Motorsports Guides
Ben co-founded EventFleetRV and oversees all fleet operations and logistics. With extensive experience coordinating RV deployments for NASCAR events, major festivals, and corporate productions, he ensures every fleet delivery exceeds client expectations.
Interior or Exterior, Specced Correctly
Tell us which pass you hold and we will match the unit, and the tow vehicle, to the site you actually get.