Eater's guide to the 2024 Indianapolis 500. What's back, what's new and what's worth it

Bradley Hohulin, Indianapolis Star
Updated ·4 min read

In 200 laps at the Indianapolis 500, drivers burn through thousands of gallons of gasoline and hundreds of tires, each doing everything possible to get the most out of the car.

I recently pushed my own physical vessel to its limits at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when I attended a tasting event for the raceway’s 2024 concessions. Fueled by sheer ambition and a 23-year-old metabolism, I ate more than a dozen new items that will be available for spectators at the 108th Indy 500 on May 26.

Here’s a rundown of what’s new, what’s returning and what’s worth your finite money and appetite.

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There's a new cook in the kitchen, but don't freak out

After 10 years with Levy Restaurants, IMS recently named Aramark Sports and Entertainment as its new concessions provider. If you’re worried the change will drastically shake up the menu, relax. IMS spent a year and a half pinning down Levy’s successor; it’s not suddenly going to get rid of the tenderloins.

Douglas Moody, Executive Sous Chef at Aramark Sports and Entertainment, left, and O’Brien Tingling, Director of Culinary, right, pose for a portrait behind their Logo’d Tomahawk Steak on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, during an Indianapolis Motor Speedway suite and hospitality tasting event at the IMS Gallagher Pavilion in Indianapolis. According to Aramark Sports and Entertainment, the Logo’d Tomahawk Steak is a featured suite preorder item that includes a “40 oz. Tomahawk steak with a custom etched bone, served with grilled asparagus, crushed herb fingerling potatoes, and poached garlic, with a side of mushroom demi sauce.”

Most typical race day staples are back. You’ll find pork tenderloins ($12.50), chicken tender baskets ($12), nachos ($6) and hot dogs ($6) throughout the circuit. There’s also plenty of beer, although the penny pincher in me can’t help but recommend packing a cooler full of the most drinkable suds you can find at your local grocery store — beers at the track will run you at least $8.25 each.

Another fan favorite, Texas-based Filipino barbecue vendor Ardy’s Kabobs, is back at the Pagoda Plaza this year. These tender pork and chicken kabobs deliver a sweet, sticky glaze and crunchy blackened bits to your mouth via one of the world’s most efficient food delivery systems: a pointy stick. If your body is begging you for something to counter all the cheese and grease, a lean pork or chicken skewer goes a long way. Trust me.

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New concessions include short rib coney dogs, tenderloin fries

O’Brien Tingling, regional executive chef at Aramark, brings a blend of traditional stadium food and upscale flavors to this year’s menu. Take the short rib coney dog ($10, various locations), a frankfurter doused in short rib chili, cheese sauce and slivers of fried jalapeño peppers.

The jalapeño crisps add much-needed crunch to the somewhat homogenous payload of spiced pork. Which will be compromised first: the structural integrity of the bun, the front of your shirt or both in rapid succession?

Aramark Sports and Entertainment’s short rib coney dogs are on display, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, during an Indianapolis Motor Speedway suite and hospitality tasting event at the IMS Gallagher Pavilion in Indianapolis. According to Aramark Sports and Entertainment, the short rib coney dogs are one of five featured concession items and include a “hot dog piled high with short rib, cheese sauce, and fried jalapeños.” The concession item can be ordered at various locations throughout the Speedway during this year’s Indianapolis 500.

The coney reminds me of the Ballpark hot dogs my dad, brother and I would grill and flood with Hormel chili and mustard on camping trips. It’s far from the quintessential all-beef hot dog that snaps between your teeth, but I looked forward to those late-night fireside dinners for a reason.

For me, the superior twist on a gameday staple was the al pastor burger ($16, Pagoda Plaza stand). Grilled pineapple joins strips of candied bacon and pickled onion on an Angus beef slider. Turns out, smoky citrus and aggressively fresh cilantro crema is a simple but devastating burger topping combination. If I hadn’t had other eating obligations, I think I could have smashed roughly 13 of these.

Aramark Sports and Entertainment’s Al Pastor Burgers are on display, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, during an Indianapolis Motor Speedway suite and hospitality tasting event at the IMS Gallagher Pavilion in Indianapolis. According to Aramark Sports and Entertainment, the Al Pastor Burgers are one of five featured concession items and includes a “grilled angus burger topped with pineapple and rum glazed candied bacon, pickled red onion, grilled pineapple, and cilantro crema.” The concession item can be ordered at the Pagoda Plaza Stand during this year’s Indianapolis 500.

Where there’s a burger, there ought to be fries. The most distinctly Hoosier dish on the menu is the loaded tenderloin fries (stands 8 and 11), which features spuds and strips of sliced pork tenderloin dotted with cheese, coffee-infused red-eye gravy and pepper relish.

The fries are on the thicker side, able to support the clumps of cheese and drizzles of gravy, while the faintly tart relish adds crunch and brightness to cut through the grease. Although I don’t feign to be a tenderloin connoisseur, the crispy strips of hammered-thin pork brought a welcome savory bite. If you’re a purist who can’t accept a tenderloin that couldn’t serve as a frisbee in a pinch, you can find classic tenderloin sandwiches throughout the raceway.

Aramark Sports and Entertainment’s Loaded Tenderloin Fries are on display, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, during an Indianapolis Motor Speedway suite and hospitality tasting event at the IMS Gallagher Pavilion in Indianapolis. According to Aramark Sports and Entertainment, the Loaded Tenderloin Fries are one of five featured concession items and include “fries loaded with hand-breaded diced pork tenderloin, red eye gravy and pickled pepper relish.” The concession item can be ordered at Stands 8 and 11 during this year’s Indianapolis 500.

Curds and Cakes’ oversized jalapeño cheese curds (turn 1) are a surefire crowd pleaser, humming with mild heat and squeaking with melty Wisconsin cheddar. It’s the perfect — which is to say, minimal — amount of spice for the type of Midwesterner for whom no meal is complete without a little ranch dressing. If that’s you, great news: the curds come with ranch. Personally, I was thrilled.

Curds & Cakes, Inc.’s creamy cheese curds and zesty jalapeño cheese curds are on display, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, during an Indianapolis Motor Speedway suite and hospitality tasting event at the IMS Gallagher Pavilion in Indianapolis. According to Aramark Sports and Entertainment, the concession item can be ordered at the Turn 1 Concessions during this year’s Indianapolis 500.

You can bring your own food and drink — just follow the rules

As an incurable cheapskate, I completely understand those who would rather supply their own concessions. IMS allows attendees to bring coolers no larger than 18 inches x 15 inches x 15 inches, and you can fill them with just about anything that isn’t in a glass container.

While I had a blast eating an ungodly amount of concessions food, I’ll always relate to the proud packers. Coleman coolers and cold cuts are in my DNA.

That said, I can only ignore the sweet siren song of a chili dog for so long.

Contact dining reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@gannett.com. You can follow him on Twitter/X @BradleyHohulin.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What to eat at the 2024 Indianapolis 500