Column: Vaccine the key to getting 135,000 into Indy 500
People drive up for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination on Saturday, April 24, 2021, at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. With a green light from federal health officials, several states resumed use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on Saturday. Among the venues where it's being deployed is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where free vaccinations were available to anyone 18 or older. (Michelle Pemberton/The Indianapolis Star via AP)

People drive up for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination on Saturday, April 24, 2021, at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. With a green light from federal health officials, several states resumed use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on Saturday. Among the venues where it's being deployed is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where free vaccinations were available to anyone 18 or older. (Michelle Pemberton/The Indianapolis Star via AP)

Apr. 24, 2021 03:07 PM EDT
FILE - Fans watch the running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race in the first turn at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, in this Sunday, May 28, 2017, file photo. The Indianapolis 500 will be the largest sporting event since the start of the pandemic with 135,000 spectators permitted to attend “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next month. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Wednesday, April 21, 2021, it worked with the Marion County Public Health Department to determine 40% of venue capacity can attend the May 30 race. (AP Photo/R Brent Smith, File)

FILE - Fans watch the running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race in the first turn at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, in this Sunday, May 28, 2017, file photo. The Indianapolis 500 will be the largest sporting event since the start of the pandemic with 135,000 spectators permitted to attend “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next month. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Wednesday, April 21, 2021, it worked with the Marion County Public Health Department to determine 40% of venue capacity can attend the May 30 race. (AP Photo/R Brent Smith, File)

Apr. 21, 2021 03:00 PM EDT
Police vehicles line the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Thursday, April 16, 2020, before the funeral of slain Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Breann Leath. There are more than 300 acres inside the gates of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, enough room to fit Vatican City, Yankee Stadium, The White House, Liberty Island, the Taj Majal, Roman Colosseum, Churchill Downs and the Rose Bowl. All at the same time. So if there's a facility that can safely host 135,000 fans during a pandemic, it would be Indianapolis. The speedway has been approved to host 40% its capacity for the Indy 500 next month, which will make it the largest sporting event since the start of the pandemic. (The Indianapolis Star via AP)

Police vehicles line the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Thursday, April 16, 2020, before the funeral of slain Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Breann Leath. There are more than 300 acres inside the gates of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, enough room to fit Vatican City, Yankee Stadium, The White House, Liberty Island, the Taj Majal, Roman Colosseum, Churchill Downs and the Rose Bowl. All at the same time. So if there's a facility that can safely host 135,000 fans during a pandemic, it would be Indianapolis. The speedway has been approved to host 40% its capacity for the Indy 500 next month, which will make it the largest sporting event since the start of the pandemic. (The Indianapolis Star via AP)

Apr. 26, 2021 12:47 PM EDT
FILE - Scott Dixon, of New Zealand, leads the pack of cars past empty stands in the early laps of the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, in this Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020, file photo. The Indianapolis 500 will be the largest sporting event since the start of the pandemic with 135,000 spectators permitted to attend “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next month. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Wednesday, April 21, 2021, it worked with the Marion County Public Health Department to determine 40% of venue capacity can attend the May 30 race. (AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)

FILE - Scott Dixon, of New Zealand, leads the pack of cars past empty stands in the early laps of the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, in this Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020, file photo. The Indianapolis 500 will be the largest sporting event since the start of the pandemic with 135,000 spectators permitted to attend “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next month. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Wednesday, April 21, 2021, it worked with the Marion County Public Health Department to determine 40% of venue capacity can attend the May 30 race. (AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)

Apr. 21, 2021 03:03 PM EDT
Fred Marshall, 34, Valpersisa Gainers, 46, of Largo, Sameh Youssef, 63, and Christina Youssef, 46, of Palmetto, enter the grandstands at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, April 25, 2021. (Ivy Ceballo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Fred Marshall, 34, Valpersisa Gainers, 46, of Largo, Sameh Youssef, 63, and Christina Youssef, 46, of Palmetto, enter the grandstands at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, April 25, 2021. (Ivy Ceballo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Apr. 26, 2021 02:02 PM EDT
People drive up for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination on Saturday, April 24, 2021, at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. With a green light from federal health officials, several states resumed use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on Saturday. Among the venues where it's being deployed is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where free vaccinations were available to anyone 18 or older. (Michelle Pemberton/The Indianapolis Star via AP)

People drive up for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination on Saturday, April 24, 2021, at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. With a green light from federal health officials, several states resumed use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on Saturday. Among the venues where it's being deployed is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where free vaccinations were available to anyone 18 or older. (Michelle Pemberton/The Indianapolis Star via AP)

Apr. 24, 2021 03:09 PM EDT
IndyCar driver Jimmie Johnson (48) signs the shirt of fan Caroline Gast of Sarasota after the morning practice session at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, April 25, 2021 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

IndyCar driver Jimmie Johnson (48) signs the shirt of fan Caroline Gast of Sarasota after the morning practice session at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, April 25, 2021 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Apr. 25, 2021 03:49 PM EDT