The Indianapolis 500 — which is normally viewed by hundreds of thousands of spectators — will be run in August in front of a crowd capped at 50% capacity, track officials say. Here, cars race in front of fans during last year’s event.

Darron Cummings/AP

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Darron Cummings/AP

The Indianapolis 500 — which is normally viewed by hundreds of thousands of spectators — will be run in August in front of a crowd capped at 50% capacity, track officials say. Here, cars race in front of fans during last year’s event.

Darron Cummings/AP

Spectators are welcome to attend the Indianapolis 500 in August, track officials said Friday, adding that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the venue will be limited to 50% of its normal capacity.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway normally accommodates hundreds of thousands of people for the landmark race.

“We’re committed to running the Indy 500 on Sunday, Aug. 23 and will welcome fans to the world’s greatest racing venue,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said.

In addition to reducing capacity at the venue, Boles said, track officials are also finalizing “additional carefully considered health and safety measures,” adding that specific details will emerge in the near future.

Reporting on the venue’s normal capacity, the Indy Star newspaper notes that it recently estimated the raceway has 235,000 seats in its grandstand. The 2.5-mile oval also has numerous suites and a large infield.

The race was originally scheduled for late May; it was postponed due to the coronavirus.

As track officials encouraged spectators to buy or reserve tickets online for the Indy 500 in August, they also said people age 65 or older, or anyone with underlying health conditions, should stay home, citing health experts’ safety recommendations.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is set to host racing on the upcoming Fourth of July weekend — but that event will not include spectators. Track officials note that Marion County, which includes Indianapolis, is currently in Stage 3 of the reopening process — one step behind most other counties in the state.

Most of Indiana is poised to enter Stage 5 on July 4, which would allow sports venues to hold events while observing social distancing.

Indiana reported 510 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing its total to 44,140, according to member station WFYI.

Roughly a quarter of Indiana’s overall cases have been reported in Marion County — but so far in June, the county has seen less than 100 cases each day, according to the state health department.

Regarding the state’s level of testing, WFYI reports, “As of Friday, the results of 453,890 COVID-19 tests had been reported to the ISDH, with just under 10 percent positive for the disease.”