By Dr. Michael C. Johnson

INDIANAPOLIS – Over 300,000 people will stream into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend to watch the world’s greatest auto race, the Indianapolis 500.   Chances are ninety-nine percent of the crowd will never notice or see 15 tiny little houses on wheels in the middle of the infield or the small tents near them.

May 18, 2018; Speedway, IN, USA; Tiny houses sit on the other side of the catch-fence on Hulman Drive during practice for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Penngrade Motor Oil. Credit: Michael C. Johnson

Tucked away next to a lake on the golf course of the historical 2.5 mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, these boutique style tiny houses and camping tents are ready to host some very lucky residents for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.TM    

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is so massive that inside the famous Brickyard infield would fit Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, the White House, the Roman Coliseum, the Rose Bowl Stadium, Liberty Island, the Taj Mahal and all of Vatican City.

That still leaves room in the infield for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, the garage area known as Gasoline Alley, multiple grandstands that ring the track, the four-story media center, the 13-story pagoda, four holes of the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, where the tiny houses are located, and an infield road-racing course.

It is easy to see why the small little 3000 square feet occupied by these tiny houses could get lost in this massive mecca of racing that was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1975 and named a National Historical Landmark in 1987.

Gridlock around the speedway is common by 5:00 am on the morning of the Indy 500.  Close to a half million people are trying to get to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which sits in the middle of a residential area known as Speedway, Indiana.

May 18, 2018; Speedway, IN, USA; The inside of one of the tiny houses during practice for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Penngrade Motor Oil. Credit: Michael C. Johnson

Normally this sleepy little berg has around 12,000 residents, but on race day it swells to accommodate the largest single day sporting event in the world.

It is common for race fans to pay up to $50 to park in the front yard of a Speedway, Indiana resident.  Sometimes the parking even comes with a free turkey leg if you get there early enough.  But for the special few people occupying the unique small plot of land dubbed the Tiny House Hotel, traffic will not be a problem.

The Tiny House Hotel sits just yards away from the famous infield snake pit, the largest race day party of any race track in the world.  The miniature chateaus butt right up to the catch-fence on Tony Hulman Drive, part of the infield road-racing course which runs right down the middle of Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield.

Thousands of fans will walk down Hulman Drive on race day and the 12 foot tall catch-fence from the road-racing course should keep the curious party patrons from the Snake Pit out of the quaint little village.

Each tiny house is packed with a host of amenities that have never before been offered to race fans in the 102-year history of the Memorial Day Classic.

May 18, 2018; Speedway, IN, USA; Maggie Daniels shows off one of her tiny houses during practice for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Penngrade Motor Oil. Credit: Michael C. Johnson

Maggie Daniels, the daughter of former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, owns the Tiny House Hotel and her company, Try-It-Tiny.  The 15 units are each about 200 square feet inside and are brand new according to Daniels.

These luxury tiny houses provide a new and innovative way to provide the 50 to 60 patrons the most unique accommodations ever offered at the World’s Greatest Race Course.TM

Compact kitchens with high-end finishes, modern bathrooms, air conditioners, sleeping quarters and fantastic views await the special patrons of the Tiny House Hotel.  The 15 units sleep 2 to 4 race fans and sold out within hours of being offered on-line.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will refill each of the tiny houses with 40 gallons of water daily and each unit has a microwave, stovetop, refrigerator and shower.

The houses also include a dinning table, queen beds with all bedding, kitchen and bathroom sinks, 24 hour ice availability, access to outdoor furniture and 24-hour security.

Each tiny house in the Tiny House Hotel rents for $3,000 race weekend. For that price race fans get four nights in a brand-new tiny house, a parking permit for race weekend, bell hop luggage service for arrival and departure times, and four tickets to Carb Day (Friday), Legends Day (Friday), and Indy 500 race day (Sunday).

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will also provide concierge service for the entire weekend.

Daniels said that the tiny houses are built to tiny house certifications and are completely mobile.  “These tiny houses can be pulled with a regular driver’s license and do not take a CDL or Commercial Driver’s License,” stated Daniels.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is all about history.  It is steeped in tradition.  From the singing of Back Home Again in Indiana, the balloon launch, kissing the bricks after a win, to the drinking of milk in Victory Lane, the speedway revolves around traditions both new and old.

Last year during the month of May the houses were located in private backyards in Speedway.  This year the roving hotel made the jump to the infield to create another first in the history of the motor racing capitol of the world, which opened in 1909.

Daniel had the hotel on wheels at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Virginia last month for the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500.  The Tiny House Hotel will move to back to Bristol on August 18^th for the NASCAR Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race.

The Tiny House Hotel returns to the Verizon IndyCar Series at Gateway Motorsports Park for the Bommarito 500 on August 26 in St. Louis, Missouri.  Daniel’s stated that more racing dates are coming and fans should check the website at tryittiny.com to see additional venues that the mobile hotel will be visiting.

Located next to the Tiny House Hotel on the lake in the infield is Glamptown, luxury camping provided by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that offers the amenities of a hotel while staying in a tent.

The five-day package for two guest runs between $1200 and $1500 and includes a pre-setup Glamping tent, all bedding, beside table, 2 chairs, one table and one area rug.  The Glamptown will provide race fans private showers and air-conditioned, flushable toilets in separate mobile trailers.

Patrons in Glamptown will also receive a parking pass and general admission tickets similar to the Tiny House Hotel guest.   Glamptown is also sold out for the 102^nd Running of the Indy 500.

The only thing better than staying in the Tiny House Hotel on race weekend would be sitting around the fire in front of your tiny house having a BBQ dinner the night before the Indy 500 with four-time winner, A.J. Foyt.

Look for these tiny houses to become a fixture of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, just like the bottle of milk in Victory Lane.