Brickyard Weekend Takes Over: NASCAR Thunder, Monster Trucks & Friday Night Bass
The 317 goes full throttle with the Brickyard 400, glow-in-the-dark monster trucks at Gainbridge, and a stacked Friday of shows from Broad Ripple to Carmel.
The 317 hits the gas this weekend and doesn’t let up. NASCAR’s biggest stars descend on the Racing Capital of the World for the Brickyard 400, glow-in-the-dark monster trucks crush cars at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and Friday night splits three ways — bass drops on the White River, a legend at the Palladium, and a sold-out emo party in Broad Ripple. Here’s how Circle City rolls July 24–26.
🏁 Brickyard 400 presented by PPG (NASCAR Cup Series)
Sunday, Jul 26 @ 2:00 PM
NASCAR’s American Summer Classic returns to the Racing Capital of the World as the Cup Series runs 160 laps on the famed 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, capped by the winner’s traditional kiss of the Yard of Bricks. It’s the crown jewel of a full Brickyard Weekend that runs Friday through Sunday, with the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Pennzoil 250 on Saturday, July 25 as the undercard. Sunday tickets start at $45, Saturday at $40, and kids 15 and under get in free with a General Admission adult — one of the best family deals in big-league sports. Gates open at 10 AM Sunday with the green flag at 2 PM, and expect the whole west side of Naptown to be buzzing all weekend. All ages.
The Move: Race traffic works up an appetite — swing through Hotboys Indianapolis at 1004 Virginia Avenue in Fountain Square before or after the checkered flag; it’s an easy pit stop on your way back through downtown Indy.
📍 Get tickets at ticketmaster.com
🚚 Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-N-Fire
Saturday, Jul 25 @ 11:30 AM & 6:30 PM
Life-sized, glow-in-the-dark Hot Wheels monster trucks storm Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a weekend of car-crushing chaos. Fan favorites Bone Shaker, Mega Wrex, Tiger Shark, Bigfoot, and Skelesaurus — a fire-breathing robot dinosaur — share the dirt with the all-new Rhinomite truck and FMX riders throwing down a never-before-seen no-handed front flip. VIP packages get you into the pre-show party to see the trucks up close. With a matinee at 11:30 AM (doors 10:30) and an evening show at 6:30 PM (doors 5:30) Saturday, plus additional performances Sunday, Jul 26, this is the easiest family win of the weekend in downtown Circle City. All ages.
The Move: Gainbridge Fieldhouse is barely a mile from Hotboys Indianapolis at 1004 Virginia Avenue — grab lunch in Fountain Square before the matinee or refuel the crew after the evening show.
📍 Get tickets at ticketmaster.com
🔊 Levity x Tape B Present: Summer Program
Friday, Jul 24 @ 7:00 PM
Two of the hottest names in bass music, Tape B and Levity, bring their co-headlining Summer Program tour to the open-air Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park on the banks of the White River. The 12-city Live Nation amphitheater run was built for exactly this — peak-summer, under-the-stars, bass-heavy energy in one of downtown Indy’s best outdoor venues. A dollar from every ticket goes to the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention through PLUS1. If you want to kick off the weekend loud, this is the Friday night move in the 317. All ages.
The Move: Pre-game the bass drops with Hotboys Indianapolis at 1004 Virginia Avenue in Fountain Square — it’s a quick shot down Virginia Ave to White River State Park before doors.
📍 Get tickets at ticketmaster.com
🎤 Art Garfunkel: What a Wonderful World Celebration
Friday, Jul 24 @ 8:00 PM
The Voice of Generations comes to Carmel’s acoustically stunning Payne & Mencias Palladium. Art Garfunkel — Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, eight-time Grammy winner, and one of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Singers of All Time — brings his What a Wonderful World Celebration to the crown jewel of the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts. Expect Simon & Garfunkel classics and solo gems in a room built to make every note land. Tickets start at $55 with military and first-responder rates available, and this is part of the Center Presents Encore Series, so it’s a proper night out on the north side. All ages.
The Move: Make it a full Carmel evening — Hotboys North Indy at 4335 W 106th St, Suite 1300 is minutes from the Palladium, perfect for a pre-show dinner before curtain at 8.
📍 Get tickets at thecenterpresents.org
🖤 The Emo Night Tour (21+)
Friday, Jul 24 @ 8:00 PM
Broad Ripple’s legendary Vogue Theatre hosts The Emo Night Tour, the 21+ scream-along party where the mid-2000s never ended — think My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Taking Back Sunday anthems all night long. The show is officially sold out through The Vogue’s box office, which tells you everything about how hard Naptown goes for this one, but resale tickets were still floating around secondary markets in the $26–$42 range at press time. If you can snag a way in, it’s the rowdiest Friday night in the city. 21+.
The Move: Line your stomach before the emo catharsis — Hotboys Indianapolis at 1004 Virginia Avenue is open until 9 PM Sundays through Thursdays, so hit the Fountain Square spot early Friday evening before heading up College Ave to Broad Ripple.
📍 Check resale tickets at ticketmaster.com
The Hotboys Connection
From the roar of 160 laps at the Brickyard to fire-breathing robot dinosaurs at Gainbridge, bass shaking the White River, Simon & Garfunkel classics in Carmel, and emo anthems in Broad Ripple — the 317 runs every lane this weekend. We’ve got tenders on both ends of the metro to fuel every stop.
- Indianapolis: 1004 Virginia Avenue — Fountain Square HQ for Gainbridge, White River State Park, and your Brickyard pit stop (11am – 9pm Sun – Thurs).
- North Indy / Carmel: 4335 W 106th St, Suite 1300 — minutes from the Palladium and the move for everything up north (11am – 9pm Sun – Thurs).
Green flags, glow trucks, bass drops, and a living legend — Naptown goes full throttle this weekend. Kiss the bricks and let’s ride, Circle City. 🔥