Cannot independently verify this (so take with a grain of salt), but have been told what lead to the #Indy500 fan ban.

One local official and one current IMS partner chose to deny IMS the necessary resources to run the event safely with fans in attendance.

My guess is the partnership will be over as soon as contractually possible.

So what you have been told is true, from a certain point of view. Penske did get rid of fans on safety measures, but not at any fault of the Speedway.

And I won't name names as of right now, but if you've been paying attention, you should be able to read between the lines.