May is race month and right around the corner. And no race is as big as the 500 in Indy. To really enjoy it, however, it’s best to have your Indianapolis 500 tickets in hand and see it live.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a number of great places to sit, all of which require some sort of ticket. So, where do you sit?

There is nowhere to sit at IMS to see the entire track. The closest you can get to that is by sitting in a corner and seeing about half the track. For instance, sitting in turn 4 you could see the cars coming in and out of turn 3, around the corner, and back up the main straightaway. Broadly speaking, though, the higher up you can get the better the view. The wall around the track may block your view if your seats are too low. Sitting up higher allows you to easily see over the fence, depending on what section your seat is in. This lets you get a broader view of the track. Stand E is very popular, but the high seats up there have many obstacles in your line of sight: support beams, camera cages, and a roof.

All of these obstructions are because of the upper decks in those stands (A, E, Paddock).

Despite the drawbacks I mentioned it is good to remember this rule of thumb for Indianapolis 500 tickets: There are no bad seats. Unfortunately, there are no best seats, either. It all depends on what it is you want to see. There are great seats for any possible view, whether the pits, the front straight, the front line, the first turn, the winner’s circle, or the crowds in the infield is your spectacle of choice. Maps of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are readily available. So, pick a place where you can get the view you most want. Once you’ve done that then think about comfort.

Most of the stands are typical bench-style seats like you’d find in most sports park seating, from little leagues to arena football. Stand B has folding chairs, if you’d prefer a more supportive seat. The Penthouse (those upper decks in A, E, and Paddock we mentioned earlier) have benches with backs. The Paddock sections have backs as well, but the box seats in that area do not. The Tower Terrace has aluminum benches with backs, too. Of course, you could grab some general admission tickets and sit on one of the grassy viewing hills in the infield.

Besides general seat comfort, another thing to consider is weather. Indiana weather is as fickle as can be. One year the weather might be 95 degrees and high humidity, the next rainy, in the 40s, and windy. The top row of most of the stands tend to be the most vulnerable to wind and rain.

An Indianapolis 500 ticket is a ticket to a great time. Good weather or bad, it’s a blast! And the only bad seat is the one not at the track.