What’s historically known as the greatest college weekend in America, won’t be much of a college weekend at all, not centered around the races anyway.

The 2021 Men’s and Women’s Little 500 will take place on a delayed May 26th date. This change means the race will take place after the spring 2021 semester, and after seniors graduate, for the first time in IU history.

Although disappointed, students are not letting the delay affect their plans.

“A lot of people are still going to party and go out and tailgate in their backyards or go to bars and stuff,” IU sophomore Brette Fawcett said. “I’m disappointed, but I know this is what we have to do to get back to not having to wear a masks and going back to normal.”

While the date change will impact IU students, Riders Council Vice President and Phi Gamma Delta rider Matt Cooper said the riders of the Little 500 are itching for the race to happen after last year’s cancellation.

“A lot of people kind of lost hope last year with it being cancelled on such short notice and I really think this gives riders hope for not only this year, but for years to come,” Cooper said.

A potential benefit of the delay is it will allow more time for riders to practice in warm weather, giving participants more opportunities to prepare in real race day scenarios.

But with no qualifications, races on a Wednesday in late May, and no fans in the stands, the race will be like everything this year — different.

“It’s not the perfect situation,” Cooper said. “There’s definitely riders that will possibly not be able to make it or not be able to compete at peak performance, due to jobs or internships or summer vacation. But it’s the happy medium we were given by the university and we plan to make the most of it.”

There is still no formal statement from IU Student Foundation on actual race day logistics. More information will be provided in the weeks to come.