Crews braved Monday's rain to rake up everything from beer cans to chicken bones left behind by droves of race fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Every year, volunteers from area nonprofit groups gather the day after the Indianapolis 500 to tackle mountains of trash, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.

"The Indianapolis Motor Speedway creates the second-largest city in Indiana on race day, and that means a lot of trash is generated," said spokesman Ron Green.

This year, volunteers from 24 nonprofit groups earned money for their organizations by taking on the messy task.

"It's good for our church and we do this and they give us money," said volunteer Michael Potter. "We use it to help our community."

Even Monday's downpour didn't deter the dedicated workers. In fact, some said it helped quell the usual post-race stench.

"We've never been rained on this hard before, but it pulls us all together and make you work harder," said volunteer Sharon Kitchens.

Despite the messy task, track officials said the cleanup detail is actually a coveted assignment.

"It's such a popular project around central Indiana that we have more than a two-year waiting list to get out here and clean the facility," Green said. "They get paid good money. It's important to them."

The goal is to have the entire track and all of the grandstands cleared by Wednesday.