Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

11 hours ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

13 hours ago

Wrestling Legend Hulk Hogan Dies at 71, TMZ Reports

14 hours ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

14 hours ago

Meme Stock Surge Underlines Market Froth, Mostly Centered on Retail Investors

14 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

15 hours ago

California Releases Teacher Data. It Shows Big Rise in Hispanic Teachers

15 hours ago

Biting a Bat and 5 Other Wild Moments From Ozzy Osbourne’s Life

16 hours ago

Henry Thompson Did Wonders for Fresno Airport, Leaves ‘Incredibly Big Shoes to Fill’

1 day ago
NBC Poised to Bring Unprecedented Indy 500 to Huge Audience Sunday
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
August 22, 2020

Share

Everything was new to Mike Tirico when he walked past the famed pagoda that dominates the front stretch at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, assumed his broadcast perch high above pit lane and proceeded to host his first Indy 500.

Now, all that was new has given way to unprecedented.

One year after NBC assumed the rights from longtime broadcaster ABC, the network is preparing to bring one of the iconic events in sports to a potentially record-setting television audience Sunday. The reasons are many, but the biggest are these: There remain far fewer live events than normal because of the COVID-19 pandemic, none of the 300,000 fans that turn out each year will be there in person, and the event itself still stirs a certain sense of Americana among race fans.

“We’re all taking different stock of the things we do professionally and personally,” Tirico said Wednesday, “and the chance to sit right there on the track with Danica Patrick and have the 33 cars behind us and the 300,00 people behind us is one of the coolest experiences I’ve had. We’ll miss those fans incredibly.

“But the Indy 500 is the Indy 500,” Tirico continued, “and there’s never been one like this year. So I’m looking forward to documenting that history and sharing it with the fans at home.”

How exactly do you share an event that is as much about the pomp and circumstance as the actual race, though, when most of that pomp and circumstance has been scaled back or eliminated altogether?

That is the challenge facing executive producer Sam Flood and the rest of the NBC broadcast crew.

There will be no Last Row Party, that event held every year since 1972 to roast the three slowest qualifies and raise money for charity. There will be no Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade on Saturday. The Purdue University All-American Marching Band has been the host band of the Indy 500 ever year since 1927, though it won’t be on pit lane pre-race this year.

There Will Certainly Be More Echos Inside the Grand Old Speedway

It doesn’t make sense to have the parade of military members down the front stretch, both because of social distancing and because the race is not being held on its traditional Memorial Day weekend. Or having the parade of vintage race cars, the celebrity red carpet, the iconic release of the balloons and some of the other programming that resonates mostly with fans in person but that also adds to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

“It’s sad that there won’t be that energy and ambiance we’re so used to with the parades and the pomp and really bringing the energy up as it does before every race,” said Patrick, who will again handle color commentary duties. “I mean, being a driver, there’s the canon. There’s the song and dance. There’s so many people flooding in and navigating spaces.”

There will certainly be more echos inside the grand old speedway, at least until the engines are fired. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of pageantry as new owner Roger Penske tries to bring a spectacular product to fans.

The anthem will be performed by Dr. Elvis Francois and Dr. William Robinson, a popular duo who have become known as the “Singing Surgeons.” Jim Cornelison will be back for the fourth time to perform “Back Home Again in Indiana,” and the famous Air Force Thunderbirds — who are always booked elsewhere for Memorial Day — will be doing the flyover.

Boles Pointed Out That While 300,000 Fans May Pack the Speedway Each Year

“The elements that you would expect that are really important are back,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles said. “Jim is back again and he’s so excited about the way he can interact with the fans. Part of Memorial Day weekend is to celebrate the men and women who serve. We’re in August this year, but a flyover with the Thunderbirds is a fitting tribute to those men and women. And they have a little twist up their sleeve this year.”

Boles pointed out that while 300,000 fans may pack the speedway each year, millions more make it appointment viewing on TV. And with a few exceptions — like the vast ocean of empty seats — their vantage point will be the same.

“I often say the most magical moment, at least for me, is the 30 minutes leading up tot he green flag at the Indianapolis 500 each year,” Boles said. “It’s steeped in tradition. It’s something you can count on year after year. And it seems to be more powerful each year, and more emotional for those of us that make that annual trek. So we thought it was so important for many of those elements to remain the same.”

As for the production itself, NBC has promised to meld the traditions that have made the Indy 500 with the new normal that has enveloped the world. At the same time, the network is hoping to deliver a broadcast that educates what could be one of the largest audiences in race history while also turning some casual fans into avid ones.

“This is the race event that even the pandemic isn’t going to stop,” said Leigh Diffey, who will handle the race call once the green flag drops. “For the Indy 500 to happen this year is just reward for the series and our production group, people you will never know their names or faces. They’ve worked so hard during this COVID-19 pandemic period to make things work under these very unusual circumstances.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

DON'T MISS

Hoover High School Coach Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

DON'T MISS

Hulk Hogan Is Gone, but Hulkamania Rolls On in Fresno and Around the Globe

DON'T MISS

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

DON'T MISS

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

DON'T MISS

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

DON'T MISS

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

DON'T MISS

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

DON'T MISS

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

UP NEXT

US Olympic Officials Bar Transgender Women From Women’s Competitions

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens Washington Stadium Deal Unless NFL Team Readopts Redskins Name

UP NEXT

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

UP NEXT

Wonderful Co. Has a New Face Promoting Pistachios: MVP Josh Allen

UP NEXT

Uber Named Official Rideshare, Delivery Partner for Los Angeles Games

UP NEXT

Trump to Attend Club World Cup Final, FIFA Opens Office in Trump Tower

UP NEXT

Houston Astros Donate $1M to Help Recovery From Texas Floods

UP NEXT

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

UP NEXT

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

UP NEXT

How Wimbledon Is Tackling Its Hottest Opening on Record

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

8 hours ago

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

8 hours ago

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

8 hours ago

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

9 hours ago

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

9 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

9 hours ago

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

10 hours ago

How Long Will Fresno’s Resort-Like Summer Weather Continue?

10 hours ago

Tulare County Judge Reduces Sentence for Teen Convicted in Killing Orosi Teacher

11 hours ago

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

11 hours ago

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

Fresno State’s first football practice of 2025 began with a flyover. While the military jet’s path may have been coincidental, t...

5 hours ago

5 hours ago

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

Miguel Lara, a Hoover High School soccer coach, was arrested Thursday for possessing child sexual abuse material, authorities said.
6 hours ago

Hoover High School Coach Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

6 hours ago

Hulk Hogan Is Gone, but Hulkamania Rolls On in Fresno and Around the Globe

8 hours ago

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell stands at the podium to address Judge Alison Nathan during her sentencing in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S. June 28, 2022. (Reuters File)
8 hours ago

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

8 hours ago

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

9 hours ago

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, looks on, before President Trump signs the "Genius Act", which will develop regulatory framework for stablecoin cryptocurrencies and expand oversight of the industry, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
9 hours ago

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend