ABC will televise the Indianapolis 500 for the 48th consecutive year on May 27. An extension signed in 2011 keeps the 500 Mile Race on ABC through 2018.
A one-hour show airing at 11 a.m. (ET) leads into the race telecast presented by GoDaddy.com at noon. TSN in Canada parallels the ABC broadcast. In total, 181 countries will receive the ESPN International feed.
IMS Radio Network affiliates, XM channel 94, Sirius channel 212 and the Armed Forces Radio Network also will carry the race. Real-time Timing & Scoring complemented by the IMS Radio Network call will be available on www.indycar.com.
Marty Reid is the lead announcer, with analysis by former Indy car driver Scott Goodyear and 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever. Brent Musburger will host the telecast, while Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch report from pit lane.
ESPN’s production will utilize more than 80 cameras, including four on 12 different cars. ESPN will make use of dual-path technology, which permits views from two onboard cameras on the same car at the same time. Viewers also will have a choice of live streaming video from the onboard cameras on ESPN3 if they receive their Internet or video subscription from an affiliated provider. CLICK HERE TO LAUNCH
“Many months of work behind the scenes in developing our plan and our strategy to cover this year's 500 as we enter into a new era with the new cars and hopefully developing some new stars,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN's vice president, motorsports. “As has been ABC's tradition and ESPN's for many, many years, we plan on introducing several production and technical innovation firsts in this year's telecast, which we hope will provide some compelling pictures and sounds and storytelling for our fans.
“We are exuberated by what we think will be great story lines in the race. I really think that we're in good shape this year to offer a wonderful telecast for all our fans.”
A ceremony will be held during the prerace festivities to honor Dan Wheldon, the 2011 Indy 500 winner who died from injuries suffered in a racing accident in October, which will complement the network’s special segment.
"We're going to air a tribute to Dan that celebrates his life and certainly touches upon the thrilling victory that he achieved last year," Feinberg said. "We'll also touch on the tragedy of Las Vegas. For many viewers, and for the sport, this is the first time we've seen oval racing, not only in these cars, but since the tough and horrible events of last year's Las Vegas race.
"The feature is a touching tribute to him. It's not meant to be an analytical breakdown of what happened in Las Vegas."