ABC viewership of 99th Indianapolis 500 is highest since 2011; ESPN personnel 'immersed' in experience

By Dave Lewandowski | Published: May 26, 2015

Juan Pablo Montoya

ABC's telecast May 24 of the 99th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race earned its highest audience since its 2011 telecast of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

Nearly 6.4 million viewers tuned in -- from the in-depth and entertaining pre-race show to the scintillating 15-lap duel between Team Penske teammates that resulted in Juan Pablo Montoya's victory over Will Power by 0.1046 of a second (the fourth-closest finish in race history).

ABC has telecast the Indianapolis 500 for 51 consecutive years, and will provide race day coverage of the 100th edition on May 29, 2016. The network also telecast the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 9 and Indy 500 qualifications May 16 and 17.

Chief announcer Allen Bestwick and analysts Eddie Cheever Jr. and Scott Goodyear had the call of every twist and turn over the 200 laps. They'll be back this weekend as ABC telecasts both ends of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans on the 2.3-mile Belle Isle street course May 30-31 (3:30 p.m. ET). 

In addition to being televised in the United States on ABC, ESPN also distributes Verizon IndyCar Series race telecasts through a combination of ESPN networks and syndication to more than 200 countries and territories and more than 103 million homes. In addition, U.S. troops serving overseas and on Navy vessels around the world can watch live via a broadcast agreement between ESPN and the American Forces Network.

This year, ESPN Player is bringing fans across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (excluding the UK, France, Italy and South Africa) live and on-demand coverage of the Verizon IndyCar Series season as a channel on the digital subscription service. ESPN Player is available on Mac, PC, iPad, LG and Samsung Smart TVs, with high quality streaming on all devices. Information is available at ESPNPlayer.com.

Also over the race weekend, ESPN "SportsCenter" anchors and ESPN executives participated in an "immersion" program at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. By all accounts, it was quite an experience.

Read more about the immersion experience HERE and watch below.