‘Back Home Again’ To Give Inside Look at 2019 Indy 500 May 24 on NBC Sports
Four-Hour Program To Provide Interviews, In-Depth Commentary from Pagenaud, Rossi, More
Key Points
•Program from 2-6 p.m. (ET) Sunday, May 24 features special encore presentation of thrilling 2019 Indianapolis 500, including enhanced race presentation with exclusive commentary from winner Simon Pagenaud, runner-up Alexander Rossi
•NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico to interview Pagenaud, Rossi at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
•Pre-race coverage to honor military traditions of Indianapolis 500, recognize healthcare workers on front lines of COVID-19 pandemic
•Program to include essay by NBC Sports’ Tim Layden honoring Indianapolis 500 and return of racing, preview by NBC Sports lead INDYCAR voice Leigh Diffey of 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season debut Saturday, June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway on NBCSN
INDIANAPOLIS (May 14, 2020) – Indianapolis 500 winners Simon Pagenaud and Alexander Rossi will join NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico for an enhanced encore presentation of the 2019 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge – “Indy 500 Special: Back Home Again” – at 2 p.m. (ET) Sunday, May 24 on NBC, celebrating “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and providing fans with exclusive, new content from the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The enhanced presentation will feature a pre-race conversation on site from Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Tirico, 2019 winner Pagenaud and 2016 winner and last year’s runner-up Rossi alongside the famed Yard of Bricks.
Once the green flag drops on the race encore, Pagenaud and Rossi will provide exclusive commentary during the broadcast, sharing their personal perspectives on key moments throughout the race and their memorable back-and-forth battle which punctuated NBC Sports’ inaugural Indy 500 broadcast last year.
“The goal of our enhanced broadcast is to honor the traditions of ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ and re-live elements of last year’s race through Simon Pagenaud and Alexander Rossi as they battled back-and-forth to the checkered flag,” said Sam Flood, executive producer and president, production, NBC and NBCSN. “We know the excitement, anticipation and intensity will be that much higher for the 2020 Indianapolis 500 on Aug. 23 on NBC, and we’re excited for the return of INDYCAR at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6 on NBCSN.”
Said Penske Entertainment Corp. President & CEO Mark Miles: “For more than a century, the Indy 500 at the Racing Capital of the World has served as a powerful and stirring tribute to our nation’s shared history of service, sacrifice and excellence. While this Memorial Day weekend will certainly be different, we’re pleased to join our partners at NBC Sports in continuing this tradition through this special TV presentation. We look forward to recognizing both our military and front-line COVID-19 heroes while providing motorsports fans some intense and behind-the-scenes INDYCAR action through the race replay.”
The enhanced broadcast will also feature traditional pre-race elements to recognize the military traditions of the Indy 500, as well as special additions to honor those who are currently fighting on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coverage will also include an essay by Tim Layden on a look at a different “Month of May” and a look ahead to the return of racing at IMS. NBC Sports’ lead INDYCAR play-by-play voice Leigh Diffey will provide commentary looking ahead to the start of the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Saturday, June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway, on NBCSN.
NBC Sports’ inaugural presentation of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on NBC in 2019 averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 5.475 million viewers, up 11 percent vs. the 2018 race (TV-only 4.913 million, ABC). Overall, viewership for the 2019 INDYCAR season on NBC and NBCSN (16 races) was up 9 percent vs. 2018 season viewership (ABC, NBCSN, digital).
Sources: Kate Davis/INDYCAR PR