Sunday
Jul252021
JULY 28, 2021
Sunday, July 25, 2021 at 02:39PM 
INDYCAR and NBC Sports announced a multiyear extension of their media rights agreement. From the Press Release:
NBC Sports will continue to be the exclusive home of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge – “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – and will provide coverage of all NTT INDYCAR SERIES races, qualifying, practices and Indy Lights races across its linear, digital and streaming platforms, including Peacock. Financial terms were not disclosed. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will see a significant increase in network exposure in 2022, with 13 races broadcast on NBC. USA Network and Peacock Premium will show the remaining races. Telemundo Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage of the season-opening race, the Indianapolis 500 and the season finale. Peacock will stream all races on NBC and USA Network and will continue as the streaming home of NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying and practices sessions, Indy Lights races and full-event replays. Peacock will stream two races exclusively, which will be announced at a later date.
The media rights extension comes on the heels of viewership milestones for NBC Sports' coverage of both the Indianapolis 500 and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on NBC was the most-watched edition of the race since the 100th Running in 2016, and NBC Sports is off to its most-watched NTT INDYCAR SERIES season ever through the first nine races of 2021, with viewership up 30% vs. comparable coverage in 2020. The full 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES coverage schedule on NBC, USA Network and Peacock will be announced in the coming months. All coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will be available on Peacock Premium. Viewers can sign up and learn more here. Peacock is currently available across devices; more details here. Peacock Premium is included at no additional cost for Comcast’s eligible Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and Cox Contour customers.
(Chris Owens/Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears, the first race car drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 four times, have been photographed together many times over the years, including a famous session for the cover of the event’s official program in 2013. But with each passing year, it seemed those images might stand as a permanent reflection of Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s most prestigious club. After all, 29 races were held following Mears’ fourth “500” in 1991, and while a few drivers earned their second win during that time, only Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti notched a third. Franchitti ran his last “500” in 2013, the year after scoring victory No. 3. With so much parity in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Castroneves turning 46 prior to this year’s race and switching teams – from Team Penske to Meyer Shank Racing – the odds of him winning a fourth didn’t seem as good as they had been in years past. But when Castroneves held off Alex Palou for the victory in the 105th Running on May 30, everyone knew a new gathering of “The Club” needed to take place. That meeting was held Tuesday (7/20) in Indianapolis. And yes, plenty of new photographs were taken. IMS photographer Chris Owens said he literally took thousands, more than he’d take on a normal race day. Castroneves has experienced a wide range of emotions in the two months since wildly celebrating on the front straightaway, but spending the day with Foyt, Unser and Mears made it all the more magical. “What else can I say, these guys since I’ve been here, they’ve been the standard of Indianapolis,” he said with the legends sitting to his left at an IMS conference table overlooking the track. “I’ve always been looking after those guys. For me, I still can’t believe it. Every time I’m with them it blows my mind. They helped me to set the goals, and I really pushed for it.” Castroneves struggled to put in words what winning the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge means to him. Saying it put him in “cloud nine” doesn’t do it justice, he said. “I think 10 or 11, whatever clouds you can put above, I’m still there,” he said. Castroneves even gathered a winner’s ring from each driver, lining them up on the table to be photographed. “Mine is the one still shaking,” he said. “It’s too excited.” Mears, who was Castroneves’ spotter for his first three wins here, seemed to smile with every word the Brazilian spoke, particularly those made out of respect to the legends he has joined. “I kind of know how he’s feeling because I’ve heard him say a little bit about it,” Mears said. “When I won my fourth, to get up here with two of my heroes, even though the (number of Indy wins) were the same, I was still not in their category. To be with them was incredible, and I’m pretty sure Helio feels the same way.” Said Unser: “It’s nice to be called a hero.” Castroneves asked the other drivers what to expect as a four-time winner. As usual, Foyt was the most blunt. “No different than if you win it once,” he said. “You got your first one; that’s what counts.” The significance of the gathering of Indy legends can’t be understated. Even in motorsports, where speed is the ultimate pursuit, time waits for no one. Foyt is 86, Unser 82, Mears 69. All three have attended fewer INDYCAR races with each passing year. Track president Doug Boles noted that 784 drivers have started the “500” and only 20 have won it more than once.
A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears, the first race car drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 four times, have been photographed together many times over the years, including a famous session for the cover of the event’s official program in 2013. But with each passing year, it seemed those images might stand as a permanent reflection of Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s most prestigious club. After all, 29 races were held following Mears’ fourth “500” in 1991, and while a few drivers earned their second win during that time, only Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti notched a third. Franchitti ran his last “500” in 2013, the year after scoring victory No. 3. With so much parity in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Castroneves turning 46 prior to this year’s race and switching teams – from Team Penske to Meyer Shank Racing – the odds of him winning a fourth didn’t seem as good as they had been in years past. But when Castroneves held off Alex Palou for the victory in the 105th Running on May 30, everyone knew a new gathering of “The Club” needed to take place. That meeting was held Tuesday (7/20) in Indianapolis. And yes, plenty of new photographs were taken. IMS photographer Chris Owens said he literally took thousands, more than he’d take on a normal race day. Castroneves has experienced a wide range of emotions in the two months since wildly celebrating on the front straightaway, but spending the day with Foyt, Unser and Mears made it all the more magical. “What else can I say, these guys since I’ve been here, they’ve been the standard of Indianapolis,” he said with the legends sitting to his left at an IMS conference table overlooking the track. “I’ve always been looking after those guys. For me, I still can’t believe it. Every time I’m with them it blows my mind. They helped me to set the goals, and I really pushed for it.” Castroneves struggled to put in words what winning the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge means to him. Saying it put him in “cloud nine” doesn’t do it justice, he said. “I think 10 or 11, whatever clouds you can put above, I’m still there,” he said. Castroneves even gathered a winner’s ring from each driver, lining them up on the table to be photographed. “Mine is the one still shaking,” he said. “It’s too excited.” Mears, who was Castroneves’ spotter for his first three wins here, seemed to smile with every word the Brazilian spoke, particularly those made out of respect to the legends he has joined. “I kind of know how he’s feeling because I’ve heard him say a little bit about it,” Mears said. “When I won my fourth, to get up here with two of my heroes, even though the (number of Indy wins) were the same, I was still not in their category. To be with them was incredible, and I’m pretty sure Helio feels the same way.” Said Unser: “It’s nice to be called a hero.” Castroneves asked the other drivers what to expect as a four-time winner. As usual, Foyt was the most blunt. “No different than if you win it once,” he said. “You got your first one; that’s what counts.” The significance of the gathering of Indy legends can’t be understated. Even in motorsports, where speed is the ultimate pursuit, time waits for no one. Foyt is 86, Unser 82, Mears 69. All three have attended fewer INDYCAR races with each passing year. Track president Doug Boles noted that 784 drivers have started the “500” and only 20 have won it more than once.
(The Petersen Automotive Museum images)
The Petersen Automotive Museum has announced the opening of its first-ever exhibit dedicated solely to Formula 1. “Pole Position: The Juan Gonzalez Formula 1 Collection” will present a varied collection of modern F1 cars surrounded by a 180-degree immersive video conveying the energy of the races in which these cars competed. The ten cars on display will tell the stories of a variety of drivers and manufacturers from three decades of racing. Vehicles on display will include a 1987 Lotus 99T (above), a 1994 Williams FW15D (below), a 1995 McLaren MP4-10, a 1999 Ferrari F399, a 2005 McLaren F1 MP4-20, a 2008 McLaren F1 MP4-24, a 2011 McLaren F1 MP4-26, a 2013 Ferrari F138, a 2017 Scuderia Toro Rosso STR12 and Fernando Alonso's boldly colored 2018 McLaren MCL33. Each vehicle comes from the collection of Juan Gonzalez, Chairman of the Board of Mission Foods, a sponsor of the McLaren F1 team and the Arrow McLaren SP INDY team. “Pole Position: The Juan Gonzalez Formula 1 Collection” will open to the public July 24, 2021, and be on display in the Charles Nearburg Family Gallery until June 5, 2022. For more information, please visit Petersen.org.
The Petersen Automotive Museum has announced the opening of its first-ever exhibit dedicated solely to Formula 1. “Pole Position: The Juan Gonzalez Formula 1 Collection” will present a varied collection of modern F1 cars surrounded by a 180-degree immersive video conveying the energy of the races in which these cars competed. The ten cars on display will tell the stories of a variety of drivers and manufacturers from three decades of racing. Vehicles on display will include a 1987 Lotus 99T (above), a 1994 Williams FW15D (below), a 1995 McLaren MP4-10, a 1999 Ferrari F399, a 2005 McLaren F1 MP4-20, a 2008 McLaren F1 MP4-24, a 2011 McLaren F1 MP4-26, a 2013 Ferrari F138, a 2017 Scuderia Toro Rosso STR12 and Fernando Alonso's boldly colored 2018 McLaren MCL33. Each vehicle comes from the collection of Juan Gonzalez, Chairman of the Board of Mission Foods, a sponsor of the McLaren F1 team and the Arrow McLaren SP INDY team. “Pole Position: The Juan Gonzalez Formula 1 Collection” will open to the public July 24, 2021, and be on display in the Charles Nearburg Family Gallery until June 5, 2022. For more information, please visit Petersen.org.
