MOORESVILLE, N.C. – NBC Sports’ coverage of the 105th Indianapolis 500 will have a heavy NASCAR flavor, as seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and current IndyCar rookie Jimmie Johnson will join former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte on the Peacock Pit Box.
Johnson made his IndyCar debut this season at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and will compete at street and road circuits throughout the year. Johnson will serve as an analyst on race day and qualifying weekend, working at the Peacock Pit Box alongside Letarte, who will also be making his Indianapolis 500 on-air debut.
“To say I am excited for May in Indianapolis is an understatement,” Johnson said. “This will be my first in person Indianapolis 500 experience, and I absolutely cannot wait to take it all in. I’m really excited to be working alongside Mike Tirico, who is one of my favorite hosts, and sitting on the Peacock Pit Box with Steve Letarte will be so much fun, as we go way back. I’m so appreciative to NBC Sports for this opportunity and I’m ready to have some fun and hopefully make it fun for the fans watching at home.”
They will join the pre-race duo that includes NBC host Mike Tirico and former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick on the May 30 telecast. Tirico and Patrick are returning for the third year in a row.
In addition, former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be part of the pre-race coverage.
“It continues to be an honor to be a part of the Indy 500 NBC Sports team for the third year in a row alongside Mike Tirico,” Patrick said. “I look forward to the experience more every year. In fact, it’s similar to the way it felt driving, as time passes, the gravity of the event becomes greater. I felt it from the inside, and now I am feeling it from the outside. On a competitive note, what has been obvious so far this season, is how many great young drivers there are. It will be fun to see how they stack up to the veterans on the big stage.”
“We are thrilled to have Mike and Danica return as well as add Jimmie to our Indy 500 coverage this May,” said Sam Flood, Executive Producer and President, Production, NBC Sports and NBCSN. “Danica’s and Jimmie’s racing insights, along with Mike anchoring our broadcast from historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will add another gear to Leigh, Townsend, Paul and our pit reporters’ coverage of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
For the third consecutive year, the Greatest Spectacle in Racing will be called by NBC Sports’ lead IndyCar team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst) and Paul Tracy (analyst). Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast and Kevin Lee will serve as pit reporters.
NBC Sports motorsports reporter Rutledge Wood returns for the third straight year to provide on-site reports around Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while NBC Sports’ Jac Collinsworth will make his Indianapolis 500 debut when he serves as host of pre-race coverage on NBCSN at 9 a.m. ET. Pre-race coverage begins on NBC at 11 a.m. ET, with the green flag waving at 12:30 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports and Peacock Premium will surround the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 with 55+ hours of coverage, including every practice session, qualifying, Carb Day and eight hours of race-day coverage from iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Complete programming details will be announced in the near future.
Coverage of the NTT IndyCar Series season continues on Saturday, May 15, with the GMR Grand Prix from the IMS road course at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.