FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 4th, 2019
NBC SPORTS CONTINUES 2019 NTT INDYCAR SERIES COVERAGE WITH HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA SUNDAY AT 4 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Live Practices from Barber Motorsports Park Stream Exclusively on INDYCAR Pass Beginning Friday at 12:10 p.m. ET
Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Join NBC Sports’ Coverage of 103rd Indianapolis 500; NBC Sports Announces Full Indy 500 Broadcast Team
Monster Energy Supercross from Nashville – Saturday on NBC Sports Gold Supercross Pass and NBCSN
Live Mecum Auctions Coverage Continues This Friday and Saturday on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 4, 2019 – NBC Sports continues its first full season as the home of the NTT IndyCar Series this weekend with comprehensive live coverage of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama from Barber Motorsports Park this Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
19-year-old rookie Colton Herta (Harding Steinbrenner Racing) earned the first win of his INDYCAR career at the INDYCAR Classic at the Circuit of the Americas on March 24, becoming the youngest driver to ever win a race in the NTT IndyCar Series. Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) earned a second-place finish at COTA to begin his 2019 campaign with a 1-2 start, following his win in St. Petersburg to open the season on March 10. Newgarden is a three-time winner at Barber Motorsports Park, including victories at the past two events in 2017 and 2018.
Live INDYCAR coverage from Barber Motorsports Park begins tomorrow at 12:10 p.m. ET with Practice 1 exclusively on NBC Sports Gold’s INDYCAR Pass, which will provide live streaming coverage of all practices, qualifying, Indy Lights races and on-demand replays for the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season. This marks the first time that all NTT IndyCar Series qualifying and practice sessions will receive television-quality production, including timing and scoring. INDYCAR Pass is available for $54.99. Click here to purchase.
Live streaming coverage from Barber continues tomorrow at 3:45 p.m. ET on INDYCAR Pass with Practice 2, followed by Practice 3 on Saturday at 11:40 a.m. ET. INDYCAR Pass and NBCSN will have live coverage of qualifying on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, and INDYCAR Pass will have live warmup coverage on Sunday at 12:05 p.m. ET, leading into race coverage on NBCSN.
NBC Sports’ lead INDYCAR broadcast team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst), and Paul Tracy (analyst) will have the call of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, including practices and qualifying on NBC Sports Gold’s INDYCAR Pass. Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Kelli Stavast and Robin Miller will provide reports from the pits.
Following is this weekend’s INDYCAR coverage from Barber Motorsports Park on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold:
| Date | Coverage | Network* | Time (ET) |
| Fri., April 5 | Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama – Practice 1 | NBC Sports Gold | 12:10 p.m. |
| Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama – Practice 2 | NBC Sports Gold | 3:45 p.m. | |
| Sat., April 6 | Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama – Practice 3 | NBC Sports Gold | 11:40 a.m. |
| Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama – Qualifying | NBC Sports Gold/NBCSN | 4 p.m. | |
| Sun., April 7 | Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama – Warmup | NBC Sports Gold | 12:05 p.m. |
| Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama | NBCSN | 4 p.m. | |
| INDYCAR Post-Race | NBCSN | 6 p.m. |
*all coverage on NBCSN streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app
DALE EARNHARDT JR. TO JOIN NBC SPORTS’ COVERAGE OF 103RD INDIANAPOLIS 500; NBC SPORTS ANNOUNCES FULL INDY 500 BROADCAST TEAM
On Wednesday, NBC Sports announced that Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of racing’s most popular personalities and an NBC Sports motorsports analyst, will attend his first Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26, as a member of NBC Sports’ broadcast team when the 103rd iteration of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing airs on NBC for the first time.
This marks the latest in a series of major announcements for NBC Sports’ first-ever presentation of the Indy 500. Earlier this year, NBC Sports announced that Mike Tirico will host its coverage, and former INDYCAR and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick will serve as an analyst alongside Tirico. In addition to Earnhardt Jr., NBC Sports motorsports host Krista Voda and reporter Rutledge Wood will contribute to the network’s Indy 500 presentation.
Earnhardt Jr. will serve as a roving reporter on race day, exploring the expansive scene that includes hundreds of thousands of spectators at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and contributing to NBC Sports’ pre-race, in-race, and post-race coverage alongside Wood. Earnhardt Jr. will also be featured on NBCSN’s Indy 500 coverage originating from Indianapolis Motor Speedway during race week.
Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst) and Paul Tracy (analyst) will call NBC Sports’ inaugural Indianapolis 500 broadcast on NBC, which will feature a total of 14 commentators, the most-ever for NBC Sports’ coverage of INDYCAR. Bell and Tracy have combined to make 19 career Indy 500 starts. Tracy was the runner-up in the 2002 Indy 500, while Bell registered a career-best fourth-place Indy 500 finish in 2009. Diffey, who will call his first Indy 500 this May for NBC, has called many of motorsports’ most prestigious events, including the F1 Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Click here for more info.
MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS FROM NASHVILLE – SATURDAY ON NBC SPORTS GOLD SUPERCROSS PASS AND NBCSN
NBC Sports continues its coverage of the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross season this weekend from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. With four events remaining, Cooper Webb leads teammate Marvin Musquin by 17 points in the 450SX Class standings after claiming his sixth win of the season last weekend in Houston. Also competing in Nashville is the 250SX East Class, where Austin Forkner leads the championship by 26 points on the strength of five wins in six races this season.
Ralph Sheheen, five-time Supercross champion and seven-time Motocross champion Ricky Carmichael, host and former racer Daniel Blair, and reporter Will Christien will call the action.
| Date | Event | Coverage | Time (ET) |
| Sat., April 6 | Nashville – Qualifying Session 1 | NBC Sports Gold | 2 p.m. |
| Nashville – Studio Coverage | NBC Sports Gold | 3:30 p.m. | |
| Nasvhille – Qualifying Session 2 | NBC Sports Gold | 4:15 p.m. | |
| Nashville – Event | NBC Sports Gold/NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
*all coverage on NBCSN streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app
LIVE MECUM AUCTIONS COVERAGE CONTINUES THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ON NBCSN
NBC Sports continues its 2019 Mecum Auctions coverage this weekend with coverage from its auction at NRG Center in Houston, Texas. Coverage on Friday begins at noon ET on NBCSN and continues later that day at 5:30 p.m. ET. Coverage continues Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET and continues Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN following INDYCAR coverage. Main attractions include a 1967 Shelby GT350 Fastback, a 1970 Pontiac GTO Ram Air III Convertible, and a 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder Coupe.
Scott Hoke will host coverage on-site in Houston, alongside analyst John Kraman and reporters Stephen Cox, Bill Stephens and Katie Osborne.
Following is the full Mecum Auction: Houston schedule on NBCSN and NBCSports.com:
| Date | Event | Coverage | Time (ET) |
| Fri., April 5 | Mecum Auctions: Houston | NBCSN | 12 p.m. |
| Mecum Auctions: Houston* | NBCSN | 5:30 p.m. | |
| Sat., April 6 | Mecum Auctions: Houston | NBCSN | 12:30 p.m. |
| Sun., April 7 | Mecum Auctions: Houston* | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
*delayed coverage
2019 INDYCAR SEASON ON NBC AND NBCSN
NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series began earlier this year with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the first of 17 races to air on NBC and NBCSN during the season.
The 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500, set for Sunday, May 26, 2019, will be the first ever on NBC. The Indy 500 will also be included in NBC Sports’ Championship Season marketing campaign, which touts numerous high-profile championship events that are presented across NBC Sports platforms from May to July, including the Triple Crown, The PLAYERS, Premier League Championship Sunday, French Open, Stanley Cup Final, Tour de France, and The Open Championship.
INDYCAR coverage on NBC will begin with the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on Saturday, May 11. Following the Indy 500, NBC will present the Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader on the weekend of June 1-2, followed by races at Road America on Sunday, June 23 and Mid-Ohio on Sunday, July 28. The 2019 NTT IndyCar Series championship will be decided on NBC, with the season’s penultimate race in Portland on Sunday, Sept. 1, followed by season finale at Laguna Seca on Sunday, Sept. 22. Click here for more information.
–NBC SPORTS–
