106th Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge – Pre-Race Coverage Begins Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and Universo
Mike Tirico and Danica Patrick Return to Indy 500 as Pre-Race Host and Analyst; Dale Earnhardt Jr. Joins Tirico and Patrick on Peacock Pit Box
Leigh Diffey and Townsend Bell to Call Fourth Consecutive Indy 500; “Mayor of Hinchtown” James Hinchcliffe Makes Indy 500 Booth Debut as Analyst
Indianapolis 500 Media Call Featuring Mike Tirico, Danica Patrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell, and James Hinchcliffe – Tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 23, 2022 – The 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge from historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway takes place this Sunday, May 29, with coverage starting at 11 a.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and Universo (subject to local blackout restrictions). Six-time INDYCAR champion Scott Dixon won the pole position and will lead the field to the green flag for this year’s Indy 500.
Five hours of live race day programming from IMS on Sunday will get underway with pre-race coverage at 11 a.m. ET, followed by race coverage at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and Universo (subject to local blackout restrictions). This will be the first time that “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” will be broadcast on a domestic Spanish-language network when it airs on Universo and its streaming platforms.
The Indianapolis 500 will be called by NBC Sports’ lead INDYCAR team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst) and James Hinchcliffe (analyst). Diffey and Bell will call their fourth consecutive Indy 500s, while Hinchcliffe makes his debut as part of the Indy 500 broadcast booth. Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Dave Burns, and Dillon Welch will serve as pit reporters.
Bell and Hinchcliffe have combined to make 19 career Indy 500 starts. Bell registered a career-best fourth-place finish in 2009, while Hinchcliffe earned the pole position for the race in 2016 and has three career Top 10 finishes. In addition to the Indy 500, Diffey has also been the play-by-play voice of many of motorsports’ most prestigious events, including the F1 Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
NBC Sports’ complete Indy 500 roster of race and studio commentators includes host Mike Tirico and studio analyst and former INDYCAR driver Danica Patrick, who became the first woman to lead laps and earn a top-five finish in the Indianapolis 500 in 2005. Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of racing’s most popular personalities and an NBC Sports motorsports analyst, will contribute to pre-race coverage alongside motorsports reporter Rutledge Wood, and will join Tirico and Patrick on the Peacock Pit Box on pit road for segments during the race.
Emmy-award winning associate producer and network host Omar Amador will join Indy 500 race announcer Sergio Rodriguez to provide commentary on Universo and streaming on TelemundoDeportes.com and the Telemundo Deportes app. Three-time Indy 500 driver Milka Duno will serve as a studio guest.
INDIANAPOLIS 500 MEDIA CALL – TOMORROW AT 2 P.M. ET
Mike Tirico, Danica Patrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe will preview NBC Sports’ coverage of the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on a media conference call, tomorrow, Tuesday, May 24, at 2 p.m. ET.
Media interested in participating should call 313-209-6544; Passcode: 7732963.
- WHAT: 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Media Conference Call
- WHO: Mike Tirico, Danica Patrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell, and James Hinchcliffe
- WHEN: Tomorrow, Tuesday May 24, at 2 p.m. ET
- NUMBER: 313-209-6544
- PASSCODE: 7732963
This week’s Indianapolis 500 coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway begins this afternoon with a practice session at 1 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock. Coverage continues with the final practice session on Carb Day this Friday at 11 a.m. ET on Peacock. Below is this week’s Indianapolis 500 coverage on NBC, Peacock and Universo:
| Date | Coverage | Network/Streaming | Time (ET) |
| Mon., May 23 | Indy 500 Practice | Peacock | 1 p.m. |
| Fri., May 27 | Indy 500 Final Practice on Carb Day | Peacock | 11 a.m. |
| Pit Stop Challenge | Peacock | 2:30 p.m. | |
| Sun., May 29 | 106th Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge | NBC, Peacock, Universo* | 11 a.m. |
*subject to local blackout restrictions
--NBC SPORTS--
