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When the IndyCar TV package was up for bid, I was fairly vocal that I wanted the package to stay with NBC. After all, Change is Bad! We learned in mid-June that FOX will be taking over the TV rights for IndyCar, and it was way too good of a deal to pass up. After all, every single race on network TV and significantly more cash than NBC was offering, was practically a dream scenario if you are IndyCar.

So now that we know what channel to go to next spring, what will an IndyCar broadcast look like? We know that practices and qualifying will be found on FS1 and FS2, which means commercials. We also know that if you want to watch any delayed broadcast, whether it’s practice, qualifying or the race broadcast – we will have to go back to using a DVR, because there is no stand-alone streaming service like Peacock that will archive any of those broadcasts.

That’s not really a bad thing. During the Toronto race weekend, we were actually doing outside when the race started. Ideally, we could’ve set the DVR and join the race broadcast in progress, then caught up it by the time the race was over. There is no DVR option with Peacock. We could either watch it live, or wait a couple of hours after the race to watch the archived replay. We chose to watch it live.

We will get used to the quirks and differences between watching the race weekend on Peacock & NBC, versus FOX.

But what will the actual broadcasts look like? I have no idea, and at this stage of the game – I’m not sure even the decision-makers at FOX have a clear picture of what it will look like. But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about what I’d like to see., and creating sort of a wish list.

Through the 2018 NASCAR season, FOX used to have the regular booth team, then an on-site studio show that they dubbed the Hollywood Hotel. It was hosted by Chris Myers along with Jeff Hammond. They would have drivers, celebrities and other racing personalities as guests. After the 2018 season, the FOX broadcast utilized a more traditional studio offsite in Charlotte.

I liked the Hollywood Hotel concept. It gave the guys in the booth a little break so they could focus on the race, and not prepare for the pre-race show. I know the production cost would be high. The studio would be hauled around from race to race, and you’re also talking about more on-screen talent. But hey, this is my wish list.

Who would I like to see in the Hotel (or whatever they would call it)? Jamie Little, as host. She has paid her dues in IndyCar and in NASCAR as a pit-reporter, and she was good at it. She has tried her hand as the main booth anchor, and I felt like that didn’t go so well. Let’s just say it didn’t play to her strengths. She has an engaging personality and a pleasant on-camera persona. Being off-camera for most of the race and describing action as it happens, was not her best talent. I think she would do well in the Chris Myers role.

I am not sure she would need to be paired with anyone in the Jeff Hammond role. I think Little is strong enough that she could carry it herself. If they did put someone else in that role, I’m not quite sure who that could be. Danica Patrick is not the answer. She is too polarizing among IndyCar fans, and I think it needs to be a male to balance things out. Perhaps James Hinchcliffe could be the one person to do both roles, similar to what Larry McReynolds did in the early days of NASCAR on FOX.

In the main booth, I guess they have to go with three personalities. In the old days, Paul Page had Bobby Unser and Sam Posey in the booth for the ABC races. But for the ESPN races; Page went with only one analyst in the booth – Derek Daly. Except for the comical banter between Unser and Posey, I never felt like the ESPN booth suffered with only Daly in the booth.

If they only go with two in the booth, my choices would be Kevin Lee as Main Anchor, and James Hinchcliffe as analyst. If they do go with three, I begrudgingly go with Townsend Bell – simply because I can’t think of anyone else. Lee and Hinch have good natural chemistry together. Bell is sometimes hard to listen to. He comes on way too strong at times, and his IndyCar opinions ring a little hollow. Not only has he never had an IndyCar win, he’s never even stood on an IndyCar podium – and that goes back to the CART/Champ Car days. James Hinchcliffe has won six IndyCar races, eighteen podium finishes and is an Indianapolis 500 pole winner. He can also speak on the disappointment of being bumped from the 500, and even his harrowing escape from death in 2015.

Kevin Lee is the one I feel strongest about. For years, he was on the IMS Radio Network; before going over to Versus, NBCSN and NBC. He has also co-hosted Trackside on 1075 The Fan with Curt Cavin, since 2008. He has been considered the lead pit reporter on NBC for years, and does an outstanding job. Lee has a pleasant demeanor about him along with a good sense of humor.

Best of all…Kevin Lee is one of us. He is about as homegrown as it gets. He is originally from the Indianapolis area, graduated from Ball State and has been involved in IndyCar since the 90s. He has filled in for Leigh Diffey multiple times over the years, and done an excellent job.

Sometimes, paying your dues means nothing. This is not a lifetime achievement award. If you don’t have the skills or the talent, you shouldn’t be given the job just because you’ve been around the longest. But Kevin Lee has paid his dues, and actually deserves the opportunity to move into the permanent anchor role – filling the shoes of Diffey, the late Bob Jenkins, and Paul Page before him.

There is one other person who has been in the IndyCar booth for decades, yet few have ever heard his voice. Russ Thompson is the statistical guru that has been sitting in the booth and feeding all of those little tidbits you hear the booth personalities share with the audience. Do you think they know all of those little statistical factoids off of the top of their head? No, It’s Russ Thompson.

Thompson is so valuable he was allowed to work for ABC/ESPN and Versus/NBCSN at the same time; when both outlets split the IndyCar TV contract. Whether it was Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever in the booth; or it was Bob Jenkins, Robbie Buhl and Jon Beekhuis – Russ Thompson was there every race, feeding them stats on sticky notes from the back of the booth. I feel very strongly that Thompson’s presence needs to continue.

Speaking of Jon Beekhuis, he is another one I’d like to see brought back in some capacity. He may not have the polished wit that Bell or Hinchcliffe has, but he brings a ton of credibility to each broadcast, when he starts explaining the technical aspect of racing. Witty banter between analysts may attract some viewers, but when they learn how something works from someone like Beekhuis explaining it to them – those are the new fans that are likely to stay. I’m not sure why he seemed to slowly fade away, but if there is an IndyCar race broadcast – Jon Beekhuis needs to be part of it.

What about pit-reporters. I never cared for how NBC kept rotating a lot of their pit-reporters in and out. For the past few years, Kevin Lee was the only constant, while others were plugged in as needed. Mercifully, Marty Snider probably stays with NBC. I think Dillon Welch has done a good enough job to warrant bringing him to FOX. Although she hasn’t been around that long, I’ve been extremely impressed with Georgia Henneberry. She has a racing background, and has a very pleasant demeanor – similar to Kevin Lee. I am hopeful that she can make the move to FOX and be fulltime on their IndyCar broadcasts. I hate to be negative, but I think Charlie Kimball may be best suited for nothing more than a fill-in role.

Will I get all of my wishes? Probably not. I don’t think we will get all of the NBC people that I mentioned. FOX has their own talent pool to choose from. Altogether, I really want at least four of the current NBC employees to make the move – Kevin Lee, James Hinchcliffe, Russ Thompson and Georgia Henneberry. I would also add Jon Beekhuis to that list, although I really have no idea what he is doing at the moment.

Who am I forgetting? Is your list different? Tell me who’s missing. Who is on your FOX IndyCar wish list? We only have seven months before they hit the air.

George Phillips

Please Note:  Susan and I will be travelling from Thursday through Sunday, for a rare non-racing related mini-vacation to visit my brother and his wife in Virginia. Yes, we planned it with the IndyCar Olympic break in mind. Therefore, there will be no post here on Friday Aug 9 or Monday Aug 12. I will return here on Wednesday Aug 14. – GP

This entry was posted on August 7, 2024 at 4:03 am and is filed under IndyCar. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.