Oilpressure

We learned the (tentative) pit-reporter lineup for FOX and their IndyCar coverage that starts this weekend. I say tentative because the official announcement is supposed to come sometime today. I am absolutely thrilled with this lineup, and this should serve as a lesson to not believe the rumor mill.

Back in early January, I got a call from a very reliable source telling me that the full FOX lineup had been set. He got the booth correct across the board – Will Buxton, Townsend Bell and James Hinchliffe. He also said that there would be no other holdovers from the old NBC crew. That told me that Kevin Lee was going to be left out. What I was told was that the pit trio would be Jack Harvey and two others who had no experience on IndyCar broadcasts.

I was sworn to secrecy at the time and was glad that I kept my vow, because two-thirds of the crew I was told about ended up being incorrect.

I am thrilled to say that Kevin Lee will making the transition over to FOX and will be the veteran IndyCar presence on the team. Jack Harvey will be included in the group, and I think given a little experience will be a great addition. The others will be veteran Jamie Little and rising star Georgia Henneberry. Little is not expected to be fulltime, but will handle the first few races. Henneberry will join the team after the Month of May, since she recently had a baby.

I know some aren’t thrilled about Little, but I don’t dislike her like some do. She is knowledgeable and very passionate about racing, including IndyCar. Georgia Henneberry has done an outstanding job in her increasing appearances as a pit reporter. I had feared that becoming a new mother would end her career as a pit-reporter. I’m glad to see I was wrong.

But the best news for me was Kevin Lee. As time went on, it was appearing he would be left without a chair when the music stopped playing. I couldn’t imagine someone so invested and experienced as Lee would be left out, but TV networks make some curious decisions at times. How else would you explain Gregg Olsen being ousted from the No. 1 TV analyst job at the NFL on FOX, in favor of Tom Brady, but here we are.

Kevin Lee is a fan favorite. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who has a bad thing to say about him. I’m name-dropping here, but Kevin Lee has helped me a lot over the years. He has given my name and number to people and has made sure to introduce me around to some fairly prominent folks. The very first race I was credentialed for was Barber in 2010. We met before the race and we have had a good relationship ever since. Even when he is on the air and we cross paths in the pits, he always waves, smiles and gives me a nod. So yes, I had a personal interest in seeing a friend of mine retained by FOX.

Speaking of friends, he may not want me to mention it, but I was also happy to learn that my Nashville friend, statistician Russ Thompson, has also been retained.

I was prepared to not be enthralled with the FOX TV coverage. When I thought Bell and Hinchcliffe would be the only familiar voices, I just wasn’t that excited. That all changed yesterday, when I got a text at work about Kevin Lee being retained. I immediately checked out Twitter and learned the whole scoop. Not only will Kevin Lee be on the broadcast, but FOX will have an all-star lineup in the pits. Bring on the weekend. This now looks like it will be a lot of fun.

George Phillips

This entry was posted on February 26, 2025 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.