First-Ever Indy 500 in August Averages Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 3.737 Million Viewers; Peaks at 4.641 Million Viewers

Sunday’s Indy 500 is NBC Sports’ Second-Most Watched Event Since NFL Divisional Playoff in January

STAMFORD, Conn. – Aug. 25, 2020 – NBC Sports’ presentation of the 104^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday from Indianapolis Motor Speedway averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 3.737 million viewers, making it NBC Sports’ second-most watched INDYCAR race on record and NBC’s second-most watched sports event since January, according to Fast National Data from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

Sunday’s race was the first-ever Indy 500 to take place in August, following 103 runnings in May, and the first “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” to run without spectators. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Takuma Sato won his second Indy 500 under caution following a late-race duel with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon.

Following are additional viewership highlights from Sunday’s Indy 500 (2:31-5:45 pm ET), which faced uncommon competition from the NBA, PGA TOUR and NASCAR:

• The TAD of 3.737 million viewers is NBC Sports’ second-most watched INDYCAR race on record behind only last year’s Indy 500 — the first ever on NBC — which averaged a TAD of 5.489 million viewers and was up 11% vs. the 2018 race on ABC (4.913 million TV-only). Last year’s race did not face any significant sports competition.
• TV-only coverage of the race peaked at 4.641 million TV-only viewers towards for the race’s conclusion (5:30-5:45 pm ET).
• Sunday’s race is NBC Sports’ second-most watched sporting event since an NFL Divisional Playoff game on Jan. 11 (Min-SF, 30.2 million).
• The 104^th Indianapolis 500 is also the most-watched motorsports race to take place in August in three years, since a NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol (2017, 3.838 million). It delivered a 2.29 household rating.
• Across NBC Sports streaming platforms, the 104^th Indianapolis 500 averaged an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 17,800 viewers, making it the second-most streamed INDYCAR race on record, behind only last year’s Indy 500 in May (45,600).
• Indianapolis delivered a local rating of 24.9 to lead all markets.

Following are the Top 10 local markets for Sunday’s Indy 500:

Rank	Market	HH Rating
1	Indianapolis	24.9
t2	Cincinnati	4.1
t2	Columbus, Ohio	4.1
t2	Las Vegas	4.1
5	Nashville	3.8
6	Hartford-New Haven	3.7
t7	Milwaukee	3.6
t7	West Palm Beach	3.6
t9	Sacramento-Stockton	3.3
t9	Tampa-St. Petersburg	3.3

 

NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2020 NTT INDYCAR Series continues this weekend with a doubleheader from World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill.

–NBC SPORTS–

“This is unbelievable, thank you so much. I can’t find the words.” – Takuma Sato

“He is the ‘Wild Thing’ no more. He was ‘Super-Cool Sato’ today.” – Paul Tracy

“Takuma was meant to be one who was to run with the Olympic flame. That of course didn’t happen, so in replacement of that, if he wins his second Indy 500 – that will be quite the buzz.” – Leigh Diffey

“We miss you. I wish you guys were here because the energy that you bring makes this day so memorable.” – Danica Patrick on the Indy 500 Fans

STAMFORD, Conn. – Aug. 23, 2020 – NBC Sports presented exclusive coverage of the 104^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 this afternoon on NBC from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as Takuma Sato won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for the second time in his career, outdueling five-time Series champion Scott Dixon. Graham Rahal, Sato’s Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate, finished in third place to round out the podium.

NBC Sports’ Indianapolis 500 commentary team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play) and analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy called NBC Sports’ broadcast of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on NBC, alongside pit reporters Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, and Kevin Lee.

Mike Tirico anchored coverage alongside guest analyst and former INDYCAR driver Danica Patrick. NBC Sports’ Rutledge Wood also contributed to the network’s Indy 500 presentation by reporting on-site at IMS.

Post-Race

Sato to Snider following the win: “This is unbelievable, thank you so much. I can’t find the words.”

Sato on impact on his win in his native country of Japan: “Especially for Japan, sacrificing a lot after the earthquake in 2011. I hope this gives a little boost for the energy and thank you for a lot of support.”

Diffey on Sato winning the 104^th Running of the Indianapolis 500: “I can tell you that this race will not be red-flagged, it will finish under yellow with Takuma Sato winning his second Indianapolis 500 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. His other win was for Michael Andretti, this one for Bobby Rahal, Mike Lanigan and David Letterman…Takuma has done it for a second time in three years.”

Tracy on Sato: “He is the ‘Wild Thing’ no more. He was ‘Super-Cool Sato’ today. We have to come up with a new nickname because he played his cards perfect today.”

Bell on Sato: “It was the defensive driving that Sato displayed. The things he learned from watching (Simon) Pagenaud do the same thing last year. He did that for a few laps and that took the advantage off Dixon’s tires to respond.”

Dixon to Stavast following his second-place finish: “It’s definitely a hard one to swallow for sure. We had such a great day. With fuel mileage, I really can’t see how they were going to make it…first time I’ve seen (the race officials) let it run out like that. I thought they were definitely going to throw a red flag, which would have been exciting for the last four or five laps…it’s hard when it slips away like that.”

Patrick, who won an INDYCAR race in Japan, on Sato’s win and the Japanese INDYCAR fans: “Japanese fans get coined ‘superfans’ because they are that passionate about their athletes and about sports. I have no doubt that when he arrives back in Japan, whenever he does, they should have a camera at the airport for everyone there that will be greeting him.”

Patrick on race finishing under a yellow flag: “I think it was a stretch to call a red flag. I think there was probably grounds for it, but it would have been pushing it, and it was fair to do it the way it was done.”

Patrick on 2021 Indy 500: “I have a feeling that the 2021 Indy 500 is going to be perhaps the biggest one yet.”

Tracy on the finish: “No shortage of drama even though we didn’t have fans. What a race today.”

Tracy on Sato’s win: “When it came down to the final 10 laps, Sato had the final car and started to pull away.”

Race on NBC (2:30 p.m. ET)

Tracy on Spencer Pigot wreck with 4 laps to go: “That is why we have the safer aeroscreen, I really believe that saved his life…the new aeroscreen has just done unbelievable things for the safety of these drivers.”

Diffey on Sato: “Takuma was meant to be one who was to run with the Olympic flame. That of course didn’t happen, so in replacement of that he wins his second Indy 500 – that will be quite the buzz.”

Patrick on how hard it is to get the perfect car setup following Rossi’s crash on Lap 143: “What I heard from Ed Carpenter the other day when I was talking to him was that the cars are even more difficult than in any other year to really get right. The window is even smaller. From my experience, the window felt small a couple years ago, and so I said, ‘Smaller than that?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, much smaller than that.’ So, I think that’s why you hear so many drivers saying, ‘I don’t know what happened, it just went on me.’”

Tracy on Alexander Rossi’s pit road penalty on Lap 124: “You think he was angry after last year’s Indy 500? He’s going to be furious…he’s had such a tough start to the year, and it just continues. He’s geared his whole season around trying to win this race.”

Bell on Dixon and Rossi swapping the lead at Lap 106: “Nobody wants this lead right now. This is all about the cat-and-mouse of fuel mileage.”

Tracy on strategy during the caution on Lap 88: “This puts everyone back on the same strategy. Everything is back to square one.”

Bell on the Team Penske exit from pit road: “That’s like flying in sequence like The Air Force that flew over the track in the pre-race.”

Patrick on pit stops: “There’s a lot to think about and a lot of pressure. You know that there’s football fields of lengths on the line if you come in a little slow or out a little slow. We’ve seen a lot of mistakes…. it will be interesting to see how this shakes out.”

Pre-Race on NBC (1 p.m. ET)

Patrick on race without fans: “We miss you. I wish you guys were here because the energy that you bring makes this day so memorable.”

Mario Andretti on the past week since Marco Andretti won the pole: “I’ve been on ‘Cloud 98’ for the whole week. Being on the pole at Indianapolis, you get to savor it for an entire week…we’re all-in. He’s (Marco) going to have a lot of energy coming from us, but he doesn’t need it. He knows what he’s doing, he’s proven that.”

Andretti on what it’s like to have three generations of Andretti’s (Mario, Michael and Mario) on-site today at IMS: “Precious, just precious moments. This is something that we’ll savor for the rest of our lives…we’re blessed to have this opportunity. Three generations, who would have known…this place has given us so much, but we want some more.”

Bell on the walk down gasoline alley with no fans: “In this moment, the shock will be for the veteran drivers.”

Tracy on Marco Andretti: “He’s got impossible shoes to fill with Mario and his dad. They won so much throughout their career that it’s an impossible goal to find. I’ve gotten to know Marco a lot better over the past couple of years and I can tell you, he has been concerned with what people think on the outside…right now, he has found another gear and I think he is going to take his career to the next level today.”

Tirico on Scott Dixon: “He reminds me of Tim Duncan. He’s phenomenal, but it’s not flamboyant. In the racing world, it’s like Jimmie Johnson.”

Patrick on Dixon: “I can tell you from the inside looking out, you never overlook Jimmie Johnson or Scott Dixon. They’re incredible drivers. Now, maybe their personality doesn’t drive as much media attention. Maybe they don’t put their foot in their mouth as often as some other people. Their driving on track and record book is completely different.”

Pre-race coverage included:

• Simon Pagenaud – NBC Sports profiled defending Indy 500 champion Simon Pagenaud and what it meant for one of INDYCAR’s most accomplished drivers to win the 500 for the first time in 2019;
• Mario Andretti – Danica Patrick and Mike Tirico sat down with Andretti on the pagoda to talk about his family’s legacy and how much it means that his grandson, Marco, is sitting on the pole this year;

• Marco Andretti – Leigh Diffey spoke with Andretti about what the family names means when headed into a race like the Indianapolis 500;

• Alexander Rossi – Marty Snider spoke with Rossi about his gut-wrenching loss to Pagenaud last year, what kind of passion it takes to come back and his win of the 100^th Running of the Indianapolis 500;

• “Message In A Milk Bottle” – NBC’s Rutledge Wood highlighted the new fan and driver time capsule installation that will be opened next year;
• The “Wreath Lady” – Rutledge Wood visited Julie Vance who has created the Indianapolis 500 wreath for the last 28 years;
• The Fastest Seat in Sport with Mario and Michael Andretti having three Andretti’s on the track at once;

Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgery residents Dr. Elvis Francois and Dr. William Robinson, the “Singing Surgeons”, performed the National Anthem ahead of the race with for the first time ever, a flyover by The US Airforce Thunderbirds. “Back Home Again in Indiana” was sang by Chicago Blackhawks anthem singer Jim Cornelison.

–NBC SPORTS–

104^th Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge – Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on NBC

Carb Day Coverage Begins Today at 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN & NBC Sports Gold

Pre-Race Features and Interviews with Pole Sitter Marco Andretti and 1969 Indy 500 Champion Mario Andretti, 2019 Indy 500 Champion Simon Pagenaud and 2016 Indy 500 Champion Alexander Rossi

“It’s going to be a piece of history. There’s never been a 500 like this – ever.” – Mike Tirico on This Year’s Indy 500

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 21, 2020 – NBC Sports presents the 104^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge this Sunday, August 23, with coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET on NBC. Marco Andretti won the pole position and will lead the field to the green flag for the Indy 500, the first time an Andretti has won the pole since Mario Andretti did so in 1987.

Today’s Carb Day coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway begins on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold at 11 a.m. ET. The lead Indy 500 commentary team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst) and Paul Tracy (analyst) will have the call along with Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast and Kevin Lee providing reports from the pits.

On Wednesday, NBC Sports’ Indy 500 host Mike Tirico, Indy 500 studio analyst and former INDYCAR driver Danica Patrick, Diffey, Bell and Tracy, as well as executive producer Sam Flood, previewed this Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 on a media conference call. Click here for a transcript of the call.

Following are highlights of NBC Sports’ comprehensive Indianapolis 500 coverage.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 – PRE-RACE COVERAGE BEGINS AT 1 P.M. ET ON NBC

NBC Sports will present five hours of live coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day – Sunday, August 23 – beginning with pre-race coverage on NBC at 1 p.m. ET with the green flag slated to wave at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET. Sunday’s broadcast of the Indy 500 on NBC will mark the first time the race will be held in August.

NBC Sports’ lead INDYCAR commentary team of Diffey, Bell, and Tracy will call the 104^th Indianapolis 500 alongside Snider, Stavast and Lee reporting from the pits.

Bell and Tracy have combined to make 17 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 will call his second consecutive Indy 500 and has additionally 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.

NBC Sports’ comprehensive Indy 500 commentary team includes host Mike Tirico and analyst and former INDYCAR driver Danica Patrick, who made eight Indy 500 starts in her career (best finish of third in 2009) and was the first woman to lead laps in ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’ NBC Sports’ motorsports reporter Rutledge Wood will provide on-site reports from in and around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Pre-race coverage on NBC will be highlighted by:

• Feature stories and interviews surrounding pole-sitter Marco Andretti and racing legend and 1969 Indy 500 champion Mario Andretti;
• Interviews with 2019 Indy 500 champion Simon Pagenaud and 2016 Indy 500 champion Alexander Rossi;
• A live interview with NBC Sports analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. from Charlotte;
• The singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by the “Singing Surgeons,” former Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgery residents Dr. Elvis Francois and William Robinson;
• And the singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana” by Chicago Blackhawks anthem singer Jim Cornelison.

Yesterday, NBC Sports launched “Message In A Milk Bottle,” a time capsule activation that captured drivers’ thoughts and sentiments at Media Day before Sunday’s race and will be opened next year around the 105^th Indianapolis 500. Beginning today through the green flag on Sunday on NBC, fans can submit their messages to be included in the time capsule via social media using #MessageInAMilkBottle. Select fan messages will be included and the “Message In A Milk Bottle” time capsule will remain on-site at IMS until next year.

Following is this weekend’s Indianapolis 500 coverage across NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold:

Date	Coverage	Network	Time (ET)
Fri., Aug. 21	Indianapolis 500 Carb Day	NBCSN, NBC Sports Gold	11 a.m.
Sun., Aug. 23	Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge Pre-Race	NBC	1 p.m.
	104th Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge	NBC	2:30 p.m.
	Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge Post-Race	NBC	5:30 p.m.

 

–NBC SPORTS–

“It’s going to be a piece of history. There’s never been a 500 like this – ever.” – Mike Tirico on This Year’s Indy 500

“For the Andrettis to qualify one of their own on the pole, it’s like bringing the world back onto the right axis.” – Paul Tracy on Marco Andretti Winning the Pole Position for Sunday

“It’s our responsibility behind the camera, holding the microphone, to really bring that energy.” – Danica Patrick on This Year’s Broadcast on NBC

“I know it’s August but it sure felt like May to me last weekend.” – Townsend Bell on Intensity of Indy 500 Qualifying

104^th Indianapolis 500 Presented This Sunday, August 23, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC; Marco Andretti Takes Pole Position for 104^th Indianapolis 500

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 20, 2020 – NBC Sports’ Indy 500 host Mike Tirico, Indy 500 studio analyst and former INDYCAR driver Danica Patrick, the lead Indy 500 commentary team of Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell, and Paul Tracy, as well as executive producer Sam Flood, previewed this Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 on a media conference call yesterday afternoon.

NBC Sports presents the 104^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge this Sunday, August 23, beginning at 1 p.m. ET on NBC. Marco Andretti won the pole position and will lead the field to the green flag for the Indy 500, the first time an Andretti has won the pole since Mario Andretti did so in 1987.

Following are excerpts from the call. Click here for a full transcript.

Mike Tirico on the uniqueness of this year’s Running of the Indianapolis 500: “The Indy 500 is the Indy 500, and it’s going to be a piece of history, and there’s never been a 500 like this – ever. I’m looking forward to the opportunity for all of us to document that story, this little bit of history in this piece of Americana and share it with the fans at home.”

Paul Tracy on Marco Andretti winning the pole position during qualifying: “To see Marco and the Andretti family and the excitement leading up to that and the drama and the speeds being faster than they’ve been in many years, it’s almost like — there are moments in sports where things get corrected like Dale Earnhardt Sr. winning the Daytona 500, so for the Andrettis to qualify one of their own on pole, it’s like bringing the world back on to the right axis.”

Sam Flood on no fans being allowed at IMS for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’: “If you can’t be at the racetrack, who would you rather hang out with to watch the race, Mike Tirico and Danica Patrick…and then once the green flag falls, I couldn’t imagine a better group to listen to than Leigh, Paul and Townsend and all the information that’s going to be gleaned from pit road from the amazing team down there…if you can’t be there, let’s hang with the best group to watch a race with you could ever assemble.”

Danica Patrick on her approach to commentating the race: “It’s our responsibility behind the camera, holding the microphone, to really bring that energy…it’s about being able to take the viewer and put them into as similar of a situation as you can possibly do so that they can feel a part of it and understand it better… to get them to relate to it, because unlike so many other sports, most people don’t try racing.”

Tirico on the experience of calling the Indy 500: “From my perspective, and I would say that I think we’re all taking stock of the things that we do in life a little bit differently now, I am so darned thankful that I had the experience that we had last year…I’ve been to every sporting event that we have in the U.S. I’ve been very, very blessed professionally. There’s nothing like it.”

Patrick on not having a female driver racing in this year’s Indy 500: “I think the story is actually that there’s a story there isn’t one, if that makes sense…we need to look at the bigger version to understand that it’s far, far more normal now to have females in the race and that the fact that there is a story about there not being one is the story.”

Townsend Bell on last week’s Indy 500 qualifying at IMS: “I know it’s August but it sure felt like May to me last weekend because of the exhilaration and the adrenaline that I think links all of us together and connects all of us during these troubled times, which is the purity of an INDYCAR circulating IMS on the absolute razor’s edge.”

Leigh Diffey on what he is looking forward to on Sunday following qualifying: “I think of all the races that Townsend, Paul and myself have called together, I’m more excited about this weekend than any other race based on what happened last weekend…it was exhilarating, it was edge-of-your-seat stuff, it was legitimate and real enthusiasm.”

***

Following last week’s nearly 40 hours of on-track practice and qualifying coverage, this week’s coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway begins with Carb Day tomorrow on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold at 11 a.m. ET. Sunday’s broadcast of the Indy 500 on NBC will mark the first time the race will be held in August.

NBC Sports will present five hours of live coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day – Sunday, August 23 – beginning with pre-race coverage on NBC at 1 p.m. ET with the green flag slated to wave at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET. This weekend’s Indianapolis 500 coverage across NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold is below:

Date	Coverage	Network	Time (ET)
Fri., Aug. 21	Indianapolis 500 Carb Day	NBCSN, NBC Sports Gold	11 a.m.
Sun., Aug. 23	Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge Pre-Race	NBC	1 p.m.
	104th Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge	NBC	2:30 p.m.
	Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge Post-Race	NBC	5:30 p.m.

—NBC SPORTS—