The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend has become the best day of the year for auto racing. There’s the one IndyCar race people still watch, followed by the early evening NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. Here’s the TV schedule of events for both races:
Indianapolis 500
Sunday, May 24 on ABC
12pm ET — Prerace Show. The one-hour prerace show will include interviews with many of the 33 starting drivers as well as four special features, including a look at the roller-coaster year of polesitter Helio Castroneves; the special relationship between Danica Patrick and her father; the “Super Team” of Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti; and the Allure of Indy — why drivers will risk everything just to be able to compete in the Indy 500:
Allure of Indy: From Gasoline Alley to the winner drinking milk, the Indianapolis 500 evokes indelible images for fans everywhere. But for the drivers, Indy can mean devastating crashes, heartbreaking losses or thrilling victories. That seems to be the allure of Indy — to defy the odds and beat the best of the best — and raise that glass of milk in Victory Lane.
Helio Castroneves: The two-time Indy winner talks about the publicity he’s received from his consecutive victories and his appearance on Dancing With the Stars, as well as from the charges he faced for tax evasion before his acquittal in April.
Go Daddy’s Girl: At every turn of Danica Patrick’s every race, her father has cheered her on. During a visit to her childhood home, Danica talks about how her father’s support and encouragement has helped her throughout her groundbreaking career, from her first race at age 10 to her first win last spring. Patrick says, “My dad would say something like ‘I remember I’d come here (Indy 500) with my friends when I was in high school.’ It makes me think how cool it is and how far it’s come for my dad to see this stuff and have it be such a tradition and such a passionate thing for him … and then to have his daughter here. Not only like his kid but his daughter here, racing the Indy 500.”
1pm ET — 93rd Indianapolis 500. Green flag for the Indy 500 is at 1pm, with ABC presenting live high-definition coverage of the race. Brent Musburger hosts the telecast, while Marty Reid will call the race with analysis by former IndyCar Series star Scott Goodyear and 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever. Reporting from the pits will be Jack Arute, Jamie Little, Brienne Pedigo and Vince Welch. ABC will use 59 cameras to televise the race fully in high definition, including a 360-degree rotating onboard camera mounted behind the driver on multiple cars. Unique views will be provided by Track Cam, a high-definition camera running on a cable over pit road and the frontstretch that can move at more than 80 mph. All 33 cars will carry GPS boxes for the Sportvision RaceFX system to provide telemetry and pointers to help identify the cars for viewers. And ABC will use a radio replay system that can record, playback and edit radios from any of the 33 drivers.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600
Sunday, May 24 on FOX
5pm ET — Live prerace coverage from Lowe’s Motor Speedway
5:45pm ET — Green flag, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600. Kasey Kahne, defending champion.
