Longtime IMS Media Center Manager York Dies at 91 

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Editor’s Note: The following story is from IMS Public Relations. I never met Bill York, but you could not go to a sporting event in Indianapolis without hearing the name Bill York. You just knew he was there, even if you didn’t hear his name mentioned. A huge loss for the city.

 INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024) – Bill York, who worked in and managed the media center at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for more than 50 years, died Aug. 20 near Nashville, Tennessee.
He was 91.

York, a proud native of Peru, Indiana, served and befriended journalists from around the globe and drivers and race team officials in his roles in the media center at the Racing Capital of the World from the late 1950s to the mid-2010s. His contributions spanned every event at IMS during that time, including the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, United States Grand Prix Formula One race, Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP race and more.

The colorful, genial York ran the IMS media center with a fair, firm hand, mixing a no-nonsense approach with a hearty laugh that earned admiration and respect from all journalists and officials.

York and longtime IMS media official Bob Laycock created handwritten Indianapolis 500 qualifying cards – complete with driver and primary sponsor name, and time and speed for each of the four laps of every qualified driver, written in color-coded markers to match sponsor colors – that became legendary fixtures on the walls of the old media center located adjacent to Gasoline Alley and the current media center adjacent to the Pagoda.

Drivers often sought their qualifying cards as keepsakes, especially from their rookie year in the “500.”

He also was instrumental in helping to increase the recognition of the Stark & Wetzel Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Award in the 1950s when he was a sales representative for the Indianapolis-based meat company.

York began working in the IMS press room in 1958 as a statistician, eventually taking over management duties in the media center through 2008. He then continued to serve as a media center liaison into the mid-2010s. Working at IMS was a part-time job for York – he was a very successful salesman during his professional career – but a role he fulfilled with full-time passion and skill.

He earned a variety of auto racing awards for his work, including the 2010 Bob Russo Founders Award for lifelong contributions to the sport, the 2011 Jim Chapman Award for excellence in motorsports public relations and the STP Unsung Hero Award.

While York was a renowned figure among global racing media, he also was respected and admired by National Football League and professional basketball journalists due to his longtime work in the media rooms of the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers.

York was the first leader of the statistics crew for the Pacers in 1967, a role he maintained for five decades and more than 2,000 games as the franchise moved from the American Basketball Association to the National Basketball Association. The Pacers’ media room in Gainbridge Fieldhouse is named in his honor

.He also led the stat crew and worked in the media room for the Colts from their arrival in Indianapolis in 1984 through the 2010s, working at both their original home at the RCA Dome and their current home, Lucas Oil Stadium.

York was predeceased by his wife, Jay, and son Rick. He is survived by a daughter, Marla.

Shank Aligns with Ganassi; Lee Replaces Diffey in NBC Booth

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Kyle McInnes photo

Some long rumored changes in the Indycar landscape have become official.

Meyer Shank racing will form a technical alliance with Chip Ganassi Racing beginning in 2025, ending a multi year partnership with Andretti Global. Mike Shank told Marshall Pruet of RACER magazine that the new association was a matter of alignment with both the Indycar and IMSA side of his operation. Shank heaped praise on his team’s affiliation with Andretti Global, and he had no issues with anything during their partnership.

Meyer Shank has one open seat for 2025, the 66 currently driven by David Malukas, who has signed with A. J. Foyt for next season. The car has become more attractive to free agents with the new partnership with Ganassi.

Diffey Heads to NASCAR; Lee Takes Over

As expected, long time Indycar booth anchor will move to NBC’s NASCAR coverage as the lead booth announcer. Diffey has called Indycar races on television for more than a decade. While some fans don’t care for his style, I was fine with him. Thanks, Leigh, for all you’ve done for Indycar.

Veteran Kevin Lee will assume the anchor duties for the rest of the season. Lee does a fine job in the times he has filled in for Diffey, and I hope Fox picks him up as the lead when they take over Indycar broadcasts in 2025. Keeping him will make me dread the switch a bit less.

Portland Scheule

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All Times Eastern. Portland is in the Pacific Time Zone.

Friday. August 23

4:45 pm Indy NXT Practice 1

6:55-7:10 pm Indycar Practice 1 Peacock, Indycar Radio

Saturday, August 24

Noon-1 pm- Indycar Practice 2 Peacock, Indycar Radio

2:20 pm- Indy NXT Practice 2

3:30 pm- Indycar Qualifying Peacock, Indycar Radio

7:20 pm Indy NXT Qualifying

8:15 pm – Indycar Final Practice Peacock, Indycar Radio

Sunday, August 25

1 pm Indy NXT Race 35 laps or 55 minutes Peacock,

3:30 pm Indycar Race 110 laps USA Network Peacock, Indycar Radio

  • All three levels of the Road to Indy are also at Portland this weekend.

Final Thoughts – Bommarito 500 Edition

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

It took three events, but Indycar found a way to create an entertaining show after the introduction of the hybrid. Cars could pass and race closely, several pit strategies were tried, and the distance between the mid race cautions were far enough apart to not interfere with scheduled pit stops.

Another metric by which last night’s race was great was the number of drivers upset with each other, and the discussions among fans theat the race created.

The high line practice appears to have worked, as cars could pass on the outside. Indycar recorded 676 passes, 254 for position, a nice recovery from the dearth of overtaking we saw at Mid Ohio and Iowa.

Hard Luck Drivers

Three drivers in particular had great races going for them, only to have them snuffed out by on track incidents or penalties.

Let’s start with David Malukas.

Malukas started second, and he had the only180 mph lap in qualifying. He fell back at the start, regained his spot, and passed Scott McLaughlin for the lead on lap 16. Malukas was in line for his third straight Gateway podium, when he hit the wall on lap 240 after being hit by Will Power. How Power wasn’t penalized for that move is beyond me, but Malukas’ night was over. I enjoyed watching a driver from one of the smaller teams going toe to toe with the Team Penske trio.

Nolan Siegel was in contention for a career best finish, possibly a podium or top five, with the pit strategy he was following, but a pit lkane speeding violation ended that hope. He recovered to finish seventh.

Conor Daly started ninth and moved up a couple of spots early. He looked like a sure bet for a top 10 finish, but on lap 17, contact with Kyle Kirkwood in an incident which also involved Daly’s teammate Romain Grosjean, dashed his hopes. Daly ended the night in 13th, but he showed the promise that Juncos Hollinger Racing was looking for in their quest to make the Leaders’ Circle. With three ovals remaining, I think they will get there.

More Alchemy from Alex Palou

In a race in which points runner up Will Power appeared to earn the maximum amount of points available to him, and in which points leader Palou seemed to be going virtually nowhere, Palou finishes fourth after a Colton Herta received a last lap blocking penalty, adding 10 points to his lead, while Power drops to fourth place after his 18th place finish.

We had the same scenario at Toronto, wher Palou looked to be vulnerable to seeing his lead shrink within shouting distance. Now, He leads by more than one race.

Scott Dixon is a master fuel saver. Palou is a master point saver..

Restarts and Penalties

Indycar assessed eight penalties during the race, but I think two more were warranted. I felt Power should have had an avoidable contact penalty for the Malukas incident, and Newgarden should have had some consequence for the slow restart which resulted in the chaos which caused a red flag.

Restarts- From my view near turn 1, It looked like most of the restarts and the start of the race were ay a slower than normal pace. The restart on lap 252 was the slowest of the night. While Indycar telemetry showed Newgarden maintained the proper speed throughout the restart, something was not right. That restart should have been waved off.

Overall, this was a really good race. It had great racing, multiple strategies, controversy, and lots of drama and controversy, which is still being discussed today.

Thanks for following along this weekend. I’m going to the Cardinals game this afternoon before heading home. They extended their winning streak to one in a row last night.

Bommarito 500- Another Oval, Another Penske Win

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Photo by Kyle McInnesa

One streak continues, and another restarts. Josef Newgarden broke his two race oval losing streak with a come from behind win at World Wide Technolgy Raceway, his fifth win at this track.

Newgarden beat Scott McLaughlin out of the pits on a late stop and held the lead the rest of the way.

The race had many dimensions, cautions, questionable moves, and a red flag which resulted in a seven lap shootout in which newgarden ran away from the field.

Tonight’s race was the best race since the introduction of the hybrid. There was a lot of overtaking, multiple pit strategies, and the winner was in doubt until near the end. There were also heartbreaking stories- David Malukas, Nolan Siegel, and Conor Daly, to name a few.

Alex Palou looked as if he would take a huge hit on his points lead, but thanks to Will Power’s mishap near the end, he once again extends his lead.

In the post race press conference Newgarden said that the second lane worked tonight, and he is hopeful that Indycar can get other tracks to put on a good show. He felt relieved that he didn’t hit the wall when he spun.

I will have more thoughts on the race tomorrow morning.

World Wide Technology Raceway Dresses Up

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When I arrived at the track yesterday, things looked different yet the same. In my walks around yesterday, I noticed several improvements. The track has changed a lot since Indycar’s return in 2017.

Paddock

The paddock area is much improved with more signage and a change to the spaces. The work areas are all on the east side. The west side is now a spectator area under cover. Drivers’ names and car numbers tell fans who is where. In addition, a video screen presents each driver’s profile.

Fan Comfort

At the north end of the infield behind the pits, there are numerous picnic tables shaded by umbrellas. Just past the tables are three covered lounge area with video screens. While they don’t provide much relief from the heat, the pergola does give some relief from the sun, which helps a bit.

The track management has stationed several cooling buses around the unfield and the outer grandstands., and there are misting stations to provide a short respite from the heat.

The media center and the medical building have a fresh coat of paint, which helps the appearance a lot.

The grandstand seats have been repainted as well.

This year is the best the track has looked since Indycar’s return. I hope the track continues to improve the appearance and fan comfort, and can work with Indycar to put on a good show on the track.

Race Day at WWTR

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Photo by Kyle McInnes. Could this scene be the duel at the end of the race?

Today’s Schedule: Times are Central

11 am Gates Open

11:10 am: Vintage Indy

1:45pm: Vintage Indy

3 pm: INDY NXT Command

3:05 pm: INDY NXT Green Flag

4:48 pm: Driver Intros

5:13 pm: Invocation

5:14 pm: Anthem

5:25 pm: Command

5:30 pm: Green Flag 260 laps; USA, Peaocck, Indycar Radio

7:53 pm: Sunset

What looked to be processional event now has the promise of being quite intriguing. Grid penalties and a qualifying mishap has several favorites starting in the second `half of the field.

Colton Herta has one of the fastest cars this weekend, and he starts 25th. Points leader Alex Palou starts 16th. While Herta, Palou,, and Scott Dixon will probably work their way into the top ten, the going will get tougher after that. The Penske trio of Scott McLaughlin, Will Power, and Josef Newgarden will be strong. Pato O’Ward should also be in the mix, as will David Malukas.

Based on the final practice last night, I think passing will still be difficult in the race. The best overtaking opportunity appears to be going into turn 1.

Will Power has a great opportunity to cut into Palou’s points lead., but as we have seen before, Palou seems to find a way to minimize the damage.

Two Things to Watch

How easily will the leaders be able to get through lapped traffic? At Iowa, it took quite a few laps to get past a slower car. While that does bunch up the leaders, it really slows the pace of the race and keeps it as a processional.

How many cautions and when they happen could make the race more interesting. Restarts will provide the best passing opportunities. I hope there is a balance between a crash fest and a caution free race.

In the end, we might see a duel between Josef newgarden and Pato O’Ward for the win. This time, O’Ward comes out on top and breks the Penske oval streak.

O’Ward Fastest in Final Practice

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Pato O’Ward led the evening practice as the Indycar series had its final tune up before this afternoons’ Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

Early in the session Nolan Siegel had a tire come apart on the front stretch. he pulled to the inside ad stopped next to the pit wall. Firestone officials determined that the tire had been cut and that it did not deflate immediately. A serious situation was avoided.

Josef Newgarden led for much of the session, and O’Ward grabbed the top spot in the final 30 minutes.

The practice followed a 30 minute high line session as cars tried to make the second groove usable for the race. It will still be difficult to pass tonight.

Alex Palou and Graham Rahal ((Photo by Kyle McInnes)

The 7:30 start time for the practice would be the ideal for this race to begin. The t excessive heat of the day moderated, and it was pleasant during the second half of the session. Indycar needs to have a true night race again.

Silver Crown

Dakoda Armstrong won the USAC Silver Crown race at WWTR last night. Justin Grant, winner of the BC39 at IMS last fall, was second, and Kalee Bryson scored her first career podium.

I will have a pre race story up in a couple of hours.

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