NBC – The Pit Window by Mike Silver

At the Quarter Mark; Final Thoughts on Barber and a Look Inside the Stats

May 3, 2022 thepitwindow

Photo: The field lines up in turn 15 for the start of Sunday’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

First, I want to thank Kyle McIness for the great photos he provided for The Pit Window this weekend.

A few final thoughts:

I watched the replay of the race last evening. I’m not sure what Grosjean was doing with Rahal, but the second seemed unnecessary. Grosjean’s move on Colton Herta was even more egregious, as he tried to pin him against the pit wall. The move was not something a driver should do to anyone, but especially not to a teammate.

While the race was processional at the front of the pack, there was a lot of good action at the back.

I like the happy Pato O’Ward better than the pouty Pato.

Alex Palou is the Iceman 2.0.

Inside the Stats

I broke down some performance indicators for the first four races. The results indicate a very competitive season so far. What many feared would a team Penske runaway may not be the case. Here are some random categories chosen by The Pit Window panel of experts. (Me):

Top 5s

Will Power 4

Alex Palou 3

Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, and Pato O’Ward 2 each

Podiums

Palou 3

Newgarden, McLaughlin 2 each

Fast Six

Five drivers tied with 2:

Rinus VeeKay, Alexander Rossi, Felix Rosenqvist, Palou, McLaughlin

Laps Led

McLaughlin 235

Rinus VeeKay 75

Josef Newgarden 37

Colton Herta 28

Rookie Standings

Christian Lundgaard 57

Kyle Kirkwood 46

David Malukas 44

Callum Ilott 37

Devlin DeFrancesco 33

Tatiana Calderon 25

Tomorrow, May coverage at IMS begins. This week I will talk about three former winners who don’t get a lot of mentions when 500 winners are discussed. I have a personal connection to each of these drivers.

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Fast Facts

April 6, 2022 thepitwindow

Race weekend: Friday, April 8 – Sunday, April 10
Track: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course (clockwise) in Long Beach, California
Race distance: 85 laps / 167.28 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.
Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate. Rookie drivers are allowed one extra primary set for Practice 1.
Twitter: @GPLongBeach @INDYCAR, #AGPLB, #INDYCAR
Event website: www.gplb.com
INDYCAR website: www.INDYCAR.com
2021 race winner: Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda)
2021 NTT P1 Award: Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet), 1:08.2241, 103.846 mph
Qualifying lap record: Helio Castroneves, 1:06.2254, 106.980 mph, April 8, 2017
NBC Sports race telecast: 3 p.m. (ET) Sunday, April 10, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Marty Snider, Dave Burns and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters.
Peacock Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product. NBC’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race telecast will be simulcast on the streaming service, while Peacock Premium’s exclusive post-race show – featuring driver interviews, podium ceremonies and post-race analysis – will be streamed following the race.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton and turn announcers Nick Yeoman, Jake Query and Michael Young. Ryan Myrehn and Joel Sebastianelli are the pit reporters. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, April 8
3:15-4:15 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1 (45-minute session), Peacock Premium (live)
Saturday, April 9
8:45-9:45 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (45-minute session), Peacock Premium (live)
12:05 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock Premium (live)
Sunday, April 10
9-9:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock Premium (live)
Noon – Driver introductions
Noon – NBC on air
12:38 p.m. – Start engines command
12:45 p.m. – Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (85 laps/167.28 miles), NBC and Peacock Premium (live)
Race Notes:
This weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark the 38th INDYCAR SERIES event on the historic Long Beach street circuit. Mario Andretti won the first INDYCAR SERIES race there in 1984. Colton Herta won the race in 2021.
There have been two winners in two races in 2022 – Scott McLaughlin (St. Petersburg) and Josef Newgarden (Texas). The last time Team Penske won the first three races of an INDYCAR SERIES season was in 2012 when Helio Castroneves (St. Petersburg) and Will Power (Barber, Long Beach and Sao Paulo) claimed wins in the first four races. Since 2012, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has averaged just under nine different race winners per season, including a record-tying 11 winners in 2014. There were nine different winners in the 16 races of 2021, with equally tight competition projected for this season.
There have been seven different winners in the last 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races (Marcus Ericsson, Pato O’Ward, Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Colton Herta and Scott McLaughlin). The only repeat winners in that stretch are Newgarden (Mid-Ohio and WWT Raceway in 2021 and Texas in 2022), Palou (Road America and Portland in 2021) and Herta (Laguna Seca and Long Beach in 2021).
Three California natives are entered: 2021 Long Beach race winner Colton Herta hails from Valencia while Andretti Autosport teammate and 2018 and 2019 Long Beach race winner Alexander Rossi is a native of Nevada City. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Jimmie Johnson is from El Cajon.
Herta has won the last three INDYCAR SERIES races held in the Golden State (Laguna Seca 2019, Laguna Seca 2021 and Long Beach 2021).
Al Unser Jr. has won the most times at Long Beach (six). Will Power and Alexander Rossi are the only entered drivers with multiple wins. Power won in 2008 and 2012, and Rossi won in 2018 and 2019. Other former race winners scheduled to compete are Helio Castroneves (2001), Takuma Sato (2013), Scott Dixon (2015), Simon Pagenaud (2016) and Colton Herta (2021).
Five drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984, 1985 and 1987), Al Unser Jr. (1989-90), Helio Castroneves (2001), Sebastien Bourdais (2006-07) and Alexander Rossi (2018-19).
Twenty-one of the 26 drivers entered have competed in INDYCAR SERIES races at Long Beach. Will Power has 15 starts, most among all entered drivers.
Ten entered drivers have led laps: Helio Castroneves 194, Power 170, Alexander Rossi 151, Scott Dixon 104, Takuma Sato 67, Simon Pagenaud 54, Colton Herta 43, Josef Newgarden 22, Graham Rahal 4 and Jack Harvey 1.
Six NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookies – Tatiana Calderon, Devlin DeFrancesco, Callum Ilott, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard and David Malukas – are expected to compete. All but Ilott will be making their first INDYCAR SERIES start on the Streets of Long Beach.
Milestones: Alexander Rossi will attempt to make his 100th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start … Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 291st consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history.

Race Day at Texas

March 20, 2022 thepitwindow2 Comments

Today’s Schedule: All times Eastern

10:00 AM Gates Open

12:00 PM Driver Introductions

12:45 PM Green Flag for the Expel 375 NBC coverage begins at 12:30 PM

Post race show on Peacock after NBC coverage ends

Race time temperature should be around 69 degrees and sunny, rising to the mid 70s by the end of the race.

The race should be very competitive. I think any one of the first seven starters could win. Pole sitter Felix Rosenqvist is confident of his chances. Josef Newgarden was very quick in the practice sessions. Many Texas races have come down to a late yellow and cars diving into the pits for new tires. The leader is a sitting duck in this situation.

From yesterday-

https://thepitwindow.blog/2022/03/19/rosenqvist-takes-pole-at-texas/

Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star posted a story last night in which he reported that the efforts to reduce the effect of the JP 1 compound have not changed much. We are likely to see a single file race again. That would be a shame. Some of Indycar’s best races have been at Texas Motor Speedway.

Will Power led the effort for a high downforce session to attempt to scrub off the JP1 compound

This is possibly the last Indycar race at TMS for a while. there has been no talk about renewing the relationship this weekend. Attendance yesterday extremely low. I am not anticipating a large turnout today.

Let’s hope for a safe, competitive race.

Expel 375 Preview- The Last Texas Roundup?

March 18, 2022 thepitwindow

Race 2 of the 2022 Indycar season this weekend has a lot of questions to answer. Will this be the final race at Texas motor Speedway for the series? Can Indycar create a second lane on the high side of the track?How will the six first timers fare on this high speed oval?

The 35th Indycar race at Texas could be the last. 2022 is the final year of the contract, and no extension has been announced. Track president rob Ramage said the other day the he is “optimistic” that Indycar will return. Texas Motor Speedway was a staunch ally of the fledging Indy Racing League and has supported the series since 1997. I would hate to see this track drop off the schedule. However, attendance and the racing needs to improve.

Get a Grip

Indycars have no tire grip on the JP1 compound in the high lane. We saw a lot of single file racing last year in the two races. Several ideas have been discussed this week to improve the situation. It sounds as if Indycar is close to a decision on one idea.

Under the proposal each team would have one car run in the second lane for 30 minutes. The teams would get an extra set of tires for this session only. I heard just a bit ago that cones would be set up so that the cars would only run the top lane. The session would precede the final practice.

This might work, but the price could be high if it doesn’t. What if a car gets up in that lane during final practice and crashes?

Pato O’Ward talked about the second groove in his media availability Monday. He does not see a way to fix it the issue.

“As much as we’d love a second lane, I just don’t think the PJ1 is a
surface that’s ever going to give us that second lane. If it
does, it’s going to be way slower, so it’s not going to be a
second lane where you can fight and pass people, rather
than shovel your way back in a way.
I don’t know, man. I think last year, even with that PJ1
there, there is enough space where you can pull off a
move. It’s not easy at all. I remember I got a little wiggly
on it last year on restarts and stuff.
I mean, it is what it is. Can’t just go on there and peel it,
right, go back to how it was a few years ago.”

O’Ward thinks itis a track situation drivers just need to work through.

“I think we have to work with what we have. We had a
great race there last year. We proved to be able to be
making moves. Maybe not two or three at a time, but one
at a time. It certainly wasn’t easy.
I just think it’s going to be the same this year.”

Saturday will be an interesting day at Texas.

Newbies

Nearly one fourth of the grid will race at Texas for the first time.

Sunday’s race will be the first Indycar oval race for Jimmie Johnson, who won at Texas seven times in NASCAR. Johnson is happy to treturn to an oval, especially one where he had much success, but e admits it won’t be easy.

“Excited as I am to be on an oval, I still haven’t been in traffic in an INDYCAR. I still have plenty to learn coming to a track I know and love.
Really excited to get there and work.”

Romain Grosjean got a taste of oval racing at gateway last summer. He did quite well. This will Grosjean’s first time on a high speed ovl.

Christian Lundgaard and Callum Ilott will experience oval racing for the first time in their careers. Indy Lights graduates Kyle Kirkwood, Devlin DeFrancesco, and David Malukas drove a few ovals on the Road to Indy, but never at Texas.

The Usual Suspects Up Front

Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, and Felix Rosenqvist need good results this weekend. The trio finished 16th, 20th, and 17th at St. Pete.

I look for Newgarden and Rossi to have strong weekends, with Newgarden one of the favorites for the victory He He lost Race 2 in 2021 when Pato O’Ward passed him with eight laps to go. O’Ward also must be a favorite.

Rosenqvist is still fighting to keep his ride. He needs a top 10 finish Sunday.

Scott Dixon, who has won three times at Texas, Will Power, and Colton Herta could also win. Dixon’s next victory will tie him with Mario Andretti with 52 career wins.

Power seems rejuvenated after a lackluster 2021. A podium finish Sunday puts Power solidly in thick of the championship. Don’t dismiss his chances this year.

A Peacock Bonus

Peacock will have an untimed post race show after the NBC broadcast window ends at 3 pm Eastern time. The show is a result of feedback from the Global Fan Survey. If you are not a Peacock subscriber, the $4.99 a month is worth it. You can subscribe just for racing season.

The race coverage begins at 12:30 PM Eastern. The green flag drops at 12:45.

Fast Facts- Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

February 22, 2022 thepitwindow

Race weekend: Friday, Feb. 25 – Sunday, Feb. 27

Track: Streets of St. Petersburg, 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit (clockwise) through downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, including a runway of Albert Whitted Airport

Media Links: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Entry List (PDF) | Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Entry List(PDF)

Race distance: 100 laps / 180 miles (NTT INDYCAR SERIES) | 60 minute timed race (Indy Lights)

Push-to-pass parameters (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): 150 seconds of total time with a maximum single duration of 15 seconds. The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race

Firestone tire allotment (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): Six sets primary, four sets alternate. One additional set is available to rookie drivers for use in the Friday afternoon practice session

Twitter: @GPSTPETE, @INDYCAR, @IndyLights #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR

Event website: www.gpstpete.com

INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com

2021 race winner: Colton Herta, 1:51:51.4115, 96.552 mph

2021 NTT P1 Award winner: Colton Herta, 1:00.3210, 107.425 mph

Qualifying lap record: Jordan King, 1:00.0476; 107.914 mph, March 10, 2018 (set in Round 1 of qualifying)

NBC Sports telecast: Race, noon ET Sunday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Marty Snider, Kevin Lee and Dave Burns are the pit reporters. Spanish-language telecast will be available on Telemundo.

Peacock Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying and Indy Lights races will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman, Jake Query and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn and Alex Wollf are the pit reporters The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg race and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. All Indy Lights practice and qualifying sessions and races are available on racecontrol.indycar.com, the INDYCAR App and SiriusXM 160.

At-track schedule (All Times Local/Eastern Time):

Friday, Feb. 25

3:40-4:25 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock Premium

Saturday, Feb. 26

9-9:45 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock Premium

12:30-1:45 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock Premium (Live)

Sunday, Feb. 27

8:45-9:15 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock Premium

Noon – NBC Sports on air

12:23 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”

12:30 p.m. – Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding (100 laps / 181 miles), NBC, Telemundo and Peacock Premium (Live)

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding will be the 19th INDYCAR SERIES race on the streets of St. Petersburg, dating to 2003. Colton Herta won the 2021 race after starting from the pole position. Paul Tracy won the inaugural race on Feb. 23, 2003, under CART sanction, while Sebastien Bourdais started from the pole that year.
The St. Petersburg INDYCAR race has been run every year since 2003 except for 2004. No driver has competed in every St. Petersburg race, but Scott Dixon has started 17 consecutive races.
Herta can continue a streak of back-to-back race winners at St. Petersburg that began in 2015. Juan Pablo Montoya won back-to-back St. Petersburg races in 2015 and 2016, while Sebastien Bourdais won in 2017 and 2018. Josef Newgarden won back-to-back in 2019 and 2020.
Dixon seeks his first win on the streets of St. Petersburg. Dixon’s six NTT INDYCAR SERIES championships trail only the seven INDYCAR SERIES titles collected by A.J. Foyt. Dixon is third on the all-time INDYCAR SERIES victory list with 51 wins and can tie Mario Andretti for second with his next win, but has never won at St. Petersburg. He has four runner-up finishes at the circuit.
Helio Castroneves (2006, 2007 and 2012), Will Power (2010 and 2014) and Josef Newgarden (2019-2020) are the only entered drivers to win at St. Petersburg more than once. Five past winners are entered: Castroneves, Power, Newgarden, Graham Rahal (2008) and Herta.
Team Penske has won the pole position 10 of the past 15 St. Petersburg races, including nine of the last 12 poles by Power. Along with Power, previous pole winners Rahal (2009), Takuma Sato (2014) and Herta are entered this weekend.
Team Penske has won at St. Petersburg 10 times, including six of the last 10 races with Castroneves (2012), Power (2014), Montoya (2015-16) and Newgarden (2019-2020).
Three drivers have won the race from the pole – Castroneves (2007), Power (2010) and Herta (2021). The St. Petersburg winner has qualified fourth in four of the last nine seasons.
Dixon has made 288 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history.
Jack Harvey will make his 50^th INDYCAR SERIES start at St. Petersburg.
Rookies Tatiana Calderon, Devlin DeFrancesco, Kyle Kirkwood and David Malukas will make their NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut at St. Petersburg.

Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Notes:

The 14-car field for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is the largest Indy Lights field at St. Petersburg since 2017.
The 2021 season features a deep and talented field with race winners such as Linus Lundqvist and Matt Brabham joining a promising rookie class that includes Christian Rasmussen (Indy Pro 2000 champ), Hunter McElrea (Indy Pro 2000), Kyffin Simpson (Formula Regional Americas champion) and Ernie Francis Jr. (seven-time Trans Am champion/Formula Regional Americas). Other contenders include returning drivers Danial Frost, Sting Ray Robb and Benjamin Pedersen.
Three new teams have joined the series for 2022, TJ Speed Motorsports, led by Indy Lights championship-winning engineer Tim Neff, Road to Indy stalwart Abel Motorsports and African-American-led Force Indy.
Since 2005, the driver who won at least one of the races at St. Petersburg has gone on to win the Indy Lights title six times, including Kyle Kirkwood, who won the first race of the doubleheader in 2021.

St. Pete Schedule

February 21, 2022February 21, 2022 thepitwindow

It’s Race Week! The schedule for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by RP Funding has a packed Friday with four races, and one Indycar practice session. Five different series share the track with Indycar this weekend. Saturday ends with Indycar qualifying at 12:30 PM.

The on track Saturday schedule is short because there is a performance at the Mahaffey Theater that evening. The conflict is a result of the race moving from its traditional march slot on the calendar.

Race time is 12:30 PM Eastern Sunday. I like that Indycar is moving their races to earlier time slots. The race is on NBC. Practices and qualifying are on Peacock

All times Eastern

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022 Gates Open 7:30 AM-6:00 PM

7:45AM – 8:15AM Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying
8:30AM – 8:45AM SRO GT America Qualifying 1
8:50AM – 9:05AM SRO GT America Qualifying 2
9:20AM – 9:50AM USF2000 Qualifying 1
10:05AM – 10:50AM Indy Lights Practice
11:05AM – 11:25AM Mazda MX-5 Cup Qualifying
11:40AM – 12:25PM Indy Pro 2000 Race 1
12:40PM – 1:25PM USF2000 Race 1
1:54PM – 2:10PM Indy Lights Qualifying
2:25PM – 3:25PM SRO GT America Race 1
3:40PM – 4:25PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1
4:40PM – 5:25PM Mazda MX-5 Cup Race 1
5:40PM – 6:10PM Indy Lights Final Practice

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022 Gates Open 7:45 AM-1:30 PM

8:00AM – 8:45AM Indy Pro 2000 Race 2
9:00AM – 9:45AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2
10:00AM – 10:45AM Mazda MX-5 Cup Race 2
11:00AM – 12:00PM SRO GT America Race 2
12:30PM – 1:45PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying

2:00 PM-2:30 PM Indy Lights Autograph Session Fan Village

3:00 PM- 4:00 PM Indycar Autograph Session Fan Village

4:00 PM-6:00 PM Party in the Park North Straub Park

8:00 PM Fireworks

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2022 Gates Open 8:30 AM- 2:30 PM

8:45AM – 9:15AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up
9:30AM – 10:30AM Indy Lights Race
10:45AM – 11:25AM USF2000 Race 2
11:50AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Driver Introductions
12:30PM Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding NTT INDYCAR SERIES Race (100 Laps)

The Price of Free TV

January 16, 2022 thepitwindow

First, Happy birthday, A. J. Foyt.

The good news that NBC will have 14 NTT Inycar Series races on network television s tempered by the loss of night races. The closest race to a night event is at World Wide technology Raceway., with a broadcast start time of 6 pm Eastern. That means the race starts around 5:30 Central time and will be done around dusk.

I really don’t understand why this race is not under the lights since it is slated for USA Network. I get that big NBC doesn’t want to show a prime time weekend night race. But why can’t USA show a night race.

The other race scheduled for USA Network is Belle Isle. I find that puzzling as well, considering that Roger Penske is the race promoter. Why not make that an NBC and put Iowa’s Saturday race on USA at night?

I hope this is a temporary schedule transition and there is at least one true night race in 2023. Indycars at night look fantastic. The colors really pop under the lights. They seem to be faster. Most important is that at Iowa and Gateway, to a lesser extent, the racing is better at night. As the track cools, the cars’ handling changes. A fast car early in the race can turn into a handful later, while someone struggling before sundown can turn into a rocket.

Maybe we will get a long rain delay at Iowa like there was in 2019 when a twilight race turned into a late night/early morning affair. It appears my night racing will be limited to the Rolex 24 in a couple weeks.

The absence of night races is my only complaint with the television schedule. Generally, I like the early start times for most of the races. Fans should be able to get home in time to get some sleep before going to work on Monday.

The schedule with broadcast times:

NBC Sports, INDYCAR Announce 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Broadcast Start Times

January 10, 2022 thepitwindow

This announcement is one I have been waiting for. Remember, these are television times, not race start times. The one disappointment I have is that it appears neither Iowa race will be a night race meaning World Wide Technology Raceway is the only race after dark on the schedule. I am happy that mid Ohio retained its early start time.

Hinchcliffe Moves from Car to Broadcast Booth

December 16, 2021 thepitwindow

Tuesday James Hinchcliffe announced that he was stepping back from full time Indycar racing. Today he is now in the broadcast booth for NBC, covering Indycar and some IMSA races. It’s not his first foray into broadcasting, and many thought television is where Hinchcliffe would land when his career ended. He replaces Paul Tracy in the booth. Leigh Diffey and Townsend Bell return for 2022. Hinchcliffe will provide insight into what the current car with the aeroscreen is like to drive.

The Indycar on NBC announcement:

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE JOINS NBC SPORTS AS MOTORSPORTS ANALYST

Hinchcliffe to Serve as Analyst for NTT INDYCAR Series and Select IMSA WeatherTech Championship Series Events

Will Make 2022 INDYCAR On-Air Debut at Season-Opener at Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27 on NBC

2022 NTT INDYCAR Series Features Record 14 Races on NBC Broadcast Network, Including 106^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29

STAMFORD, Conn. – December 16, 2021 – INDYCAR fan-favorite and veteran driver James Hinchcliffe has joined NBC Sports as a full-time analyst for its coverage of the upcoming 2022 NTT INDYCAR Series. Hinchcliffe will join play-by-play voice Leigh Diffey and analyst Townsend Bell to comprise NBC Sports’ lead INDYCAR commentary team for the 2022 season.

In addition to his role on NBC Sports’ exclusive INDYCAR coverage, Hinchcliffe will also serve as an analyst for select IMSA races. Hinchcliffe will make his 2022 INDYCAR on-air debut at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, February 27, on NBC.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join the NBC Sports team this year,” said Hinchcliffe. “I got a taste of calling INDYCAR back in 2020 and that really solidified my desire to get into this side of the sport. It’s always been a passion of mine to educate people about INDYCAR, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to help tell those stories from the booth alongside a couple of pros in Leigh and Townsend.”

“James Hinchcliffe is one of the most dynamic personalities in motorsports and we’re excited to bring ‘The Mayor of Hinchtown’ straight from the car and into the booth for NBC Sports,” said Sam Flood, executive producer and president, NBC Sports and NBCSN. “James’ engaging personality, combined with his unique perspective of what these drivers are experiencing in real time, will be a great addition to our motorsports coverage.”

Hinchcliffe recently announced he was stepping away from full-time competitive racing following a decade in INDYCAR which included six race wins and the 2011 NTT INDYCAR Series Rookie of the Year award. Hinchcliffe was also awarded the INDYCAR Fan Favorite Award in 2012 and 2018.

NBC Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR Series will feature a record 14 races on the NBC broadcast network, including the 106^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29. The first six races of the season will air on NBC, and all races, qualifying and practice will stream live on Peacock.

The 2021 campaign delivered NBC Sports’ most-watched INDYCAR season on record and the second most-watched Indy 500 in the past five years.