Sam Flood is NBC’s executive producer and president of production for NBC and NBCSN. He’s been a major supporter of making NBC and NBCSN the network of motorsports with coverage of IndyCar, NASCAR, IMSA and Supercross.
The chance to be executive producer of an Indianapolis 500 telecast is an honor for Flood.
“We love doing IndyCar through all these years, but always felt something was missing,” he said. “To be able to produce the Indy 500, The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, is an honor, and it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly.
“We’ve been working on it since the day the deal was agreed to. We’ve been thinking about it for years before that. How would we make a big event even bigger? That’s our goal and our job, is to make sure this story is told, this great day, this celebration.
“It’s much more than a race, it’s an event.”
Flood stressed the big-event aspect of the Indianapolis 500.
“There are races and then there are events. This is an event,” he said. “What we’re able to do with the Kentucky Derby, when we first had it, it was an hour-and-a- half window. We’re now on the air for six hours on race Saturday.
“That’s what we think we can do here, continue to build the energy, excitement and passion for the sport. With the team we have, I’m pretty confident we’re going to have a big-time show come the 500 this year.”
Miller and Flood have assembled an incredible collection of talent to cover the Indianapolis 500. Mike Tirico, one of NBC’s signature voices, will host of the broadcast.
“It’s our philosophy for major events that the ‘A Team’ always shows up for the big events,” Flood told SPEED SPORT. “It’s no coincidence that Mike hosts the Olympics, he hosts the Kentucky Derby, he hosts ‘Football Night in America’ and Mike is now hosting the Indianapolis 500.”
Working alongside Tirico as analyst is 2005 Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year Danica Patrick.
Former NASCAR driver and current NBC NASCAR analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be part of the telecast crew along with NBC motorsports host Krista Voda and quirky reporter Rutledge Wood.
“I can’t wait,” Earnhardt said. “This is an event I have wanted to attend for as long as I can remember. To get this first Indy 500 experience in this capacity — as part of the broadcast team with NBC Sports — is a dream. That said, I fully understand the responsibility we have of bringing this race to television viewers across the country. There’s no better broadcast team to do it. I’m blessed to be a part of it.”
Race coverage will be handled by Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst) and Paul Tracy (analyst). Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Kevin Lee and Jon Beekhuis will serve as pit reporters, along with reporters Robin Miller and Dillon Welch.
“The racing industry is going to follow and see how important it is and we are going to tell people it’s important and bring back a lot of the attention, focus and excitement the Indy 500 deserves,” Miller said. “Having those former racers here and having Dale Earnhardt Jr. here is going to make it better in everybody’s mind.”
NBC will provide the television viewers a fresh look and approach to one of the oldest and most historic sporting events in the world by televising the race through a fresh lens.
“It’s IndyCar first and foremost and we’re going to find a way to make it all work,” Miller said.