NBC Sports will present the ‘Drive to Indianapolis,’ chronicling the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series and INDYCAR Series crossover weekend on Saturday and Sunday, showcasing the history of stock car and open-wheel racing and bringing together top drivers from NASCAR Cup and Xfinity and INDYCAR at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Saturday marks a motorsports tripleheader on NBC and NBCSN, beginning with the INDYCAR GMR Grand Prix on the IMS road course at 12 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway continues at 3 p.m. ET on NBC with the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 150 on the IMS road course, then shifts to Daytona International Speedway for the IMSA WeatherTech 240 at Daytona at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
The NASCAR Cup Series takes center stage from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on NBC, as NBC Sports kicks off its 2020 NASCAR Cup Series coverage with the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records.
Mike Tirico will host NBC Sports’ coverage of the historic NASCAR/INDYCAR crossover weekend on Fourth of July weekend from the sixth floor of The Pagoda at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on NBC.
Tirico will be joined by NBC Sports NASCAR analyst and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett on-site, as well as a number of special guests on Saturday and Sunday, including current and former INDYCAR and NASCAR drivers.
In addition, current INDYCAR driver and NBC Sports analyst James Hinchcliffe, who will compete in Saturday’s INDYCAR race, and NBC Sports’ Rutledge Wood will provide reports from IMS throughout the weekend.
Following are highlights of NBC Sports’ ‘Drive to Indianapolis’ weekend race coverage:
- Mike Tirico and Steve Phelps – Mike Tirico will interview NACAR President Steve Phelps during Countdown to Green Saturday, which begins at 2 p.m. ET on NBC. Phelps will discuss the historic weekend and how it came to fruition with IMS and INDYCAR Series Owner Roger Penske, as well as the social justice impact across our country and NASCAR;
- Mario Andretti and Richard Petty – Racing legends Mario Andretti and Richard Petty narrate a tease examining the significance of the NASCAR/INDYCAR crossover weekend at IMS;
- WATCH WITH – NBC Sports will present — WATCH WITH — a pair of exclusive 30-minute Twitter watch-along shows on Saturday (12:15 p.m. ET on the @NASCARonNBC Twitter account) and Sunday (4:30 p.m. ET on the @IndyCaronNBC Twitter account) featuring Kyle Petty and Rutledge Wood hosting drivers from one series commentating on the live race of the other series. Featured drivers include Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, Matt DiBenedetto, Aric Almirola, Daniel Suarez, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Simon Pagenaud, and Colton Herta;
- Robin Miller Essay – Robin Miller pens an essay on the historic nature of the crossover weekend and its impact on the motorsports industry;
- Townsend Bell Double Duty – After calling the GMR Grand Prix live from IMS on NBC early Saturday afternoon, NBC Sports INDYCAR analyst and current IMSA driver Townsend Bell will pull double duty and compete as a member of the No. 12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus team in the GT Daytona class at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN;
- Countdown to Crossover – A week-long daily digital series featuring NASCAR, INDYCAR and IMSA drivers with NBC Sports commentators previewing the crossover weekend continues through tomorrow, July 3. Episodes premiere on NBCSports.com and the Motorsports on NBC YouTube channel.
NBC Sports PR
