From: NBC Sports Group PR/Media Relations
- Sunday’s Pre-Race Coverage Begins with IndyCar Live Presented by Verizon at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN
- Pre-Race Coverage Includes Robin Miller Essay on American Racing Icon Dan Gurney, Founder of Grand Prix of Long Beach
- NBCSN Presents Live Qualifying Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 12, 2018 – NBC Sports continues its coverage of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series this weekend from one of America’s most iconic street circuits with live coverage of the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Pre-race coverage begins with IndyCar Live presented by Verizon at 4 p.m. ET.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Reigning IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden (Penske) took the checkered flag in Phoenix last week, capitalizing on the decision to make a pit stop for fresh tires during a caution with 18 laps remaining in the race. Newgarden passed rookie Robert Wickens (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports) with four laps to go to earn the victory. The podium was rounded out by Alexander Rossi(Andretti Autosport), his second consecutive podium finish to start the 2018 season.
The Grand Prix of Long Beach has seen six different winners in the last six years, including last year’s winner James Hinchcliffe (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports), who sits in sixth place in the driver standings following finishes of fourth and sixth to start the season.
This weekend’s race is the second of three consecutive weekends of IndyCar on NBCSN, following the network’s season debut last weekend in Phoenix. NBCSN will showcase the Grand Prix of Alabama next Sunday, April 22.
This weekend’s live coverage from Long Beach begins Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET with qualifying, leading into pre-race coverage on IndyCar Live presented by Verizon on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. This season’s pre-race coverage will take place from the grid in the lead up to the command, bringing viewers even closer to the action prior to the race. Pre-race coverage will include:
- An essay from IndyCar on NBC pit reporter Robin Miller on legendary American driver Dan Gurney, who was instrumental in the creation of the Grand Prix of Long Beach and passed away earlier this year;
- A look at NBC analyst Paul Tracy’s first-career IndyCar win, which came 25 years ago at Long Beach, the first of his four victories at the circuit;
- A feature on James Hinchcliffe during his visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific, which is located within the race course, where he conducted an underwater press conference;
- A feature on Charlie Kimball, who came out to the Southern California area to assist his family in battling wildfires that affected the area, including Ventura County, where Kimball grew up and where his family currently still resides and operates a family ranch.
Lead IndyCar play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey will call this weekend’s Grand Prix of Long Beach, alongside four-time Grand Prix of Long Beach champion Paul Tracy, who won his first-ever IndyCar race in Long Beach in 1993, and analyst and veteran driver Townsend Bell. Marty Snider, Robin Miller, Kevin Lee, and Katie Hargitt will report from the pits.
Following is this weekend’s IndyCar and motorsports schedule on NBCSN:
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Sat., April 14 | American Flat Track – Atlanta Short Track (taped) | NBCSN | 5:30 p.m. |
| Grand Prix of Long Beach – Qualifying | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Sun., April 15 | IndyCar Live presented by Verizon | NBCSN | 4 p.m. |
| Grand Prix of Long Beach | NBCSN | 4:30 p.m. | |
| IndyCar Post-Race | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
NBC SPORTS GROUP AND INDYCAR PARTNER ON COMPREHENSIVE, MULTI-YEAR MEDIA RIGHTS AGREEMENT
On March 21, NBC Sports Group and INDYCAR announced a new, multi-year media rights agreement in which NBC Sports acquired the rights to present all INDYCAR races, qualifying, practices, and Indy Lights races across its platforms beginning in 2019.
The Indianapolis 500 and seven additional Verizon IndyCar Series races will be broadcast annually on NBC, with all remaining races televised on NBCSN. All races will be live streamed to authenticated subscribers on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Details of NBC Sports’ 2019 INDYCAR schedule will be announced at a later date.
NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports Group’s direct-to-consumer product – will offer a package to INDYCAR fans that features all qualifying and practices not televised live, all Indy Lights races, and full-event replays. Additional details, including the cost of the Gold offering, will be announced at a later date. Click here for more information.
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES ON NBCSPORTS.COM AND THE NBC SPORTS APP
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.