Jimmie Johnson will join NBC coverage for the Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS — Jimmie Johnson will make his first Indy 500 start this year after all — just with an NBC TV crew, not on the racetrack.

NBC Sports said Tuesday it will use Johnson for studio coverage of the Indianapolis 500 on both race day and qualifying weekend. The race is May 30 on NBC.

The seven-time NASCAR champion is now an IndyCar rookie running only the road and street courses, a decision that has sidelined Johnson for the four ovals on the schedule including the Indianapolis 500. He’s never before attended an Indy 500.

“To say I am excited for May in Indianapolis is an understatement,” Johnson said. “I absolutely cannot wait to take it all in.”

Johnson made his IndyCar debut last month in Alabama and has completed two races on the schedule. He races the road course at Indianapolis on May 15 and then will transition into a television analyst for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Johnson will work from the “Peacock Pit Box” alongside NBC Sports analyst Steve Letarte, who also will be making his Indy 500 debut. Letarte primarily works on NBC’s NASCAR coverage and earlier this season returned to his old job as Cup crew chief for one race with Spire Motorsports.

Coverage of the May 30 race will again by anchored in the studio by NBC Sports host Mike Tirico, who will be joined by Danica Patrick for a third consecutive year. Patrick is the first woman to lead laps at Indianapolis and the first woman to earn a top-five finish.

“I look forward to the experience more every year. In fact, it’s similar to the way it felt driving, as time passes, the gravity of the event becomes greater,” she said.

The race will be called for the third consecutive year by NBC Sports’ lead IndyCar team of Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy in the booth, with pit reporters Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast and Kevin Lee.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be part of the pre-race coverage and motorsports reporter Rutledge Wood will provide on-site reports around the speedway. NBC Sports’ Jac Collinsworth will make his Indy 500 debut as host of pre-race coverage on NBCSN.

In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Jimmie Johnson will be part of NBC Sports’ studio coverage for the 105th Indy 500

SuperMotocross set to introduce Leader Lights beginning with the World Championship finals

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