INDIANAPOLIS — SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak will host ABC’s live telecast of the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race (ABC, Sunday, pre-race coverage beginning at 11 a.m. ET, green flag at 12:15 p.m.). Taking on a role most recently filled by Brent Musburger and in past years by such luminaries of sports television as Jim McKay, Bill Fleming and Chris Schenkel, Czarniak will be the first woman to host the telecast of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Indy 500 Lap
ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike” co-host Mike Greenberg did a lap around the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Scott Sharp in May 2002. Sharp had raced in the American Le Mans Series, and in the Indy Racing League, where he won the pole for the Indy 500 in 2001. His experience was recorded for posterity — and for future use in poking fun at the good-natured Greenberg.
Sound clip: Greenberg at Indy
Czarniak spent this past weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, reporting on Indy 500 qualifying for SportsCenter and preparing for this weekend’s race telecast. While she had covered the NASCAR Brickyard 400 at the track, she’d never been there during Indy 500 time. As part of her immersion, she took a ride around the track in a two-seater Indy Car with racing legend Mario Andretti, reaching speeds close to 200 miles per hour. Front Row caught up with Czarniak to talk about her first Indy 500: continue reading…
