Danica Patrick to serve as an analyst for NBC's Indianapolis 500 coverage
Danica Patrick is coming back to the Indianapolis 500 to do television.
NBC announced Wednesday that Patrick would serve as an analyst for the network’s coverage of the 2019 Indy 500. Patrick retired from racing after she crashed out of the 2018 Indy 500. After ending her full-time driving career at the end of the 2017 season, Patrick raced in the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 in 2018 before hanging up her driving helmet for good.
The network said that Patrick would be a studio analyst alongside host Mike Tirico.
“The Indianapolis 500 holds a very special place in my heart,” Patrick said in an NBC statement. “The moment I drive into the facility, I’m flooded with positive emotions. I have no doubt it’ll be the same this year when I come back as an analyst. To be on the NBC Sports team with Mike Tirico will be an honor and I look forward to adding my unique perspective. I’ve been in the race eight times, including last year, so I’m familiar with the dynamics within IndyCar after being away for seven years. To me, Indy feels like home.”
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NBC is taking over TV coverage of the Indianapolis 500 from ABC in 2019. ABC and ESPN got out of the IndyCar game in 2018 and NBC now has the entirety of the series’ television contract. The second race of the 2019 IndyCar season is Sunday at Circuit of the Americas.
Patrick was an IndyCar mainstay until she made the move to NASCAR. She made eight starts at IMS and finished third in the 2009 Indy 500.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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