Jimmie Johnson will be at the Indy 500 ... as an announcer for NBC
Jimmie Johnson will join Mike Tirico and Danica Patrick for the studio coverage of the Indianapolis 500 and qualifying weekend.
Johnson is a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who is competing in IndyCar for the first time this season, driving for the street and road courses but not the ovals. He will be working at the Peacock Pit Box alongside Steve Letarte, who is also making his Indy 500 on-air debut. The broadcast begins at 11 a.m. May 30.
“To say I am excited for May in Indianapolis is an understatement,” said Johnson in a news release. “This will be my first in-person Indianapolis 500 experience, and I absolutely cannot wait to take it all in.”
Tirico and Patrick will be in the studio for the third year in a row.
“It continues to be an honor to be a part of the Indy 500 NBC Sports team for the third year in a row alongside Mike Tirico,” said Patrick in a statement. “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. I felt it from the inside, and now I am feeling it from the outside.”
The Greatest Spectacle in Racing will be called by NBC Sports’ lead IndyCar team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst) and Paul Tracy (analyst). Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast and Kevin Lee will serve as pit reporters.
'I’m loving it': Jimmie Johnson said street course debut at St. Pete feels like 'starting all over again'
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will also be a part of pre-race coverage. NBC Sports motorsports reporter Rutledge Wood returns for the third straight year to provide on-site reports around Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while NBC Sports’ Jac Collinsworth will make his Indy 500 debut when he serves as host of pre-race coverage on NBCSN at 9 a.m.
Follow IndyStar Deputy Sports Editor Nat Newell on Twitter: @NatJNewell.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Jimmie Johnson will serve as an NBC announcer for the 2021 Indy 500
