The Voice of The 500 The
play-by-play, or "Chief Announcer" of the race is known as
The Voice of The 500. Although
Bill Slater anchored early broadcasts on
Mutual,
Sid Collins, who had served alongside Slater in previous years as a turn reporter or analyst, is considered by most as the first true
Voice. For the opening quarter-century of the Network's official independent existence, from 1952 to 1976, Collins served as the chief announcer, and ultimately as the template for all who have successively followed. One of Collins' most notable moments in broadcasting came during the
1964 race. Collins committed suicide on May 2, 1977, after being diagnosed with
ALS. Page left for
ABC-TV in 1988.
Lou Palmer, formerly a pit reporter, then served the shortest tenure to date as
Voice, (1988–1989).
Bob Jenkins replaced Palmer, and called the event from 1990 to 1998.
Mike King elevated to the position in 1999, after serving four years as a pit reporter. At fifteen years, King served the second-longest tenure as
Voice, until his resignation in 2013. King was replaced by veteran Paul Page, who returned to the role after a 27-year absence. Page's second stint lasted three years (2014–2016). At the 2016 race, Page called the start of the race, then passed the duty on to Mark Jaynes. Some historians and traditionalists prefer not to bestow Collins' successors with the prestigious title of
Voice of the 500, arguing that Collins is the original and only true "Voice," and in fact coined the moniker for himself. There has been no consensus ever reached, and Page, Palmer, Jenkins, King, and Jaynes, all have been referred to over the years as either "Voice" or "Chief Announcer" whether formally or informally.
Analysts In addition to the chief announcer, turn reporters, and pit reporters, there are several other analysts and personalities that are part of the crew. Since 1955, a "driver expert" has been part of the broadcast, serving as a
color commentator. The position is typically held by a retired/inactive driver, or in some years a driver who failed to qualify for the race.
Fred Agabashian held the seat for several years. Speedway historian
Donald Davidson has appeared on the broadcast every year from 1964 to 2019. In 1964, he was a guest interviewed in the booth during the race, and starting in 1965 he joined the crew in an official capacity. Other former analysts include
Chris Economaki and
Dave "The King" Wilson. During its heyday, the broadcast crew was a ''
Who's Who'' of notable radio talent from
Indiana, both on-air and technical staff. That allowed the scoring reports to be announced on-air faster than the official scorekeepers could produce them from race control. The two-man scoring crew of Bill Fleetemeyer and Bill Lamb was a fixture of the network for many years. During the network's heyday, it was a popular rite for many listeners at home to
chart the scoring throughout the race. Similarly, fans listening at the track often relied heavily on radio reports to keep track of the leaders, as scoreboards at the track (the iconic pylon on the main stretch, and the two "carousel" scoreboards in the shortchutes), were not visible to all fans, and furthermore sometimes lagged far behind real time and were not always accurate, or showed incomplete information. The scoring and statistician positions quickly became outdated and obsolete when sophisticated electronic scoring equipment was adopted in the early 1990s. In the 2000s, by which time all scoring was done by computers, and likewise available in
real time online, through mobile devices, and abundantly visible on video boards and digital scoreboards around the facility, the position was permanently retired. From 1994 to 1999,
Mike Joy anchored the
Brickyard 400 broadcasts. Mike King took his place from 2000 to 2003. From 2004 until his retirement in 2024, Doug Rice was the lead announce, as part of a deal with the
PRN. At the
2015 Indianapolis 500, Doug Rice joined the crew as a pit reporter. Rice performed
"double duty", working the pits for the Indy 500, then flying to
Charlotte Motor Speedway to call the
Coca-Cola 600 later in the evening. IMS and PRN exchange talent when necessary for each other's races. For example, during the INDYCAR off-season, IMS crews have worked NASCAR races at
Kentucky Speedway (when there was a conflict with the Cup weekend at
New Hampshire Motor Speedway) and the
Charlotte Motor Speedway road course (where extra broadcasters are required).
Broadcasting styles Each of the different anchors had a noticeably different respective broadcasting style, and the race coverage was heavily influenced by the chief announcer's direction. During the Sid Collins era, the broadcast resembled more of an
entertainment-based broadcast than a sporting event, with Collins
old-time radio style setting the tone. Particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, there was limited play-by-play commentary, largely because during this period, it was not unusual for long stretches of the race to see little or no action. The Collins era was also noted for its
popular culture and
social appeal. He turned the coverage into a true live, play-by-play, sporting event broadcast, similar to what had been used by
Motor Racing Network, which had covered some NASCAR, USAC, and Formula One races on the radio at the time. effectively eliminating the mundane celebrity interviews, and gave the turn reporters a higher level of play-by-play responsibility. With the help of technicians, Page invented a custom switchboard to facilitate the turn and pit reporters. Page himself donned a headset that had instant communication between himself and the turn reporters, and without hesitation, would throw the call to the turn reporters as he saw appropriate. By the mid-1980s, the radio booth was equipped with a television monitor which could pick up the ABC-TV raw satellite feed, which gave the announcers access to replays for the first time. The new improved style of broadcasting was well-received, and earned critical praise for the seamless around-the-track call of the
1982 finish. During the years
Bob Jenkins anchored the network, the quality of the broadcast continued to excel. Praised by members of his staff as always being well-prepared and in complete control of the broadcast, Jenkins' team was praised for their flawless call of the
1992 finish. One of the changes Jenkins made upon his arrival involved the coverage of the pre-race ceremonies. Previously, each segment of the pre-race ceremonies was formally introduced by one of the pit reporters. Jenkins ditched the separate radio introductions, and for continuity purposes, began simulcasting the Speedway's public address system for the duration of the pre-race. Jenkins also brought in a separate pit producer, to coordinate the pit reporters, a practice that is done by television, primarily by broadcasters who have radio experience. Later, Jenkins also began simulcasting the winner's interview in victory lane from ABC-TV, rather than wait for a separate radio interview, This allowed the radio audience to hear the first words spoken by the winner, increasing the spontaneity, and prevented the driver from having to repeat an entire interview for a second audience. Jenkins enthusiastically served as chief announcer for nine years, but characterized the job as "complex" as well as physically and mentally "exhausting." One of Jenkins lasting contributions was the addition of the live talk show "Indy Live" in 1990. The program was carried by many of the affiliates, and featured interviews with drivers, and allowed listeners to call in and ask questions. Jenkins left after 1998 to work the race on ABC-TV for the next five years. Jenkins made a brief return to the radio crew as a turn reporter in 2007–2008, and as a booth analyst in 2009–2011, before permanently joining the Speedway public address announcing team until the end of 2019, when he was diagnosed with brain cancer that would lead to his death during the week of the
NASCAR-INDYCAR doubleheader. During the 2000s, with Mike King as anchor, several new personalities joined the crew. After King retired from the position, Page made a well-publicized return as chief announcer in 2014. When King arrived as the announcer in 1999, a trend returned to the broadcasts, not seen since the days of Sid Collins. King interviewed booth guests (celebrities, politicians, and sponsor representatives), whether live in-person, or pre-recorded. Paul Page has continued the practice. Starting in 2004, King also started having a radio reporter conduct a second radio-specific interview with the winner in victory lane, shortly after the television interview simulcast. After 2006, the simulcasted interview from the television broadcast was dropped entirely. ==On-air talent (Indianapolis 500)==