The Indy 500 on ABC: The top moments in the network’s 54-year run

Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 will mark the end of an era: ABC will sign-off for the 54th and final time as the rights holder to the race.

In its early days, Indianapolis was an automotive proving ground. Drivers and owners brought cars to the track looking to find something new that could make them faster and change the race.

Since ABC’s first Indianapolis 500 in 1965, the network, too, has tried to innovate broadcasts in ways that changed how racing was covered, what fans saw and who was on TV.

Here are five memorable innovations from the broadcast:

First for women at Indianapolis

Three women have accomplished firsts during ABC’s coverage of the Indianapolis 500. In 2004, Jamie Little became the first female pit reporter in the history of the race. In 2013, Lindsay Czarniak became the first woman to host the pre-race show, and in 2015, Kate Jackson became the first woman to produce part of the Indy 500.

“That’s a lot of firsts for women in racing,” Jackson, the coordinating producer for motorsports at ESPN, said. “I hope that it shows anybody out there it doesn’t matter how it’s been done before or who has done it before, if you want something and you think you can make it great, just go for it.”

Little remembers talking to her mom about the uncharted territory she was in. She said the 2004 Indianapolis 500 “meant everything” to her, and she has tried to embrace her role as a trailblazer for women in the industry.

“It makes me feel great,” she said. “To be in that level, to be a part of ABC as one of the pit reporters was a big deal. Obviously, I’ve always embraced being a female. I don’t want to be one of the guys, I want to be different, but I just want to be known as a good reporter, not just a girl reporter.”

Indianapolis 500 airs live for the first time

In 1986, ABC aired live, flag-to-flag coverage of the Indianapolis 500 for the first time ever. The idea came from Geoff Mason, former executive producer of ABC Sports and the Indy 500. Then ABC Sports President Dennis Swanson hired him in an effort “to make the race relevant again.”

Mason said he couldn’t have agreed more at the time and acted immediately. He served in that role from 1986 through 1991.

“I was not in my new job for an hour, and that was absolutely the very first decision I made; to make the race go live flag-to-flag,” he said. “(Going live) is my proudest accomplishment. When I look fondly back at all the events that have had any meaning whatsoever, Indy is right there.”

New cameras in new places

How viewers see open-wheel racing on TV today has evolved from its early days. In-car cameras were a difficult feat for the light and small IndyCars. In 1983, ABC placed cameras inside the cars of Al Unser and Rick Mears for the first time in Indy 500 history.

“The on-board cameras go without saying,” said Paul Page, who anchored the Indy 500 for 14 years. “That was technologically a massive feat for us.”

The in-car cameras have continued to evolve. In 2008, ABC introduced the first ever 360-degree rotating in-car camera. It was the first of its kind in any form of motorsports.

Page also had the idea to place cameras in the track, asking for one in the apex of the corner. Now, the Turn 1 camera has been a fixture in ABC’s coverage of the race and has found its way into other tracks across the country.

Changes in the booth

ABC has had just 10 play-by-play anchors in the booth. Charlie Brockman was the first in 1965, and Allen Bestwick will call the race for the fifth-straight year this weekend.

“It’s an unfathomable dream come true,” Bestwick said. “I grew up as a kid watching Jim McKay and Jackie Stewart, and Jim was definitely one of my heroes. I’m just a guy from Rhode Island, and for me to be in that spot, it’s kind of unfathomable and certainly treasured.”

Also in 1967, ABC introduced Roger Ward in a new role as its driver analyst. More than 50 years later, the typical motorsports telecast booth has expanded to include two analysts.

In 2006, ABC integrated split-screen commercials into its telecast, allowing viewers to see the race during commercial breaks. The move became such a hit that ABC took it to its NASCAR coverage, and it has become a staple for both NASCAR and IndyCar on other networks.

Longest-ever sporting event

In 2004, the “500” stood still as rain stopped the Indianapolis 500 twice. The second downpour ended the race after eight and a half hours. Buddy Rice was declared the winner of one of the longest single-event telecasts ever.

After the race, tornado warnings sent those at the speedway scurrying for cover. Not knowing about the warning, Page and a pit reporter went to the empty TV compound for dinner instead.

“There were the trays with steaks, and the steam was rolling off, so we sat down and ate dinner,” he said. “We did that until the water got around our ankles and we thought that we better get out of there.”

Page, who was calling his final Indy 500 for ABC, remembers not fearing having to fill 500-minutes worth of airtime, but instead fretting about leaving to use the bathroom. After six and a half hours, he finally caved.

“I had never done that, and I can’t tell you how disconnected you feel,” he said. “Stuff is going on, and you’re like, ‘I hope something doesn’t happen that I need to know about when I get back.’”