Behind-the-Scenes at IMS Productions' Coverage of the Indy 500 With inclement weather forecast, the service provider made quick changes on-the-fly By Kristian Hernandez, Assistant Editor
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 2:08 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Happy race day! It's something you hear quite often on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend in Speedway, IN. The three-word phrase is a greeting to those experiencing the pageantry for the first time and a welcome to those who are Back Home Again in Indiana. Although the glitz and glamour of the Indianapolis 500 begin around 9 a.m. ET, the real magic starts just a couple of clock revolutions past midnight. From well before sunrise to celebration in Victory Lane, SVG offers a look behind the scenes on IMS Productions' big day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) this year.
3:45 a.m.: Hotel Departure
Ken Ferguson, operations manager, IMS Productions, wakes up before the sun reaches the horizon and walks to his car in the hotel parking lot of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Indianapolis North. The drive will take 20-25 minutes, even this early. As he drives down the highway and makes his way toward Indianapolis Motor Speedway, streaks of lightning reveal a storm brewing in the distance. The forecast indicates a higher than 80% chance of scattered thunderstorms that may last the entire day. During the previous day, a 2:30 p.m. rehearsal of the pre-race studio show was suspended as rain rolled through the area. If the weather predictions are correct, production plans may have to be changed.
4:15 a.m.: Crews began to arrive at the TV compound at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
4:05-4:30 a.m.: Arrival at the Compound
Members of the IMS Productions and NBC Sports teams trickle into the TV compound in the parking lot of the track. Given the stormy forecast, regular shoes are exchanged for ones with water-resistance, and rain jackets are kept within arm's reach. Throughout the early-morning hours, Ferguson and Kevin Sublette, president, IMS Productions, glare intently at the weather radar on computer screens in their offices. At 4:28 a.m., lightning is reported 20 miles away from IMS.
4:30-5:15 a.m.: Crew Call, Breakfast, and Full Staff Meeting
Reporting for duty, the two companies' production staffs convene within the food tent for a quick breakfast and brief meeting. By 4:36 a.m., the lightning has entered the eight-mile radius, also known as the inner ring. With the latest update, the full equipment setup scheduled at 5:15 a.m. is canceled until further notice. As the meeting commences, lightning strikes are occurring every four minutes. Although the day's weather seems dreary, Ferguson, Sublette, and Ken Fitzgerald, technical manager, IMS Productions, discuss the plan for putting on a great show and provide perspective on the hard work done during the past month. When the meeting adjourns, a brief rain shower moves through the area.
5:00 a.m.: Teams are treated to breakfast and briefed on the current weather situation.
5:30-7:30 a.m.: Personal Traditions, Quick Fix, Transmission Testing
After the rain dissipates, Sublette boards a golf cart and goes on a journey that he has made for nine straight years. Halting along Gasoline Alley, he creeps into the entrance of Pit Row and onward to the track near the Yard of Bricks. Around this time every year, Sublette takes time to reflect and appreciate the beauty of this event with a lap around the track. As he reaches Turn 3, the ceremonial military cannon to signify the opening of all gates pierces the silence at 6:00 a.m. Five minutes later, a quick trip down Pit Row is in order. Over his walkie-talkie, a member of his team explains that one of the poles used for the Fletcher overhead camera at No. 10 Will Power's Pit Box is bent. Sublette heads down the homestretch to assess the situation. After short contemplation, the team is able to solve the problem.
Meanwhile, transmission testing is well underway back at the compound. In the TX-4 truck, Kevin Husband, director of satellite communications, IMS Productions, is hard at work resolving last-minute connectivity issues. At 6:28 a.m., the weather begins to work in their favor, with the storm moving slightly north and rain starting just after the green flag at 1:00 p.m.
6:00 a.m.: A quick exchange straightens the Fletcher overhead-camera pole above Will Power's Pit Box
7:30-9:00 a.m.: Rehearsal
Teams file into the IMS Productions HD-6 A unit for pre-race coverage. Inside IMS, the festivities are underway with the Parade of Bands. The NBC Sports production team runs through their final checks of the day, starting at 8:30 a.m. during rehearsal of the opening segment. As the three-hour studio show goes on-air at 9:00 a.m. sharp on NBCSN, the preparation stages are behind them.
9:00-11:00 a.m.: Live on NBCSN
Mike Sheehan, coordinating director, NBC Sports Group, and Tom Popple, VP, studio operations and facilities, NBC Sports Group, handle the first two hours of the coverage under clear skies. At 10:40 a.m., fans revel and cheer as the drivers make their way down Gasoline Alley to the starting grid on the track.
11:00 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Broadcast Shifts to NBC
The pre-race show shifts to nationwide channel NBC for the last hour or so. On the radar, the oncoming storm seems to have slowed to a creep outside the city limits. At 12:38 p.m., four words cut across the landscape, evoking a loud response from the crowd: Drivers, start your engines!
12:45-3:30 p.m.: Let's Go Racing
The green flag flies high atop the starter's perch, and now the broadcast becomes a race against time. Two cautions at Lap 6 and Lap 72 cause minor delays on the track. At 2:00 p.m., the drivers enter Lap 100 to pass the halfway mark and make the race official in the record books. On the weather front, Mother Nature performs so
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Behind-the-Scenes at IMS Productions' Coverage of the Indy 500 With inclement weather forecast, the service provider made quick changes on-the-fly By Kristian Hernandez, Assistant Editor 
