VERSUS pre-season IndyCar programming
03/21/09 A reminder that the IndyCar Series pre-season specials on VERSUS will continue on Saturday, March 21. The feature "IndyCar Series: Crashes and Conflicts" will be shown at 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET on VERSUS.
03/13/09 VERSUS' IndyCar Series pre-season broadcasts continue on Saturday, March 14 (2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET) with "IndyCar Series: Top 10 Closest Finishes."
Every Saturday in March, the network will air original IndyCar Series programming as it gears up for its inaugural season of IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights coverage. At 2 p.m. March 21, the focus is "IndyCar Series: Crashes and Conflicts." On March 28, "IndyCar Series: World Tour 2009" will feature a look at the quickly approaching season.
VERSUS will broadcast 12 IndyCar Series races, with ESPN on ABC providing coverage of five others. In addition to race day coverage, VERSUS will air a qualifications show the day before each event and re-air the races on Mondays.
The season kicks off April 4 with the (5-7 p.m. ET) qualifications/season preview show from St. Petersburg, Fla. Race day coverage is 2-5 p.m. (ET) April 5, with the replay from 10 p.m.-midnight (ET) April 6.
A highlights show of the Firestone Indy Lights doubleheader on the streets of St. Petersburg will air from 6-7 p.m. (ET) April 6, and all Firestone Indy Lights races will be featured during one-hour shows on Mondays.
03/07/09 A reminder that the first pre-season IndyCar special on VERSUS, “Danica: Five Years Running" will be shown today at 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET. The program will include highlights of Danica Patrick's career, including her 2008 IndyCar Series victory, and her thoughts on the upcoming season.
03/05/09 VERSUS is "banging it hard at the start," according to Charlie Morgan, president and chief operating officer of IMS Productions (the in-house broadcasting arm of the Indy Racing League). He's aptly described the network's promotional blitz.
In concert with the March 7 pre-season special (the first of four one-hour shows that will air at 2 p.m. ET each Saturday in March), VERSUS ramps up its inaugural season of IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights coverage with commercials across numerous channels that arrest the viewer and promote the season opener April 5 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (2 p.m. ET on VERSUS). Watch for them and ride along.
The pre-season programming:
March 7 — Danica: Five Years Running will include highlights of Danica Patrick's career, including her 2008 IndyCar Series victory, and her thoughts on the upcoming season.
March 14 – IndyCar Series: Top 10 Closest Finishes will feature the top-10 closest finishes in IndyCar Series history, including the 2008 season finale at Chicagoland Speedway. The show also will include the last several laps of each race and post-race driver interviews.
March 21 — IndyCar Series: Crashes and Conflicts will showcase some of the most memorable incidents and conflicts between drivers and several of the most incredible crashes in recent IndyCar Series history.
March 28– IndyCar Series World Tour 200 will not only features highlights from each racetrack on the IndyCar Series schedule, but also showcase highlights from the first street-course race in series history in St. Petersburg, Fla., in 2005 and top photo finishes from the site of the '09 championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
In total, the network will air more than 130 hours of IndyCar Series coverage throughout the season with a minimum of seven hours each week the network airs a race. Each of VERSUS' race telecasts will be a minimum of three hours and will include extended pre-race coverage. VERSUS also will air one-hour preview shows at 6 p.m. (ET) the day before each race that will feature qualification highlights, news and driver profiles.