2008 IndianapolisIS 500 Opening Nominated For Sports Emmy Award

INDIANAPOLIS, April 14, 2009: The opening sequence for ESPN on ABC’s telecast of the 2008 Indianapolis 500 was nominated for a Sports Emmy® Award by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

The opening, titled “The Perfect Storm,” focused on the unification of open-wheel racing and four of the IndyCar Series’ biggest stars – two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti, and Graham Rahal. The opening led into ESPN on ABC’s live coverage of the 92nd edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, won by Scott Dixon.

Winners will be announced at the 30th annual Sports Emmy Awards on Monday, April 27 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.

“ABC’s commitment to the highest standards of creativity has been a hallmark of their telecasts of the Indy 500 for over 40 years, and the consistent recognition by the Emmy’s just validates this effort,” said Charlie Morgan, president and chief executive officer, IMS Productions. “We are proud of the showcase that ESPN on ABC provides for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’”

The Indianapolis 500 opening sequence was in elite company among the five nominees in the Outstanding Open/Tease category. The other nominees are the 2008 Summer Olympics, the NBA All-Star Game, Super Bowl XLII and Saturday Night Football.

This is the sixth consecutive year that ESPN, Inc. has received a nomination for its work at the Indianapolis 500. Its opening sequence for the 2006 Indianapolis 500 shared the Sports Emmy Award in 2007 in the Outstanding Open/Tease category. The “Speed City Tease” for the 2005 Indianapolis 500 won a Sports Emmy in 2006 in the Outstanding Post Produced Audio/Sound category.