Notebook: IndyStar.com Expands Indy 500 Coverage

The Indianapolis Star has updated their auto racing page at IndyStar.com to provide expanded coverage of the Indianapolis 500. In addition to the usual stories and columns, new multimedia features and blogs have been added.

Indianapolis Star Indy 500 Coverage

One of the new multimedia features added is an outstanding slideshow about Earl Townsend, Jr., the official chief announcer for the first telecast of the Indianapolis 500 in 1949. Produced by Frank Espich and Danese Kenon, the slideshow displays photographs from the Associated Press and the collection of Earl Townsend, Jr. while an audio track containing sounds of the race and the voice of Townsend, Jr. is played.

I love slideshows like this! Though video is enjoyable to watch, I find the combination of still photographs and sound to be incredibly powerful. It was slideshows on topics unrelated to racing that inspired me to start recording the sounds I heard when I was at the track, and eventually I hope to find time to produce slideshows like this one. The slideshow is short but sweet… and a “must see” in my opinion. There is also a related story on the site written by Curt Cavin that provides more details.

As mentioned earlier, IndyStar.com has also added “Pit Pass Blogs” to the site, written by Star reporters Curt Cavin, Steve Ballard, and Phillip B. Wilson. Many people enjoy Cavin and Ballard’s Q&A feature in the auto racing section because it allows them to be less formal in their responses than a typical news story would require. These blogs should give race fans that and even more. I for one am very much looking forward to reading their entries, as I greatly enjoy learning more about the media’s role at the Speedway. I really hope this is a feature that will be updated often. I understand that the news must come first, but this will be a great way for these reporters to connect with their readers and publish stories that otherwise might never get told.

And then I also just have to point out that by browsing through all of the photos, stories, blogs and everything else you can always pick up on interesting little “tidbits” here and there. For example, as someone who actually reads photo captions, I was interested to learn that Michael Andretti’s girlfriend is Jodi Paterson. Who is Jodi Paterson? Well, a quick Google search tells us she was the 2000 Playboy Playmate of the Year… good job Michael! Where else are you going to get critical info like that?

Last but not least, there’s the “Daily Danica”. The feature intro says “Can’t get enough Danica Patrick? Neither can we. Check the ‘Daily Danica’ feature to get your daily fix.” Ummm… okay!