Indianapolis, IN
Back Home Again In Indiana For NBC Senior Producer John Barnes At The Indianapolis 500
John Barnes, Senior Producer, NBC Sports
When the rendition of “Back Home Again in Indiana” is sung before the start of the Indianapolis 500 every Memorial Day Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it creates varying degrees of emotion for the more than 300,000 fans in attendance.
Fans from all over the world travel to the “Crossroads of America” – Indianapolis, Indiana – to attend one of the most famous sporting events in the world.
They all become “Hoosiers” at that moment.
Once again, Jim Cornelison, an Opera singer who attended the famed Indiana University School of Music and is most famous for his National Anthems before Chicago Blackhawks games, will give his stirring rendition.
It’s an emotional moment, but it has special meaning to native Hoosiers from the State of Indiana.
It’s when the world comes to their state and it’s a moment of “Hoosier Pride.”
One of those native Hoosiers is 42-year-old John Barnes, a Senior Producer at NBC Sports who will produce the Indianapolis 500 Pre-Race Show that comes on at 9 a.m. on Peacock before switching over to NBC at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.
He has been at NBC since October 2014 and has previously worked on NBC’s Olympics coverage as well as Peacock’s Sunday Morning Major League Baseball package, the NHL, NASCAR, and the Thursday Night Football pre-game show.
Barnes will take over as Senior Producer of IndyCar on NBC telecasts beginning with the race weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin June 16-18.
Barnes is from South Bend, Indiana, attended Mishawaka, Marian High School and is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
As a college student, Barnes used to attend the Indianapolis 500 as a fan. His first Indy 500 was the thrilling finish when Sam Hornish, Jr. passed race leader Marco Andretti just a few hundred feet from the checkered flag.
“It was surreal at first, the first time I worked on the Indianapolis 500 telecast,” Barnes told me in the NBC Production Office at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Being back here and telling people that I grew up with and my parents all got a huge kick out of it. Now that it is my fifth year, it never gets old.
“I came to the race for a long time as a spectator and came down with college friends after we graduated to show them what the biggest thing in Indiana is.
“It still weirdly feels like the first time, doing it every time because it’s so big and so special and means so much to so many people, you don’t take it for granted.
“It’s cool being an Indiana person coming back every year to do it, but it also feels new every time I do it.”
It takes a huge staff of people to put on the Indianapolis 500 telecast for NBC Sports. This year, the TV compound was moved from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield to the outside of Turn 4 at the massive facility.
Barnes is in the production truck filled with banks of screens and monitors with the director as they help capture the tremendous excitement and emotion that is the Indianapolis 500.
Some of the most emotional moments are the traditional pre-race ceremonies.
“The team is so good, and our directors are so good at capturing those spots that from a producer’s standpoint when we were in the ceremony stuff, I get a chance to take a couple seconds and soak it in,” Barnes explained. “Our directors are the ones doing the cuts and directing the images. It’s 10-15 minutes of ceremony that we bring the pictures to life.
“I still get to take a couple seconds. This is unique. There is nothing like it in the world. Every year it is fun to hear stories from people that come from different departments at NBC to make sure they are outside and get a good view of it.
“We allow ourselves a few seconds to soak it up.”
Barnes Race Day begins with a 3:30 a.m. wakeup call at the hotel before a police escort takes them to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway well before the gates open at 6 a.m.
NBC rehearses the pre-race show on Saturday and on Sunday morning, there are individual meetings with key staff.
Rene Hatlelid is the producer of the Indianapolis 500 telecast on NBC. Barnes produces all of the pre-race content and then joins Hatlelid in the production truck.
Sam Flood is Executive Producer and President, Production, NBC Sports.
Barnes will take over the production of IndyCar telecasts when Hatlelid moves over to produce NASCAR on NBC in June.
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – NOVEMBER 05: Benjamin Morrison #20 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates … [+]
Two of the greatest institutions in all of sports is the Indianapolis 500 and Notre Dame football in South Bend. Both are in Indiana and Barnes plays a key role in televising both events
He is the producer of the pre-game show for Notre Dame football on NBC.
“Last year was my first year doing Notre Dame football, but it was pretty similar to working at the Indianapolis 500 because I had been to so many races and games as a spectator,” Barnes said. “We would get a break during Saturdays at Notre Dame football; I would pop by and see friends at their tailgate and then go back into the production truck.
“You are in a familiar place but doing something you had never done at that place.
“It’s awesome to be from Indiana, working on the Indianapolis 500. The director I work with on the pre-race is Mike Sheehan, and he is also a Notre Dame grad.
“We take pride in people that have connections to Indiana, South Bend and being part of the event that defines Indiana.”
What is most important about both the Indianapolis 500 and Notre Dame football is to capture the history, the electricity and the tradition and have that come through on the telecast.
“For the Indy 500, the No. 1 goal is to capture the spectacle,” Barnes said. “The 33 driver stories all have a great story to tell and are amazing, but it’s also what makes this event unlike anything else in the world. It’s the largest sporting event in the world.
“We have to plan where to be, when to be, moving people around. Capturing the spectacle before the race starts is priority No. 1.
“The pre-race ceremonies are their favorite part of the race.”
Barnes sees similarities between ‘Back Home Again in Indiana’ the “Notre Dame Alma Mater” that is played after every Notre Dame football game.
“Those are both very emotional moments,” Barnes said.
The pre-race telecast will begin at 9 a.m. ET and will show the Purdue University Band playing “On the Banks of the Wabash” as the cars are rolled onto the starting grid. Also, focus on the fans pouring into the facility as well as Tony Kanaan’s final Indianapolis 500.
“We want to make sure people understand before this race starts how much TK means to the fans and how much the fans mean to TK,” he said. “We’ll also focus in on Graham Rahal, how he was out of the race and a few days later, was able to get back into the race.
“We will also focus on Scott Dixon, how he has had the car the last three years, only to have it slip away at the end. His near misses resonate more to him than his win in 2008. That is a storyline that has happened over the years.”
Barnes is hopeful the “100 Days to Indy” docuseries on The CW will help draw the ratings for the NBC Indy 500 telecast to move upward.
Barnes and NBC believe IndyCar is a great product and believe it is important to drive ratings to an increase.
“You want more people to watch, but we focus on if we can showcase how good the racing is and give people more reason to care about the drivers, that is what we focus on,” he said. “We want the broadcast to be the best broadcast possible.”
On Sunday, Barnes is proud to be a key part in showing the world the event that defines the State of Indiana – the Indianapolis 500.
He is proud to be a “Hoosier.”
John Barnes, Senior Producer, NBC Sports
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis’ most-read news stories of 2024: From the court and courtroom to the cosmos
Totality welcomed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to loud cheers
Watch as thousands of spectators bring in totality during the total solar eclipse viewing event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
IndyStar
As many as 7 million people a month visited the IndyStar online this year and it’s my job to help reporters and editors understand what they’re reading.
These journalists give me plenty of data to work with, too, because no one covers Indianapolis like IndyStar. Through mid-December, IndyStar published more than 10,000 articles, 1,000 photo galleries and nearly 2,000 videos. That’s nearly 30 articles, three photo galleries and five videos each day (you get a lot with a subscription) and that’s not even counting the statewide and national news produced by other USA TODAY Network newsrooms across Indiana.
As we prepare to put a very newsy 2024 behind us, let’s take a look back at some of the most widely followed storylines and coverage topics of the year, in no particular order:
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever
By the time Clark made her Fever debut, she was already a household name for many college basketball fans. But her WNBA Rookie of the Year performance took her star power to another level with fans around the country.
Clark’s skills on the court drew a lot of attention (and fouls) from her opponents, too, and her work helped the Fever reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson put on a rookie of the year campaign of her own in 2024, covering Clark at Iowa as student and landing in Indianapolis before the WNBA Draft, just in time to cover arguably the biggest story in women’s sports this year.
Clark put on an incredible show and Peterson and IndyStar were there for it all, publishing nearly 300 articles since April and making the Fever beat IndyStar’s most-read of the year.
While Clark isn’t playing overseas or in 3-on-3 leagues this summer, Fever fans will likely have good reason to read every word again during the 2025 season. And IndyStar makes it easy, too: subscribe to the Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
Richard Goodall on “America’s Got Talent”
Richard Goodall says community support was ‘immeasurable’ in AGT win
“I left it all on the stage,” Goodall told reporters Friday. “And not only did I try to pull through for you guys, you guys pulled through for me.”
If seeing someone live out a dream brings a smile to your face, you’ll remember Richard Goodall’s going from middle school janitor to Journey frontman for a day.
The Vigo County, Indiana, native won over judges and IndyStar readers while winning Season 19 of “America’s Got Talent” by performing Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” and Journey’s “Faithfully,” among others.
The most memorable moment was seeing Goodall bring back his audition song, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” this time with the legendary rock band on the season finale where he won the $1 million prize.
The Indianapolis 500
It would be hard to make this list any year and say the Indy 500 didn’t belong on it, even if the results looked familiar with Josef Newgarden repeating as champion and Team Penske earning its record-extending 20th Indy 500 victory.
The didn’t mean the race was completely predictable, though. Pato O’Ward gave a challenge that Newgarden held off by a mere 0.3417 seconds and an hours-long rain delay emptied out the grandstands and pushed the race back to nearly 5 p.m.
The race was also notable for anyone following the money. Newgarden’s repeat victory earned him more than $4 million in prize money as he became the first back-to-back winner since Helio Castroneves did so in 2001-02.
The Delphi murders trial
One of America’s most haunting cases finally saw some closure in November when Richard Allen was found guilty of all four counts against him in the deaths of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German.
The coverage of this case also highlighted the importance of local journalists. IndyStar’s staff spent months preparing to cover this high-profile case fraught with misinformation and got assists from around the USA TODAY Network, including the expertise of Lafayette Journal & Courier reporter Ron Wilkins, who has been reporting on the case since it began.
The team of reporters and visual journalists worked through plenty of logistical hurdles to bring close-to-live updates to readers each day, detailing everything from the heartwrenching witness testimony to details about Allen’s prison confessions.
And while Allen was found guilty, he’s likely to appeal and you can count on IndyStar to follow any updates to the case.
The solar eclipse
IndyStar published plenty of words about this once-in-a-lifetime celestial event for many Hoosiers but the photo staff’s images told the story best. Bonus: This video of fans viewing totality at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Honorable mention
A few pieces of standalone coverage that resounded with readers in 2024:
INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor made a lightning-quick jump cut through the hole and saw nothing but daylight ahead.
Once the Indianapolis Colts running back reached the goal line, some 65 yards later, his run was still not complete. Taylor kept going, running into the tunnel that leads to the Colts’ locker room in the southwest corner of Lucas Oil Stadium. It was Taylor’s way of sending a message: This time, he would hold on to the football after arriving at the end zone — something he did not do a week ago.
Taylor reached the end zone two more times Sunday, including a 70-yard scoring run, during his 218-yard performance in the Colts’ historic 38-30 win over the Tennessee Titans. Indianapolis’ offense dominated the line of scrimmage, rushing for a franchise-record 335 yards in a victory that kept the team’s faint playoff hopes alive. The Colts surpassed the previous high established in 1956, nearly three decades before the franchise left Baltimore for the Midwest in 1984.
It was Taylor’s second career 200-yard performance behind only his career-high 253-yard game in the final week of the 2020 season. His most recent performance came on the heels of last Sunday’s game in which Taylor committed a costly miscue, dropping the ball prematurely as he crossed the goal line on a would-be 41-yard run that could’ve given Indianapolis a two-touchdown lead.
The Colts went on to lose the critical matchup, dealing a severe blow to their playoff hopes. Taylor didn’t make the mistake again this week.
“I had already predetermined in my mind that next time, I’m going all the way in the tunnel,” Taylor said Sunday.
In fact, Taylor approached the whole situation with levity. He and backup running back Tyler Goodson planned a bit ahead of the game. After Taylor emerged from the tunnel, Goodson ran up to him and playfully tried to strip the ball, with Taylor keeping a tight grip.
“Just trolling, making the crowd laugh a little bit,” Goodson said.
In reality, there was nothing funny about the way the Colts pushed around the Titans. Tennessee allowed the most rushing yards of any team this season and the second most in Titans/Oilers franchise history. The Colts made no pretense about their intentions, either, at one point running on 12 consecutive plays during three possessions in the second quarter.
“That’s kind of the exciting part,” Taylor said “It’s kind of when you start imposing your will, establishing that line of scrimmage. Those are the types of football games as a running back … you love.”
Tight end Mo Alie-Cox added: “By the end of the game … we were still getting 5 yards a pop. They still couldn’t really stop it. They were calling it, but they couldn’t do nothing about it.”
Then, Alie-Cox relayed a story that unfolded before a particular play.
“It’s hilarious,” he said. “One time, they were like, ‘It’s a screen. Boom.’ And then one of their [defensive] ends was like, ‘Man, they’re about to give it to Jonathan Taylor. He’s about to run for 300 [yards] on us.’ Once he said that, I was like, ‘Yeah, we got him.’”
In light of the rushing success, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson wasn’t asked to do much from the pocket. He completed just 7 of 11 passes for 131 yards. But Richardson was a part of the rushing bonanza, running for a career-high 70 yards.
Now, the Colts hope to finish with wins over the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars in their remaining two games, along with hoping numerous other dominoes fall their way in their bid to make the postseason.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts’ playoff odds are at 10% according to the New York Times, and that seems high. Here is what to know:
The Colts are out of the playoffs if they lose to the Titans
This is pretty straightforward. If the Colts lose, the most games they can win this season is 8. Seven teams — Kansas City, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Houston, Los Angeles and Denver — already have nine wins.
The Colts can make the playoffs if they win out, Chargers lose out
If the Colts win out against the Titans, Giants and Jaguars, they’ll be 9-8. If the Chargers lose to the Raiders and Patriots. The Colts would win the conference record tiebreaker if they are the only two teams with nine wins.
There are multiple-team scenarios involving Los Angeles but the Colts will make the playoffs if these two scenarios happen.
How the Colts can make the playoffs if they win out and the Broncos lose out
If the Broncos lose to Cincinnati and Kansas City and the Colts win out, the Colts make the playoffs if Cincinnati or Miami win out or the Chargers lose out.
The Colts lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to Denver if its just those two teams.
If Los Angeles is also 9-8, it wins the division tiebreaker over the Broncos due to head-to-head and advances to the wild card tiebreaker.
In this scenario, the Colts and Dolphins would have the best conference record at 7-5, eliminating the other possible teams. Indianapolis beat Miami, putting them in the playoffs.
Gainesville Health and Fitness: Running exercises
Film Review: 'Better Man' Takes a Very Unusual Approach to Telling the Story of Robbie Williams – Awards Radar
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry
Video: Our Photographer’s Look Inside New York’s Migrant Shelters
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Video: Our Photographer’s Look Inside New York’s Migrant Shelters
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen hospitalized after he was bucked off a horse
Fact check: How deadly was 2024 for journalists?
Why Trump's tariffs on Mexico would mean higher avocado prices at the grocery store
Trump names several new White House picks to work on AI, crypto and more: 'America First Patriots'
-
Politics1 week agoCanadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25789444/1258459915.jpg "OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change")
Technology1 week agoOpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics1 week agoU.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25546252/STK169_Mark_Zuckerburg_CVIRGINIA_D.jpg "Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit")
Technology1 week agoMeta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Business1 week agoFreddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23951353/STK043_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_3_Meta.jpg "Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age")
Technology1 week agoMeta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age
-
News1 week agoEast’s wintry mix could make travel dicey. And yes, that was a tornado in Calif.
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24924653/236780_Google_AntiTrust_Trial_Custom_Art_CVirginia__0003_1.png "Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps")
Technology2 days agoGoogle’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps