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NASCAR Must Learn From Indianapolis Communications

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2 years ago

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NASCAR Must Learn From Indianapolis Communications


The way the weather delays at the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 were handled this past Sunday (May 26) were night and day from each other, and it revealed an area where NASCAR can heavily improve.

As a media member who was there, I can tell you firsthand that the folks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar did an excellent job in keeping us briefed on the situation and what their plans were. They were proactive.

At 6 a.m., IMS President Doug Boles held a press conference. That’s right, I said at 6 in the morning! I’ve never seen a press conference so early, but it was necessary.

All the media and a lot of fans get to the Indy 500 well before 6 a.m., so it made sense to do it at that time. And we all knew from looking at the forecast that weather was going to impact the race in some capacity, so there needed to be a game plan.

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Boles was transparent in the presser, and he told us they’d keep us posted on what was going on. Keep in mind this was over five hours before the first lightning delay or rain drop.

The next update from Boles came a little before 11 a.m., a little over an hour and a half before the Indy 500’s scheduled start time. This time he said they would make a decision at 11:15 a.m. on whether to go ahead with the opening ceremonies or delay them and tell fans to seek shelter. He said they were going to be far more cautious than the typical eight-mile lightning radius used at sporting events, because the very old IMS has limited spots to find shelter.

I’m not sure about the first Boles press conference, but Frontstretch‘s Tom Blackburn said that local TV station WTHR and radio station WFNI aired the second presser live. Other stations could’ve as well, but we don’t know if they did or not.

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Boles and the IndyCar team even broke news during his second presser, revealing that Kyle Larson was sticking around to run the race despite the delay.

Right on time, at 11:15, the numerous video boards around IMS showed the lightning delay message. After a four-hour delay, the weather was gone, the track was dry and the race started, going the full distance.

Over at Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR did not communicate half as well. Frontstretch‘s Stephen Stumpf was there and told me that there were no proactive updates from NASCAR or the folks at Speedway Motorsports, owners of CMS. He said the vibe in the media center was very much that they would resume racing once the track was dry.

Obviously, the track did not dry like anyone thought it would due to the humidity. But that information was not relayed until the race was abruptly called after two hours of track drying.

Justin Allgaier was brought into the media center to do a press conference during the delay, and he was talking about how excited he was to see Larson take over the No. 5 car once the race resumed.

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Then, a few media folks heard rumblings the race wasn’t resuming and the rest of the media had to find out from overhearing gossip. About 10 minutes after the Allgaier presser, it was announced that the race was over.

Stumpf, who wasn’t in the media center at the time, gathered the race was over from seeing victory lane being set up. NASCAR didn’t even do a good job communicating to Christopher Bell that he had won the race, as he found out during his interview with FOX’s Mike Joy.

And you wonder why the sold-out Charlotte crowd was angry to the point of almost causing a riot. NASCAR or Charlotte needed someone like Boles in Indy there to give updates. We needed to hear, “Our track-drying efforts aren’t doing much, and if we’re not able to see progress by (insert time), we’ll have to end the race.”

I’m not asking for much, just some better communication and more transparency on the NASCAR side. If fans and media got that, they would be much more understanding of the tough decisions they’re forced to make.

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It really feels like NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports dropped the ball in Charlotte, and they should look at what IMS did as a blueprint going forward if they’re going to improve in their communications.


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Indianapolis, IN

1 dead after shooting on Indy’s near south side

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8 hours ago

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April 19, 2026

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1 dead after shooting on Indy’s near south side


INDIANAPOLIS — One person died in a shooting on Indy’s near south side on Saturday evening.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the 2300 block of S. Pennsylvania Street at approximately 9:45 p.m. on report of a shooting. This is a residential area located near Raymond Street and Madison Avenue.

Officers reported finding an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound outside a residence. The victim was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition, but later was pronounced deceased.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office has not released the deceased’s name at this time.

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Police ask anyone with information about this shooting to contact Detective Kristina Friel at the IMPD Homicide Office at (317) 327-3475 or e-mail the detective at Kristina.Friel@indy.gov. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.



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Indianapolis, IN

Pirates farm report for April 18, 2026: Rafael Flores Jr. hits 1st homer in Indianapolis win

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20 hours ago

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April 19, 2026

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Pirates farm report for April 18, 2026: Rafael Flores Jr. hits 1st homer in Indianapolis win


INDIANAPOLIS (Triple A, 6-14) thumped Omaha (Royals), 11-3. 1B Rafael Flores Jr. (.206) went 2 for 3 with a double, his first home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. LF Tyler Callihan (.239) went 3 for 4 with a double and his first homer, a two-run shot. DH Enmanuel Valdez (.273) went 2 for 4 with his first homer and three runs scored. RF Esmerlyn Valdez (.258) went 2 for 5 with two doubles and a run scored. SS Davis Wendzel (.269) went 1 for 3 with a double, two walks, two runs scored and two RBIs. RHP Carson Fulmer (2-0, 5.51) started, gave up three runs on three hits in five innings and earned the win. RHP Chris Devenski (1.50) and LHP Joe La Sorsa (3.24) each pitched two scoreless innings.

Next: Sunday at Omaha (Royals), 3:05 p.m.

ALTOONA (Double-A, 2-12) had two hits – both solo home runs – and beat Portland (Red Sox), 2-0. LHP Dominic Perachi (1-0, 1.80) started and went six innings, allowing three hits and two walks with three strikeouts. RHP Landon Tomkins (3.38) followed with two scoreless. RHP Jaycob Deese (3.00) worked the ninth for his first save. LF Titus Dumitru (.146) went 1 for 3 with his second homer. C Shawn Ross (.182) went 1 for 3 with his second homer.

Next: Sunday vs. Portland (Red Sox), 1 p.m.

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GREENSBORO (High-A, 10-4) lost 8-3 to Brooklyn (Mets). C Easton Carmichael (.273) went 2 for 4 with an RBI. RF Shalin Polanco (.250) went 1 for 3 with a stolen base and an RBI. 1B Jared Jones (.277) went 2 for 5 with a run scored. RHP Carlson Reed (0-1, 7.36) started, recorded one out and gave up four runs on two hits and four walks. RHP Jose Garces (3.60) pitched two scoreless innings.

Next: Sunday at Brooklyn (Mets), 2 p.m.

BRADENTON (Low-A, 5-9) allowed seven stolen bases in its 6-5 loss to Tampa (Yankees). CF Edward Florentino, starting a rehab assignment as he recovers from an ankle injury, went 1 for 3 with a walk, double and run scored. LHP Reinold Navarro (6.43) started and gave up three hits, four walks and two earned runs over three innings while striking out five. SS/1B Eddie Rynders (.128) went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. DH Edgleen Perez (.238) went 1 for 4 and drove in two runs. LF/CF Josh Tate (.208) went 2 for 5 with an RBI. 2B/SS Antonio Pimentel (.154) went 2 for 4 with a double. RHP Greiber Mendez (5.40) and RHP Noah Murdock (0-1, 9.00), who took the loss, each gave up two hits and one run in one inning. RHP Treyson Peters pitched the final three innings, allowing five hits, one earned run and one walk while striking out two.

Next: Sunday at Tampa (Yankees), noon

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Indianapolis, IN

The Zone Extra | April 18, 2026

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1 day ago

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April 18, 2026

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The Zone Extra | April 18, 2026


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It was another busy week in high school sports in central Indiana and ‘The Zone Extra’ has it all covered.

Athlete of the week and Guerin Catholic senior outfielder Ian Taylor is off to a scorching hot start to the young season. Check out his interview as well as Guerin Catholic head coach Dave Schrage talk about Taylor’s success.

The Johnson County baseball tournament came to a close. See highlights from Center Grove’s tournament victory.

The 4A baseball coaches poll was released as well as the 3A softball coaches poll.

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The former Columbus North gymnastics coach, John Hinds, passed away at 88 years old.

Center Grove head softball coach Alyssa Coleman joins the show for a coaches corner conversation.

See highlights from the Colts Local Pro Day, featuring several former Hoosiers and Purdue’s Devin Mockobee.

Girls lacrosse is in the first season as an IHSAA emerging sport.

All of that, and more, can be found in the full The Zone Extra show above.

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