From ESPN-PR:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 10, 2007

IndyCar Series Telecasts Elevated to High Definition on ESPN and ABC in 2008

Fans of the IndyCar Series will be treated to a new look for event telecasts in 2008 as ESPN will televise all 16 events of the series in high definition for the first time. ESPN on ABC’s coverage of the 2007 Indianapolis 500 was the first IndyCar Series event ever to be televised in HD.

All cameras used in ESPN’s IndyCar Series coverage will be HD, including in-car cameras and those used in the pits and for other points of view. Included will be an HD onboard camera that can provide a rotating 360-degree view.

“The Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series are very important to ESPN and our affiliates,” said Bryan Burns, ESPN vice president, strategic business planning and development. “Taking our coverage to the next level with high definition has been a priority for us and the series, and will enhance the breadth of our HD services. We’re happy that sports fans will be able to reap the rewards all season.”

The IndyCar Series will appear on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC in 2008, including seven events on both ESPN2 and ABC and two on ESPN. The networks also will cover Indianapolis 500 qualifying May 10-11 and 17-18, and high definition coverage is extending to ESPN2’s telecasts of the 16 Indy Pro Series races this season.

“We are extremely pleased to be working in conjunction with ESPN to showcase the speed and excitement of IndyCar Series racing in the clarity and wide-screen format of high definition television,” said Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division of the Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body for the IndyCar Series and the Indy Pro Series. “The addition of the 360-degree, onboard camera for the first time in the United States continues the IndyCar Series’ role as a leader in innovation and technology while offering our teams added value for their sponsors.”

The new onboard camera is the first of its kind in domestic motorsports and is the next evolution of the previous onboard system used in the series. Broadcast Sports, Inc., which developed the system, worked with the league's technical team on wind tunnel simulation and aerodynamic research to ensure the new mount does not affect race car aerodynamics at speeds of more than 220 mph.

The IndyCar Series season begins Saturday, Mar. 29, at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a prime time telecast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET. The series concludes at Chicagoland Speedway Sunday, Sept. 7, at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. The 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 airs Sunday, May 25, at noon on ABC.

ABC will televise the Indianapolis 500 for the 44th year and ESPN will celebrate its 13th year of IndyCar Series coverage in 2008. The ESPN alliance dates back to the series’ inaugural 1996 event and with ABC’s’ first telecast of the Indianapolis 500 in 1965, a relationship that is the second-longest in sports between a network and sports property. Only CBS and the Masters have been together longer.

In 2008, ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD will deliver more than 1,000 live events in high definition including: NFL Monday Night Football, NASCAR, NBA, MLB, college football, the Masters, MLS, MLL, IndyCar Series, NHRA, Winter and Summer X Games and more. All of ESPN and ESPN2’s Bristol-based studio programming originates in high definition, including SportsCenter, NFL Countdown, NFL Monday Night Countdown, NFL Live, Monday Night Countdown, Baseball Tonight, Mike & Mike in the Morning, NASCAR Now and First Take. In addition to live sports programming, ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD produce individual programs, movies and series. ESPN will launch two new HD services this year, ESPNEWS on Mar. 30 and ESPNU on Aug. 28.

Currently, ESPN HD reaches more than 15 million subscribers and is available to more than 93 million homes and ESPN2 HD reaches approximately 12 million subscribers and is available to more than 79 million homes.

Woohoo. The more programming that is in HD, the more "mainstream" HD will be. And that can only be a good thing.

Fantastic news! Looking forward to it. :)

If a Indy Car race falls in the forest, and no one hears it, did it really fall?

If a Indy Car race falls in the forest, and no one hears it, did it really fall?

lol... :)

test patterns probably get better ratings than indycar...

That press release is dated a year ago

That press release is dated a year ago

That is a mistake. The press release is new, however, the news about Indy Car being in HD for this season is not new it has been known for a few months.

Shame that Champ Car is withering away.

Tony "S.D." George finally sees the light. But with all thats happened with the Open Wheel crowd the last 15 years its too little too late. I don't even see a Champ Car/IRL merger helping things much with NASCAR's current popularity.

Shame that Champ Car is withering away.

Indeed, so there's no hope that series will be in HD right?

Looking forward for the IRL HD feed, being a fast motion I hope they eliminate most of the motion blurr/pixelization..

The cameras usually keep the cars in the center of the frame, so their speeds do not cause blurs, except maybe for those wall mounted camera shots.

I don't think that CC has a chance for HD this year. The owners are footing the bill once again this season.

Indeed, so there's no hope that series will be in HD right?

Looking forward for the IRL HD feed, being a fast motion I hope they eliminate most of the motion blurr/pixelization..

Shutter speed also has a lot to do with it as well, most unwanted blurring can be eliminated (or enhanced) just with frame rate and shutter speed. Most of the IRL stuff in HD i've seen hasn't been too bad.

Tony "S.D." George finally sees the light. But with all thats happened with the Open Wheel crowd the last 15 years its too little too late. I don't even see a Champ Car/IRL merger helping things much with NASCAR's current popularity.
I agree. The Champ Car v. IRL fight sounded U.S. open wheel racing’s death knell. I don’t even care about Indy any more and I thought I would never live to say that. U.S. open wheel racing is now but a shadow of its former self and is bush league when compared to NASCAR and Formula One. It’s made up of a bunch of Formula One has-beens or never-weres and Danica Patrick, a young and beautiful female who, unfortunately, can’t even win U.S. races. It’s a sad, sad story.

I agree. The Champ Car v. IRL fight sounded U.S. open wheel racing’s death knell. I don’t even care about Indy any more and I thought I would never live to say that. U.S. open wheel racing is now but a shadow of its former self and is bush league when compared to NASCAR and Formula One. It’s made up of a bunch of Formula One has-beens or never-weres and Danica Patrick, a young and beautiful female who, unfortunately, can’t even win U.S. races. It’s a sad, sad story.All true.

Beats the Hell out of Whiny Ass Tony Stewart and Jeffy and Jimmy.

going HD is a bad move for the IRL, now people have to seee those fugly cars in HD. If only Champ Car had good marketing, and raced on some American ovals, and more American drivers they could beat the IRL. Plus the nice thing is the New Champ Cars look Kick-Ass

I think most, if not all, racing junkies would love to see an open wheel comeback (in North America). Right now the format's biggest press comes from being a feeder series for NASCAR.

HD could help IRL some. Champ Car, sadly, is finished. Even yearly rumors of a rapprochment between the two can't help now. It's too far gone. Better to wipe the slate clean and start over.

i too wish that open wheel racing would come back in america, but sadly, i believe that the ship has sailed... :( even if they opened the formula (and got away from the glorified spec racing they do today), there's nothing to grab the fan's interest...

indy used to suck up all of the racing oxygen for a month.... now they can barely fill the field... i really hope tony george enjoys the blood of american open wheel racing on his hands... :mad:

heck, we don't even have a f1 race anymore... although bernie deserves some blame for that too...

This is excellent news. Now that IRL is a NASCAR feeder series it should be expected that they start being broadcast in HD just like NASCAR.