MILLER: Best IndyCar Broadcast In Ages

IndyCar

MILLER: Best IndyCar Broadcast In Ages

Consider this a confession booth: Forgive me TV Father, for I have sinned.

Robin Miller | Posted August 07, 2012

Robin Miller, who took the weekend off from pit reporting, was pleasantly surprised by what he saw when he watched the Mid-Ohio race on ABC... (Photo: LAT)

It’s tough to admit you’re wrong, that you’ve been unfair and sarcastic and mean for more than 30 years. But consider this a confession booth: forgive me TV Father, for I have sinned.

Since 1986 I’ve trashed the American Broadcasting Company for its un-inspiring, un-informative and half-assed coverage of Indy-car racing.

I’ve railed on the boredom in the booth, the lack of energy or emotion, the fact the announcers can’t keep up with the action or plot on the track and the endless times the cameras missed a crucial pass.

From insipid play-by-play of Todd Harris to the “expert” analysis of Jason Priestly and Cameron Steele to the “grating” commentary of Jack Arute to the declaration by Rusty Wallace that the Indy 500 he was calling was the "greatest Daytona 500 ever," I’ve alternated between laughing and cussing at my television.

Other than the delightful Bobby Unser/Sam Posey Show, it was unwatchable and it’s been pretty dismal on all fronts (except the pit reporting) the last few years as well.

My moniker for this disaster was Always Bad Coverage and it’s supported by the majority of the open-wheel fans in this country.

But when I got home from Mid-Ohio on Sunday night, I sat down and watched the replay of the race on ABC and I was stunned.

From the pre-race show to the post-race interviews, it was a winner.

They did an Olympic-themed feature on the title contenders and had the foresight to interview Scott Dixon before the start and ask him if he still felt like he had a chance at the championship.

The hectic first lap got replayed from a few different angles and showed how tight things were and the contact that sent Justin Wilson into a spin.

When Will Power and Dario Franchitti took off, the director started looking for the duels further back and there were plenty as push-to-pass created more overtaking than thought possible on this narrow road course.

PHOTOS: Click Here or on the image below to view INDYCAR: Mid-Ohio 2012

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Robin Miller

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