ESPN/ABC will formally announce today that SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak will replace Brent Musburger, as host for the Indianapolis 500. Musburger has been hosting the race since 2005. The Greatest Spectacle in Racing takes place May 26th.
Lindsay Czarniak will join play-by-play announcer Marty Reid and analysts Eddie Cheever and Scott Goodyear
Auto racing saw another big gender milestone reached earlier this season as Danica Patrick became the first ever woman ever to gain pole position and lead a NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
USA Today first broke yesterday’s big Lindsay Czarniak media story (her dad is Managing Editor there) And although Czarniak plays down the significance of the event down, it is a big story: the first female in history hosting the racing event.
“It was a surprise to me,” Czarniak told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s something I’d dreamed about getting the opportunity to do.”
Czarniak has plenty of experience covering racing. She has also worked as a pit reporter for TNT’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage.
Lindsay Czarniak photos and bio
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker
Banks has appeared on Comcast SportsNet and the History Channel, as well as Clear Channel, ESPN and CBS radio all over the world. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks)