ABC gets thumbs up and thumbs down for Indy broadcast

In Tampa, Tom Jones wrote ABC's production and direction of the race "were outstanding with coverage whipping around at a dizzying pace." The "intense coverage left no moments of silence or boredom," and pit reporter Jamie Little "was the MVP of the broadcast." Meanwhile, the "best moment of the broadcast came when driver Ed Carpenter talked about the crash with 25 laps to go that took him out of the race and possibly cost him a victory." He said the wreck was the result of an "amateur move" by James Hinchcliffe. Tampa Bay Times

However, SI.com's Richard Deitsch noted viewers "crushed ABC for its decision to go to a split screen in the final, tight laps" of the race to show Hunter-Reay's wife and Castroneves' girlfriend. SI.com

In New York, Ken Schott wrote by showcasing the drivers' significant others, ABC "took the emphasis off the race." Schott: "The reactions became a distraction. Race fans, both devout and casual, want to see the exciting finish and not the wife and girlfriend." While ABC "went to full screen during the final lap," the "magic was lost." DailyGazette.com