Tom Carnegie

TOM CARNEGIE was the legendary Chief Announcer for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway public address system for 60 consecutive Indianapolis 500 races from 1947 through 2006. Blessed with a booming baritone voice and a strong sense of the dramatic, he coined and popularized such now famous phrases as “Heeeee’s on it!” and “It’s a neeeeew track record!” He was Sports Director for WIRE radio in Indianapolis from 1945 to 1953, and later Sports Director for WRTV from 1953 to 1985. Carnegie also was one of the founders of the Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers Club in 1961, serving as its president from 1977 through 1979. In the early 1970s, he broadcast from such tracks as Ontario, California, and Pocono, Pennsylvania. His 1987 book Indy 500: More than a Race was well received by race fans, requiring a second printing shortly after publication. Also well known in the world of Indiana high school basketball, he had a small speaking part in the movie “Hoosiers.”