Indy 500 Slow in Driving HD

The most prestigious of all American race car events, the Indianapolis 500, is going to come screeching into living rooms over the Memorial Day Weekend in HD. Finally.

The technical infrastructure for 720p transmission of the race has been available for about three years, but officials of both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and ABC/Disney's ESPN decided to hold off on the HD transition until this year, according to the Indianapolis Star.

ESPN Sports plans to deliver the race-day programming on Sunday, May 27, in tandem with IMS Productions, on the ABC broadcast network--along with more coverage on ABC broadcast and ESPN cable channels on qualification days prior to the race.

Specifics on HD equipment were not available, but ABC plans to use up to 53 HD cameras to cover the event.