Morning Buzz

Japan-based telecommunications company NTT is renewing its title sponsorship of the IndyCar Series, with an extended term that puts a new focus on AI. The agreement, which also involves the Dallas-based NTT Data subsidiary, will be announced this morning ahead of the Indy 500 Carb Day. The company has held the entitlement slot since 2019 when it replaced Verizon and it last renewed in 2023; the exact length of the new term was not available. The sides say it will feature a greater focus on AI-related capabilities, as companies around the world try to position themselves as a leader with the rapidly emerging technology. Among the ways the sides say NTT will contribute are AI-directed operations, intelligence gathering and emissions tracking. A new feature in the IndyCar app, which NTT re-launched in 2023, called Up To Speed will give fans a constantly updated center of data, content and digital experiences. More than 700,000 users have downloaded the app since it relaunched.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway will also use NTT’s AI capabilities to help with crowd management, safety and traffic planning. When the deal was first announced in 2019, NTT was said to have paid similar financial terms to Verizon with a roughly $10M annual spend between rights fees and activation commitments. Series majority owner Roger Penske wrote in a prepared statement that NTT’s “significant expertise as a global leader in AI, digital business and technology services is integral to how we build engagement across IndyCar’s fanbase and provide a top-notch customer experience at the Racing Capital of the World.”

Fox Sports’ strong viewership for its Indianapolis 500 debut last year was just one of the factors in the network easily selling out of ad inventory for this Sunday’s race. Fox Sports EVP/Ad Sales Mark Evans said the network has been sold out for “a while” for its second year airing the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

“Coming off of the success of last year and quite frankly the investment that (Fox CEO Eric Shanks) and team have made in just making the schedule easier for viewers to find and us just being super excited about the ceiling that we feel IndyCar has, it really resonated throughout the marketplace,” Evans said.

The strong momentum coming out of last year has led to a 73% cash increase year-over-year, Evans said. SBJ reported last year that 30-second national spots for the race were going for $100,000 each, and those numbers have crept higher this year. A source said Fox plans to air 50-plus national ads and 10-plus local spots during Sunday’s race, with Green Flag set for 12:45pm ET. Those numbers are in line with last year’s ad buy.

The overwhelming majority of Fox’s national ad breaks on Sunday will be of the double-box variety in which racing and ads are shown on the screen at the same time. Local spots are expected to be full screen.

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NASCAR officials confirmed that the Coca-Cola 600 will “go on as planned Sunday” after the shocking death of driver Kyle Busch. Drivers are “expected to begin making their way” to Charlotte Motorsports Speedway in Concord on Friday with practice and qualifying on Saturday. Busch’s family said that he was “hospitalized with a ‘severe illness’” on Thursday before dying later in the day. Sources said that Busch was “testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital.” The news comes 11 days after Busch “radioed into his crew” near the end of a Cup Series race at Watkins Glen “asking a doctor to give him a ‘shot’ when he finished the race.” The TV broadcast noted that Busch had been “struggling with a sinus cold exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes” at the N.Y. road course. Busch raced at Dover last weekend and won the Truck Series race for Spire Motorsports (AP, 5/22).

Driver Austin Hill, who was announced to be Busch’s replacement in the Coca-Cola 600 earlier on Thursday, will “remain Busch’s replacement behind the wheel for the time being” (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 5/21).

The Hurricanes held a moment of silence for Busch before Thursday night’s Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 against the Canadiens (ESPN.com, 5/21).

Columnists weighed in on the passing of Busch:

• NBC Sports’ Nate Ryan: Kyle Busch was the highly talented lightning rod of NASCAR who loved wearing the black hat.
• AP’s Mark Long: Kyle Busch was more than a villain and the greatest NASCAR driver of his generation.
• The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck: Kyle Busch, from the Mojave Desert to 234 victory lanes, was always larger than life.
• ESPN.com’s Ryan McGee: Kyle Busch embodied motorsports’ greatest compliment: He was a racer.
• Charlotte Observer’s Scott Fowler: NASCAR legend Kyle Busch’s sudden death leaves an unfathomable hole in the sport.
• Charlotte Observer’s Alex Zietlow: Kyle Busch had the racing spirit of Dale Earnhardt Sr., and he forever will.
• Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Ken Willis: Kyle Busch death shocks and delivers harsh reality to NASCAR.

The Tampa City Council on Thursday “approved the nonbinding stadium agreement” with the Rays for a proposed $2.3B ballpark “in a tense 4-3 vote.” The vote comes the day after a 5-2 vote in favor of the memorandum of understanding from Hillsborough’s Board of County Commissioners. The board of Hillsborough College on Wednesday also unanimously approved a ground lease with the Rays, who have proposed their ballpark and surrounding mixed-use development at the college’s Dale Mabry campus. The votes are “significant for the Rays, who say they hope to reach final, binding agreements with the local governments as soon as possible.” The MOU approved by council members outlines a $976M public contribution toward the cost of the ballpark, with $796M from the county and roughly $180M from the city. The Rays have said that they “will pay for the surrounding mixed-use development, as well as stadium maintenance and any cost overruns” (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/21).

The Bears put out a statement Thursday saying they have “exhausted every opportunity to stay in Chicago,” adding there is no “viable site in the city.” They added the only sites under consideration are those in Arlington Heights, Ill., and Hammond, Ind. A spokesperson for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson‘s office said that the Bears had recent meetings with Chicago’s Corporation Counsel regarding the “terms for a new lakefront stadium.” Johnson has been “pushing for the Bears to consider staying in Chicago,” clashing with Ill. Gov. JB Pritzker, who favors “helping the Bears move to Arlington Heights” rather than losing them to Indiana. Johnson “dismissed” the proposed Hammond stadium site as “unviable.” He also said that there is “no plan in place for Arlington Heights.” He remains “eternally hopeful for Chicago” (ABC7CHICAGO.com, 5/21).

Organizers of a watch party for the Canadiens-Hurricanes Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 were “forced to cancel” plans a day after putting tickets on sale because the NHL “didn’t green-light the event.” The plan was to show the second game of the series, which was held Thursday in Raleigh, at the 4,080-seat Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau. The area is one in which the Senators have been “trying to gain a foothold to help grow their fan base.” The NHL “owns the rights to all broadcasts and didn’t give the organizers the go-ahead to hold the gathering.” NHL rules state that teams own the regional territorial rights “within 80 kilometres of their city limits” (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 5/21).

N.Y. Giants GM Joe Schoen is “getting a multiyear extension to remain with the team.” The decision comes months after the Giants hired John Harbaugh as the team’s coach and “many questioned if Schoen would maintain his grasp on power.” But that has “now officially been answered,” as the Giants have “locked up their front office leadership for the near future” (N.Y. POST, 5/21). The 2026 NFL Draft “marked the end of a sort of ‘trial period’” for Schoen with Harbaugh. Harbaugh’s hire represented a “huge shift in how the Giants operated,” as he will “report to owner John Mara, and not to Schoen.” During Schoen’s tenure as GM, the Giants are 22-45-1 and have reached the playoffs once (THE ATHLETIC, 5/21).

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast, Guggenheim’s Michael Morris breaks down the crumbling RSN model -- and why the economics just aren’t working anymore.

The Athletics are looking for a VP/Finance. The Las Vegas-based position is responsible for overseeing all financial operations, reporting and strategic financial planning for the organization from preparing monthly financial statements in accordance with GAAP (Athletics).

Next League is looking for a VP/Engineering. The remote-based position is responsible for advancing an AI-assisted engineering operating model and expanding generative and agentic AI capabilities in collaboration with the staff while driving improvement in architecture and delivery quality across client engagements (Next League).

Major League Volleyball D.C. is looking for a Senior Manager/Marketing. The D.C.-based position is responsible for developing a year-round tactical marketing plan that includes brand building, tentpole announcements, promotional sales campaigns, fan engagement, and grassroots club and community initiatives (MLV D.C.).

Major League Volleyball D.C. is looking for a Dir/Corporate Partnerships. The D.C.-based position is responsible for building and managing a prospect pipeline of local, regional and national companies that align with the team brand and civic and consumer audiences (MLV D.C.).

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“Surface material laid down in 1909 gave a landmark venue this nickname; a 36-in strip remains today.”