be the final Indy 500 documented by the popular Floyd Clymer 500 Mile Race yearbooks. 6th-place finisher Ronnie Duman would be killed ten days later at Milwaukee. Mike Spence was the third person with the surname of Spence (none of whom were related) to lose his life at the Speedway. Broadcasting Radio The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer. Len Sutton served as "driver expert" for the third year. At the conclusion of the race, Lou Palmer reported from victory lane. Pre-race coverage was 30 minutes. The entire on-air crew remained consistent from 1966 & 1967. The broadcast was carried by over 900 affiliates including 761 in the United States, Armed Forces Network, the CBC, and reached New Zealand and Australia for the first time. The broadcast had an estimated 100 million listeners worldwide. Collins greeted numerous guests in the booth during the race. Among those who stopped by were Chuck Stevenson, Sam Hanks, J. C. Agajanian, former (and future) radio analyst Fred Agabashian, Duke Nalon, Pete DePaolo, Henry Banks, Tom Binford, Johnnie Parsons, and Johnny Boyd. Indiana Senator Vance Hartke visited the booth, escorting a delegation that included Secretary of Transportation Alan Boyd. FCC chairman Rosel H. Hyde, Utah Senator Frank Moss, and Jack Kauffmann (The Washington Star). Senator Birch Bayh also visited the booth, accompanied by his teenage son, future senator Evan Bayh, who was attending his first race. On the air, Evan correctly predicted Bobby Unser would win. Television The race was carried in the United States on ABC's Wide World of Sports. The broadcast was supposed to air on Saturday, June 8 but was postponed a week to Saturday June 15 due to the funeral that day of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Jim McKay anchored the broadcast with Rodger Ward as analyst, and Chris Economaki as a pit reporter.. The race was shown live on MCA closed-circuit television in approximately 175 theaters across the United States. Charlie Brockman served as anchor. Gallery Notes References Works cited Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site 1968 Indianapolis 500 at RacingReference.info 1968 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network Indianapolis 500 races Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500