Remembering Chuck Marlowe, of the IMS Radio Network

Chuck Marlowe, who passed away in Indianapolis on Feb. 11 at the age of 86, was a longtime member of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network broadcast crew.

For much of the 1960s and 1970s, Chuck was the sports director for WTTV Channel 4 when it was a locally-owned, independent station which specialized in local programming. In addition to “qualification wrap-up” programs and so-forth, he also hosted several magazine-type shows from the track during May, typically featuring interviews with locally-based participants, many of whom he would visit throughout the year for games of golf, and so forth.  

A lifelong Indianapolis resident and racing enthusiast, he would attend a number of Central Indiana races during the summer and his voice could be heard over the public address system during the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, conducting interviews with drivers between practice and qualifying, and more. 

His friendship with the drivers made him a natural for a role as pit reporter during the IMS Radio Network Race Day broadcasts. Sid Collins, the late chief announcer, once recalled, “Chuck was a natural for the pits. When a driver has just been forced out for some reason, he is in no mood to be interviewed. But if he looks up and sees the sympathetic face of Chuck, and Chuck puts his arm around the driver and says something like, ‘Hey, buddy, I’m really sorry to see you out of it, but would you mind if we put you on the air, so we can let your friends know you are OK?’ then we could be assured Chuck would get a great interview for the listeners.”