By Dave Lewandowski

indycar.com

Mike King's voice fills the studio as he just begins talking about his new role as chief announcer of Firestone Indy Lights broadcasts on VERSUS.

"There's definitely a difference between calling an IndyCar Series race on radio and then playing to pictures on television," said King, who since 1999 has been the radio voice of the IndyCar Series. "I believe I need to bring that same energy to the (Firestone Indy) Lights series. That's the way I do races. While you cut down a bit on the descriptive part television announcing, you still have to be excited about great racing.

"My style is the way I feel about racing. I'm essentially the guy in the stands jumping up and down rooting for all of them and wanting to see a great race. Until someone says to me calm down I don't plan to calm down."

King will be joined in the broadcast booth by analyst Arie Luyendyk Jr., while veteran Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network announcer Kevin Lee will patrol pit lane. VERSUS will feature Firestone Indy Lights races in an hour-long show each Monday after events.

King, who also was the pit reporter the past two seasons during ESPN2's Firestone Indy Lights same-week highlight shows, will continue to be the chief announcer for the IMS Radio Network's coverage of the IndyCar Series.

"(For) ESPN, I didn't get a chance to see the racing as well as I'd like to other than watching the big screen," King said. "There were times I was down there as a pit reporter screaming my lungs out watching some of the races. Now to be able to be in the booth and calling it will make for the best of both worlds for me."

The Firestone Indy Lights season kicks off with a doubleheader on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., on April 4-5. King, a North Carolina native, says his enthusiastic calls represent his attraction to the sport.

"No one has ever said to me call a race this way," King said. "My training when it comes to doing play by play for open-wheel racing came from being a public address announcer at the Terre Haute Action Track, a short track where sprint cars, midgets and Silver Crown cars really put on a show. But they're by in large 30-lap dashes. When you have that situation, everything you do is on the top rung energy-wise. I remember the first time when I settled into the booth at Walt Disney World Speedway to call an IndyCar race, I remember thinking, 'Wow, it's the same.' I feel the same, but what I realized was trying to call a 200-lap race at the same energy level as you do a 30-lap race it winds you. After the first few races I remember my abdomen aching because you're pushing it out there for 2½ hours. So I had to adapt."

Not much adaptation is necessary to accommodate other voices on the telecasts. Luyendyk has filled in on occasion for analyst Davey Hamilton on the radio broadcasts, and King has up to six turn reporters at road/street course events. Luyendyk, 27, son of the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, has made 62 Firestone Indy Lights starts dating to series' 2002 inaugural season.

"I'm definitely excited about the opportunity," said Luyendyk, who recorded his first series victory in the 2008 season finale at Chicagoland Speedway. "No one on the team knows more about the Firestone Indy Lights drivers, teams and cars than me so that's going to be an advantage for me on the broadcasts."

Luyendyk had hoped to be behind the wheel of an IndyCar Series car this season, but couldn't attract sponsorship. He said joining King in the booth will be a fun way to stay involved.

"It is not a career change for me because I still have a passion to be an IndyCar Series driver," he said. "It's just another new experience and another interesting job."

King said he's looking forward to the breathing room of the hour-long shows, which will allow Lee to "tell a lot of stories from the pits," allow Luyendyk to develop detailed analysis and put the spotlight on the up-and-comers with their helmets off.

"It's a great series and ladder system," he said. "Now as opposed to owners saying, 'Where do I go to find talent?' Now the cup is overflowing. To some degree, some veteran IndyCar drivers are looking over their shoulders. That's the way it's supposed to be - a series is supposed to develop and expose great young talent to IndyCar Series owners so that when it comes time to expand the team or make a move to replace a driver, you know where you're going."