When the IRL/ICS signed the TV deal (unless there's been some sort of more recent update), NBC had no connection to Versus. While it might sound like a better option than ABC/ESPN now, signing such a deal would have put the Indy 500 on a channel that most people had never heard of at the time. And since no one else wanted any races at all, it was either take what was being offered by ABC/ESPN and Versus, or pay for airtime on Speed or some other outlet. And with "the family" already trying to cut corners and pinch pennies, paying for anything more than paperclips seems to be an issue these days.

I like some of your other ideas though.