Mike King will step down as chief announcer of the IMS Radio Network on Nov. 1 to focus on his family and other business responsibilities.

King has served since 1996 as the chief announcer of the IMS Radio Network for all IndyCar Series events other than the Indianapolis 500. He became the lead announcer for the Indianapolis 500 broadcast starting in 1999. King joined the network in 1995 as a pit reporter.

“I would like to thank the Hulman-George family and the entire INDYCAR family for an incredible 19 years with the IMS Radio Network,” King said. “Calling the Indy 500 and every other IndyCar Series race has fulfilled so many of my hopes and dreams. I loved every second of it, especially that special connection with the fans over the airwaves. But I’m also looking forward to this next phase of my life, including dedicating more time to my family, which always has been so understanding and supportive while I was on the road working with the network.”

King and his wife, Nicole, and their family live in Terre Haute, Ind., where King serves as marketing and public relations specialist at Union Hospital in Terre Haute.

“The demands of the new, compressed IndyCar Series schedule and my full-time duties at Union Hospital would be extremely difficult to juggle,” King said. “My performance at both would be impacted negatively.”

A search for a new IMS Radio Network chief announcer will begin immediately.

“Everyone in the INDYCAR community owes Mike King their congratulations for nearly two decades of excellence with the IMS Radio Network,” said J. Douglas Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president. “His passion for open-wheel racing is evident to all listeners from the start of every one of his broadcasts. We appreciate all of his significant contributions to the growth of the IndyCar Series since its inception and respect and understand his desire to focus on other areas of his life.”