Fox Sports marked its new role as the exclusive provider for television coverage of the IndyCar Series with glossy commercials that have been showcased everywhere from the NFL’s Super Bowl to NASCAR’s Daytona 500 in recent weeks.
The network partnership begins in earnest this weekend with the season-opening race on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. There is hope that Fox Sports will push the American open-wheel series back toward the top of motorsports as it televises IndyCar’s 17-race schedule in 2025.
How Fox might be able to boost the Roger Penske-owned series has been an overwhelming theme of the offseason, overshadowing Alex Palou’s bid for a third consecutive IndyCar championship, Josef Newgarden’s quest for a third consecutive win in the Indianapolis 500, a change in leadership at the top of series, a new team and a revolving cast of drivers.
“I love what Fox has done with the series, and it does feel like there’s a different level of excitement. It is the best racing across many of the series, and that’s the story that needs to be told,” said Dan Towriss, the new majority owner of Andretti Global. “Fox has done their part in that and brought in a lot of momentum. It’s probably premature to say ‘IndyCar is back,’ but I’m really hoping IndyCar is back and really catches the wave of motorsports excitement that’s developing in the U.S.”
Fox Sports acquired IndyCar’s broadcast rights last June after the series spent 16 seasons with NBC Sports. Fox promised all 17 races would receive network broadcasts — as well as the two days of qualifying for the Indy 500 — throughout the multiyear deal, the exact length of which has not been disclosed.