IndyCar and FOX Sports announced a multi-year deal Thursday morning, which will see 19 network windows for the series for next year, including 17 races. For comparison, FOX only puts five of its 14 NASCAR Cup Series races online.
Each race will have a 2.5-hour network window, except for the five-hour window for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500. Live coverage for 2025 represents an increase of approximately 50 percent from this year.
Although specific details on the length of the agreement were not disclosed, Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles said “yes” to all IndyCar Series races being in network during the term of the agreement.
The talent in the booth has not yet been decided, but Eric Shanks, CEO and executive producer of FOX Sports, explained how the selections will be handled.
“We’re going to work with Mark and the team to make sure we have the right tone and star power to be able to celebrate the IndyCar Series, not just the Indy 500,” Shanks said.
A house
In an era where various sports, including NASCAR, are spread across multiple viewing platforms, including streaming, Miles explained why it was important for IndyCar to find a single destination to broadcast races.
“First, it’s the attributes of Fox Sports,” Miles said. “We think they’re going to do a great job telling our stories (in a way) that will appeal to our fans, be unique to IndyCar and help us grow the fan base. Their storytelling for us, the passion of Eric for this and I know that his team’s passion for this is therefore important.
“But strategically, look, we have 17 races and as you know, we will have network coverage of both days of qualifying for the 500, so 19 windows is compelling. For us, reducing that by a third or a half just doesn’t make sense. We like fans to know where to go. We like that there is great consistency and we think that maximizes viewership.
“I don’t know if I would think about it differently if we had two or three times as many races, but for what we have as an IndyCar series, to have a strong, committed partner, we will maximize our fan base and our audience.
And sharing some races under the same roof as NASCAR, with FOX Sports being the first-ever network to broadcast the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 live, should help increase the brand’s message as the home of motorsports.
Colton Herta, Andretti Global with Honda Curb-Agajanian
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images
“I think there’s going to be a big halo effect for all motorsports,” Eric Shanks said.
“Once you start putting the two schedules together, IndyCar and NASCAR, I think there’s going to be a big halo effect in motorsport because a lot of times they’re going to go in and out of each other. other.
“The FOX network is not going to start from scratch. When we do NASCAR races, you will already have a motorsports audience for some of the introductions to the NASCAR races. And I think the broadcast and promotion will suit both series.
“On a personal level as well, I’m incredibly proud to believe that (with) the research I’ve done, this is the first time since the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 were broadcast live at television that the same network had both I think in the 60’s and 70’s they weren’t live, but ABC had them both.
A return to the Thermal Club, but for points
The additional release of the 2025 schedule also showed IndyCar returning to Thermal Club for a third straight year, with another progressive step in the series’ relationship with the private facility located about 40 minutes outside Palm Springs, Calif. .
A pre-season test in 2023 turned into a non-points exhibition earlier this year and is now part of the championship for 2025.
This year’s event welcomed a limited number of fans for the first time, with the original price of a $2,000 weekend pass reduced to $500 about two months prior. How many fans will be allowed next year for an official race and how much it will cost to attend has yet to be determined, along with details of the race itself.
Heat Race 2, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images
Facilities improvements to host an official race next year include an extension of the pit lane to have 35-foot stands – the minimum requirement for the IndyCar Series – for all 27 entries. That was a problem for the March event, which was a major part of the reasoning for a format that split the field in half with qualifying races that led to a main event featuring 12 cars.
Miles explained how the motivation for a return came after positive reviews from a number of drivers.
“I remember a dinner we had with half a dozen drivers, and to my surprise, they were talking about it and saying, ‘You know, it’s a great race. It’s a great track. We should just make it a regular points race,” Miles said.
“So you won’t see qualifying races and some of the things we tried last year like non-points races. They’re going to change tracks. They will obviously make physical improvements and expansion of the stands. They will increase their reception capacity for supporters. It won’t be the Indy 500 in terms of capacity, but it will still be a special experience. But we think it fits very well into the schedule.
“They have always been great hosts. It’s a great facility and we can’t wait to be in Palm Springs in the spring.
The Lone Star State
IndyCar will not return to Texas in 2025.
Texas Motor Speedway hosted North America’s premier open-wheel championship from 1997 to 2023, including two events per year from 1998 to 2004, but that relationship ended in 2024 as the track cited a date conflict when NASCAR landed and occupied the date of early April. by IndyCar.
And there was also the idea that this was simply a byproduct of the Summer Olympics as a reason to discontinue IndyCar’s long relationship with the 1.5-mile oval, which left open the idea of a return – to the track or, at the very least. , the market (as Miles already told Motorsport.com in January) – in 2025.
Neither will happen.
Several team owners stressed to Motorsport.com at the start of the 2024 season how important the North Texas market is to the sport, which is also home to the series’ title sponsor, Plano-based NTT Data, about 30 miles east of Texas Motor Speedway.
Josef Newgarden, Team Penske Chevrolet Patricio O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Photo by: Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images
Miles echoed the team owners’ sentiments and reinforced the idea that IndyCar’s return to the Lone Star State would likely happen in 2026, but in the form of a street circuit.
“Well, let me start more broadly and repeat, I think we’ve said this more than once publicly, we are focused on adding the upcoming large urban markets to our schedule over time “Miles said.
“And so I think you’ll see that by 2026 in one or two cases. And it is certain that the Texas market is important to us and constitutes a priority. I think we’ll have some great news on that front shortly. “And already with FOX, we’re thinking about these years ahead and what they might look like in ’26 and ’27, potentially beyond.”
IMS Productions will continue to be involved
IMS Productions has worked together over the past few years with NBC Sports to help broadcast IndyCar broadcasts, and that is something that is expected to continue when it moves to FOX Sports next year.
“Essentially, it’s the same structure,” Miles said. “I want to start by saying we think they’re doing a great job.
“What’s important is that NBC thought this through, and I know Eric has confidence in them, but IMS Productions will basically handle the production below the line and everything above the line. the line will be the responsibility of FOX. We are delighted with it. The team is ready to go. We will be great partners and yes, it’s basically the same structure.
Cross-promotional efforts
FOX Sports has tended to highlight NASCAR, particularly with the season-opening Daytona 500 during the NFL playoffs, which is one of the most watched events of the year.
And now it looks like the IndyCar Series and Indy 500 could get similar treatment among the plethora of events hosted by FOX Sports, including the NFL, MLB, NCAA football and World Cup. FIFA, among others.
“I think it’s an incredible promotional platform that we use for our events within FOX Sports,” Shanks said.
Kevin Magnussen, Renault Sport F1 Team with the media – Fox Sports
Photo by: XPB Images
“And so now with the Indy 500 and the IndyCar Series, it will be in that mix. Certainly. It’s too early to say exactly what our promotional platform will be, but I think you’d be foolish not to use your biggest events to promote the things that are important to you. And look, our job is to make that halo effect that I talked about earlier a reality.
“So being able to use that flywheel of everything we have, whether it’s college football, the NFL, the NFL playoffs and other racing series, as well as of the UFL and baseball, Indy is now part of that portfolio.”
The TV deal has nothing to do with the charter system
There has been a lot of discussion about the charter system in the IndyCar Series and what exactly that looks like for the sport. Although a deal was expected to be reached before the Indy 500, nothing has been officially announced yet.
When asked by Motorsport.com if the TV deal with FOX Sports should be handled in order to move forward with the charter deal, the same way NASCAR’s charter deal was handled in the spent with team owners, Miles denied the idea.
“No, I think they’re pretty separate,” Miles said. “The paddock fully supports these agreements with FOX. We are there and I believe we will have agreed a charter system and then implement it in short order. So it’s kind of a coincidence, but both turn out to be useful.
“And then we’ll still have a lot of interesting announcements related to new events in cool markets related to the hybrid coming out this summer. And then the new car and the new fuel system for a few years to come. Extensive sponsorship agreements.
“There’s a lot of really good things happening, all of which will kind of leverage that core platform of exposure that we’ll get from FOX Sports.”