IndyCar starts season with big stars, big hopes, new TV partner

MOTORSPORTS

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Josef Newgarden leads the pack into Turn 2 after the start of the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg last March. MIKE CARLSON — ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

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By Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press

Fox Sports marked its new oversight of the IndyCar Series with glossy new commercials that have been showcased everywhere from the Super Bowl to the Daytona 500.

The network partnership begins in earnest this weekend with the season-opening race on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg, Fla. There is hope that Fox Sports will push IndyCar back toward the top of motorsports.

How Fox might be able to boost the Roger Penske-owned series has been on 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 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.

Fox Sports has also promised all races will be on Fox and the Fox Sports app, while Fox Deportes will carry Spanish-language coverage. All practice and qualifying sessions will be aired on either FS1 or FS2.

Nineteen races on a network will be an IndyCar record and it is the only top motorsports series in the country with all its races set for that kind of exposure. NASCAR’s schedule, for example, is spread across multiple networks in 2025; Fox has said five of its 14 NASCAR races will be on its network, the rest on cable.

“I think what Fox and IndyCar are doing is freaking phenomenal,” said McLaren driver Pato O’Ward, who along with Newgarden and Palou are the three featured drivers in Fox Sports’ marketing campaign of commercials he called “fun” and “edgy.” His commercial aired early during the Super Bowl.

“It’s flirting with that line where people do get engaged and you’re like, ‘Hey, this is different,’” O’Ward added. “It felt like I was doing a movie shoot.”