Written by Dan Jones
FOX Sports will become the exclusive home of IndyCar broadcasting beginning from 2025, where all 17 races will be broadcast on network television, with 19 total broadcasts across the season with FOX providing coverage for the Indianapolis 500 qualifications.
IndyCar CEO, Mark Miles stated: “FOX Sports is a fully committed partner, ready to bring engaging and technically innovative coverage to millions of fans across the country while also promoting INDYCAR thoroughly across all its platforms.”
FOX Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks said: “Adding the iconic Indianapolis 500 and delivering the entire NTT INDYCAR SERIES to the FOX Sports roster fits perfectly within our model of teaming with sports’ largest events and best-in-class brands, We’re honored to be the new broadcast home to ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’ an incredibly special event to everyone at FOX Sports.”
NBC Sports had been the exclusive home of NBC from 2019 until this season, with the commentary team consisting of Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. On-air announcers will be revealed at a later date, with initial reports suggesting that NASCAR Xfinity Series commentator, Adam Alexander set to take over in the booth, with Hinchcliffe potentially switching over from NBC.
All practice and qualifying sessions will air on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2, with the majority of Indy NXT races airing on Fox Sports 1. It is seen a significant step-up from the NBC deal, with all races now able to be viewed on network television, with controversy around NBC's streaming service, Peacock, which charged fans an additional subscription to watch races.
Alongside today's announcement, the series have also released the 2025 series calendar. As has been in the last three seasons, the Streets of St. Petersburg will be the first event, on March 2nd. The Thermal Club, which hosted a non-championship $1 Million Challenge, has been upgraded to a full points-paying race ahead of 2025.
Texas Motor Speedway has not returned to vacate the gap between The Thermal and Long Beach, albeit the gap is now reduced to three weeks. As the case in 2024, the series heads to Long Beach and then Barber. The Barber round will now take place in May, six days before the Indianapolis Road Course race, ahead of the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25th.
The series will then head to Detroit the following week, with the round at World Wide Technology Raceway brought forward from August to June 15. Rounds at Road America and Mid-Ohio will follow, before the only double-header of the season at Iowa Speedway on July 12th and 13th, the second of four consecutive weekends.
The show will then jump across the border to Toronto, before Laguna Seca, which has been pushed back a month. The show will then hit Portland International Raceway on August 10th, with Milwaukee two weeks later, the race being dropped to a single round, unlike the double-header in 2024. As is the case in 2024, Nashville Superspeedway will host the finale, at the slightly earlier date of August 31st.
Indy NXT will support all rounds apart from Thermal, Long Beach, the Indy 500 and Toronto, with the series hosting double-headers at Indianapolis and Laguna Seca.
And after months of speculation, the rumour has been confirmed. IndyCar's new home is FOX for the foreseeable future.
Comments