Written by Archie O’Reilly
It can often seem to take a lot for the entire IndyCar world to agree on any one thing. But a key mutual view came from the series’ annual media days last month: FOX Sports could not have had a better start as IndyCar’s new broadcast partner.
“I see all the negativity from all the Twitter yappers,” Graham Rahal said. “But the reality of the situation is I think they’re going to be a hell of a good partner. I’m excited.”
And Rahal is far from the only person excited by FOX, which is succeeding NBC Sports for the 2025 season and beyond.
Already across the IndyCar off-season, as the transition is made between broadcast partners, FOX has caught the eye with several pieces of IndyCar promotion to audiences of millions during its biggest sporting broadcasts, most recently the NFL playoffs.
Chief among the promotional efforts have been driver-specific commercials for two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden and two-time defending series champion Alex Palou. Another is expected for the series’ most popular driver, Pato O’Ward.
Inside Newgarden’s commercial
FOX’s maiden IndyCar commercial debuted on 13th January, breaking away from the known mould by featuring a specific driver and personality as opposed to showcasing the series - or, as often is the case, the Indy 500 - as a whole.
The three different spots - with Newgarden, Palou and O’Ward - were filmed in December in Los Angeles. Made public first, Newgarden’s advertisement featured a graphic, fast-paced, entertaining piece of storytelling of his journey to becoming a back-to-back Indy 500 winner, headlined by a cameo from legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady.
“I had an awesome time,” Newgarden said. “This is a 45-second spot. I think we filmed for eight hours and they probably needed more. My message has been: ‘We’ll give you whatever you guys need. If you’re willing to give us everything, we’re going to give you everything.’
“We’re really trying to work as a team. It felt like the real deal.”
Under the guise of NBC, criticism had occasionally been levelled at limited promotional efforts, meaning IndyCar viewership has dwindled and growth has not been maximised. There is a universal sentiment that the rewards for the racing product have not been reaped.
“When you were out there it was like: ‘Okay, someone is giving IndyCar the platform and recognition that it’s probably deserved for a long time,’” Newgarden said. “I don’t say that arrogantly. I believe that for everybody.
“Everybody that makes up the IndyCar Series, they deserve to have a big platform and it felt like FOX was delivering that. I certainly felt the magnitude in LA.”
Newgarden had previously been involved in a prolific Indy 500 commercial in 2014, which has been looked back on as one of the stranger videos. But memories of milk baths and becoming possessed with milk in his veins did not cause any apprehension for Newgarden’s latest acting soiree.
“When we first started interacting, I really liked everybody on the team,” Newgarden said. “It has not been difficult to get used to everyone and start moving forward. I felt very trusting in what they were going to put together.
“Even if it’s not a home run, I felt like they were going to put a good piece together and they cared about what they had in front of them, the asset that they had acquired, that they were now needing to protect and grow. I think they understand it.
“So trust is probably the number one word there. It’s pretty easy to trust and feel like they’re going to do the right thing. And I don’t think that means we’re going to be perfect - we might make some missteps. That’s normal. I think we should have a little bit of grace if we make some missteps. But they’ll try to do the right thing.”
Upon first seeing the script for the FOX commercial, Newgarden was amused and a fan of the idea. But it still went on to exceed his expectations.
“I remember looking at the script when it was first presented to me and seeing the vision,” he said. “Then I saw the actual spot and I thought: ‘That’s even better than I could have imagined.’ It feels like the platform that we’ve been missing in a lot of ways.”
There were plenty of clever nuggets within the advert. Kyle Kirkwood was one to say his favourite part of a “phenomenal” commercial was “of course” the feature from Palou. Upon the narrator saying “America loved” Newgarden’s published children’s book about his Indy 500, Palou suggested his kid “hated it”. Newgarden loved that part too.
“That was the best part,” he said. “It was supposed to be something different originally, and when it turned into Alex doing it, it just became more perfect.
“It made a lot of sense too - it’s the reigning champ. So he brought humour to it. It’s going to bring that visibility to Alex. They’re going to create dots that people can start connecting, which is really good for everybody.”
Another scene that got people talking was Newgarden - a keen ping pong player - hitting a ping pong ball off a propped-up half of the table at rapid-fire pace while blindfolded.
“It’s a lot of practice,” he joked. “I mean, hours of practice. When I showed up, I was ready.
“The fun thing about today’s day and age and when you have a real production, they make CGI stuff so easy. You just have to make it look pretty good.”
Even the giant hedge sculpted to match Newgarden’s face was a piece of production magic.
“That wasn’t there,” he said. “There was a tiny hedge in front of me that I was clipping. They crushed it. They make it look easy. I think it’s because it’s the A-listers - it’s their main team. This is what they do. And they do it at a high level.”
Tom Brady’s involvement
The involvement of seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady, who now works as an analyst on FOX’s NFL coverage, grabbed the headlines.
“I just thought it was a Tom Brady commercial,” Alexander Rossi joked. “My guy.”
The best part? Newgarden was completely unaware of Brady’s involvement until watching the spot 24 hours before its release.
“That’s how I found out,” Newgarden said. “I was like: ‘Oh! He’s in it, that’s great.’ It was a cool moment. He wasn’t in the script. I think the way I understand it is no one promises Brady because you just don’t know if you’re going to pull it off. And obviously they did.
“I think it legitimises things so much. I’ve always admired the greats of any sport and he is one of the greats certainly. Really cool to have him in the spot. I think he’s coming to Indy and rumored to obviously have a bigger play there.
“I think the sport is in a good direction. And to have him involved is only a good thing.”
The purpose of Brady’s cameo was a quip about Newgarden having the greatest jawline in sport.
“I think Tom disagreed with that,” Newgarden joked to the media, referencing Brady’s line in the commercial of: “He’s not that handsome.”
The involvement of Brady does speak to a wider point, with FOX tapping into major personalities from its other major sporting assets in a bid to build IndyCar’s status.
“This partnership with FOX has been talked about at length in terms of the positives that it’s going to bring from a TV viewership standpoint,” Rossi said. “But I think the thing that’s possibly the most impressive or most important is the push that they’re putting behind it with their other properties.
“Bringing in people like Tom Brady who are FOX employees, pushing it during the biggest sporting weeks of the year in the NFL playoffs and really using their other avenues of promotion to elevate IndyCar is what we’ve needed and wanted.”
Rahal is another senior driver relishing the fact that FOX is utilising those with significant followings to bring the spotlight to IndyCar, its newest sporting property.
“They get a lot of eyeballs,” he said. “The Brady part [of the commercial] was perfectly timed. Having Tom Brady in that advertisement validates the whole sport. That’s as big of a name as you’re going to get on an international or national sporting scale. It was phenomenal.”
The other drivers’ impressions
Every driver questioned about Newgarden’s commercial was glowing in their assessment, with FOX widely hailed for its approach.
“[It] was so well done,” O’Ward said. “It’s fun. It’s edgy. It’s flirting with that line where people do get engaged and you’re like: ‘Hey, this is different.’”
An important point made by Palou is that it showcases the individual rather than, as has often been the case, solely the Indy 500, which has previously left many viewers of the Indy 500 unknowing of the wider 17-race season.
“They nailed it,” Palou said. “It’s fast. It’s funny. It shows Josef instead of showing the 500, which that’s normally the target that we’ve been hitting. I think the 500 is great but it’s huge already. We don’t even need to sell more tickets.
“We need to make the series big in general.”
The general idea that FOX appear to be tapping into is that, in order for IndyCar to reach its potential, the profiles of those competing have to be raised.
“You’ve got to build the stars,” Rahal said. “You’ve got to build the names. You’ve got to get the notoriety there and all of the things will come together thereafter.
“When I originally saw the script for the ad - I was asked to be a part of it - I was like: ‘Nah, that’s okay.’ Because it was pretty much just a Josef highlight reel. And in the end I was like: ‘That was actually pretty damn good.’”
“That Josef commercial put a smile on everyone’s face,” said Conor Daly. “Got to make stars, right? Josef is a star. And some people hate him now, which is funny. But boy is that a huge deal for us.
“Sometimes when we see things and we’ve seen ads or whatever, it’s like: ‘Well, that was cool if you really love IndyCar but it wouldn’t appeal to maybe someone who didn’t like IndyCar.’ But this, it shouted at your face: ‘Hey, whatever is going on here is sweet.’
“I thought it hit everything exactly how it needed to. ‘Fastest racing on earth’ right at the end, it was burned into my brain. I was like: ‘I need to see what’s going on here.’ I know what’s going on here but it makes you ask the question: ‘I’d like to see that again.’ Or: ‘I’d like to know what else is going on here.
“It gave you a plot twist: ‘Alex Palou, who’s that guy? Why does this kid hate it?’ There was something that appealed to just an audience.”
Santino Ferrucci suggested FOX’s efforts will crucially help to build the brands of drivers, which he believes is a necessary step in trying to put IndyCar back in a position to compete with Formula One and NASCAR for viewership. Drivers know change won’t be immediate but every little stride matters.
“Is a commercial with Josef or a commercial with Pato or Alex going to change the perception of IndyCar racing? No,” Rossi said. “Is it a huge step in a direction that we’ve all been looking for in terms of out-of-the-box thinking and cool, trendy marketing and all of the buzz word stuff that you want to be a part of and be doing? Yeah, 100 percent.
“Obviously it’s going to take more than a couple commercials but this is a huge step in the right direction and something that is very, very awesome to be a part of.”
“It felt like I was doing a movie shoot”
The common sentiment between Newgarden, Palou and O’Ward - all of whom made the venture to LA to shoot their respective commercials - was that they had never seen this sort of production value in IndyCar.
“I want to publicly state that I think what FOX and IndyCar are doing is freaking phenomenal,” O’Ward said. “I have filmed mine. I have not seen it. But I would say it felt like I was doing a movie shoot.
“It really felt like the first time I was ever shooting a movie with all these different scenes. I think it’s going to be a really, really cool commercial. I think you are going to enjoy it when you see it.
“They really seem to be, first of all, on it. And secondly, they know what works. And I think that’s going to be probably one of the best decisions IndyCar has ever done. I think their imagination is coming into truth.”
Palou, whose commercial hugely significantly aired during the NFL Conference Championship match between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, has already shared his own positive impressions with IndyCar, FOX and his fellow drivers.
“I was like: ‘Man, what is this?’ It’s crazy,” the three-time champion said. “It was something that we’ve never experienced - and we experience a lot of cool stuff. But that was another level. I got there… the set was huge - only for us. I got 20 kinds of smoothies, and everything I wanted, it was there in one second.
“The level of the production was huge.”
Even as the drivers spoke on IndyCar’s annual media days, FOX had a set to film pieces with drivers, which will feature across their 2025 coverage, that blew them away.
“Oh, s**t,” Rahal said. “I mean, it’s impressive, the effort they’ve put in. I know this is just photos and videos and wild stuff, but I’m just telling you, we’ve been doing this a while and we’ve not seen an effort like that.”
Even for rookie Louis Foster, who will be teammate to Rahal at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, his first IndyCar Content Day left a lasting impression.
“It’s been a very full-on day but they’ve done some pretty cool things,” said reigning Indy NXT champion Foster. “I’m sure they’re going to turn out awesome. They’ve put a lot of effort into it and I only see it as a positive thing for the series.
“I think it’s going to promote the growth of IndyCar and I think it’s what IndyCar needs to push the boundaries and really compete with other motorsports out there.”
Using other sports for promotion
FOX’s advertising of IndyCar has gone beyond just the recent commercials. Throughout the off-season since NBC Sports’ tenure ended in September, FOX has used its most-watched properties to thrust IndyCar before its viewers.
For one, Rahal featured on Big Noon Kickoff, a major college football show, as a piece of IndyCar promotion. And that is just one of many examples of IndyCar at the very least being mentioned during significant FOX broadcasts.
“[It] was really cool,” Rahal said. “I think what we’re finally seeing is a TV network - and this isn’t a shot at NBC - utilise their platform to truly help our sport.
“I thought NBC had a great opportunity with Sunday Night Football, Mike Tirico, who I love. But Stanley Cup playoffs when they had it - things like that - I really had hoped we would do a lot more. What you have seen over the past 10 weeks or so of FOX, almost every week there’s something.”
In November, Will Power’s Verizon-sponsored 2025 livery for his No.12 Team Penske Chevy was launched on an NFL broadcast, featuring the news that NFL hall of famer and FOX broadcaster Michael Strahan would be the pace car driver for this year’s Indy 500.
“It’s great to see what FOX has been doing,” said 2018 Indy 500 winner and two-time series champion Power. “You look at that commercial with Josef, the unveiling of the Verizon car, they’re serious. They’re advertising us before NFL games.
“You can tell they are serious about making our series big and doing a great job and I think it’s everything that we needed. Really, really happy to have FOX on board, to be on all network races, similar times… all the stuff that IndyCar has needed.
“It’s such a difference even from five years ago, but just having been around the series so long, it’s so great to see.”
In the eyes of Rahal, before IndyCar has even got on track under FOX’s guise, the series has already caught people’s attention.
“The reality is there’s been a hell of a lot of people talking about it,” he said. “That’s what we need. I think we should all feel very blessed that FOX came in and took a leap of faith on the sport.”
FOX a “pivotal ingredient” for future
IndyCar is at an important crossroads for its future. Discussions are underway about a long-awaited new chassis for 2027 and the series is exploring new, innovative opportunities for races. But many believe FOX may hold the most crucial key to long-term growth.
“FOX is probably the most pivotal ingredient,” Newgarden said. “I think they’re going to be transformative for this series and what they’ve done so far has been tremendous and we haven’t even hit the ground running yet.
“They’ve done more than a good job. They’ve done a tremendous job. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a partner like FOX that has fully bought in and understands the significance of IndyCar.”
One pertinent point made by Newgarden was that, under this new FOX deal, IndyCar should not try to be something that it is not and, instead, FOX should embrace the product in a way that the series deserves.
“They’re very innovative,” he added. “They’re capital intensive when it comes to entertainment and as far as production quality and innovation. They’re not scared to try things. I think we have needed that for quite a while and they’re going to help push the sport where it deserves to be.
“We’re not hoping and dreaming for IndyCar to be this thing that it’s never been before. IndyCar used to be a household name - and it deserves to be. It’s been this hidden gem for so long now, so I think FOX will take it to new heights.”
FOX, when compared to its predecessors, is already impressing some of IndyCar’s most senior drivers.
“That’s kind of what you always ask, even from partners in the past,” said six-time champion Scott Dixon. “Sometimes it would kind of click and sometimes it wouldn’t. But it seems like out of the gate they’re really excited. They’re wanting to make this bigger and better, which is what you really want from partners. Just hope they can blow this thing up.”
The bigger picture, as Rahal points out, could be that increased viewership and attention triggers a “snowball effect”, for instance by attracting a third manufacturer to join Chevrolet and Honda.
Rahal believes that other plans from the series, for instance racing in Mexico to hand a home race to O’Ward, could also help to trigger greater growth. In collaboration with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and the MLB’s Texas Rangers, IndyCar has already revealed a unique new street event, the Grand Prix of Arlington, for 2026.
“Now if only we could get to [race in] Mexico so we could let Pato be the star that he is, that would be a great thing,” Rahal said. “But also the Arlington thing is massive. That’s been something I’ve kept under my pillow for years.”
Rahal has known of the prospect of an Arlington race - in the heart of Texas’ entertainment district - for some time already.
“The first time Jay [Frye, IndyCar CEO] and I discussed Arlington, honestly, I think it was before Penske bought the series. Six years ago? A long time,” he said. “I thought it was a pipe dream the first time he mentioned it to me.
“To have that happen, that’s something that we needed. Hopefully we can get another one that we’ve all heard rumours about in the next 12 months and then I think we’re in a pretty good spot.”
Generating new IndyCar fans
One big factor within the growth of Formula One in recent years has been the tapping into the younger generation. IndyCar’s fanbase has generally become slightly of the older persuasion, but there are signs that younger racing fans are starting to see the appeal.
“I think the next generation definitely is starting to come in,” said 22-year-old AJ Foyt Racing driver David Malukas, a keen social media user. “I’ve had a lot of experiences last season where fans would come up to me and tell me that they’re watching IndyCar and they’re there because of me and that made me feel incredible.
“I’m just really excited to actually be able to connect with my generation into racing and get them in. And I think with everything that FOX is doing, it’s incredible because I am also Gen-Z, so it’s my generation. It’s good.”
At the heart of FOX’s efforts, while also producing a high-quality broadcast, attracting new fans is clearly a primary goal.
“Everybody has always seen what the product is,” Dixon said. “Getting it in front of new eyeballs has always been the key, especially now with the reach that many sports have had; even if you referred to F1, I think that’s helping all racing entities at the moment. It was a great time to have that switch with FOX.”
An important point made by Palou is that the NFL off-season coincides perfectly with the IndyCar season. And with plenty of promotional efforts from FOX featured on the NFL coverage, this does appear a shrewd ploy to attract some of the American football fanbase.
“The fanbase we have, it’s amazing,” Palou said. “They will follow us everywhere. We go to Mars, they will follow us. They love IndyCar. They love the sport so much.
“We know we have a great product, so it’s about showing people that don’t know about racing, don’t know what IndyCar is, don’t care about IndyCar. It’s about showing them: ‘Hey, there’s this sport, some crazy people that go around the US doing laps in circles. And it’s pretty fun.’
“I think the target that they are hitting is amazing and hopefully we get these new people that is centred on NFL or other sports that are like: ‘Oh, during the NFL off-season I’ll watch IndyCar now.’”
An all-star broadcast lineup
FOX is yet to announce its entire broadcast crew, but there has been confirmation that Will Buxton, departing F1TV, will anchor the booth alongside James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell, who are both moving over from NBC.
Buxton is extremely well-liked among those with experience on the European ladder and has gained a substantial following across social media, in part due to his key role in F1’s popular Drive to Survive Netflix series. While he has recently been in a presenting role, he does have commentary experience dating back to the GP2 and GP3 days.
“He is amazing, very enthusiastic,” said Callum Ilott. “Amazing vocabulary as well - he’s like an amazing encyclopedia of words that I learn every time I chat to him. I think he’s great for the booth. James and Townsend also do an amazing job so I think he fits that group very well.
“I’m hoping that [Will] builds and takes the series forward. He’s been through a lot of championships which have grown and engages with a very young audience. I really enjoy hearing him talk and I think he can only add a lot of positivity.”
Marcus Armstrong, who like Ilott followed the F1 ladder and tasted success in Formula 2, shared similar views about Buxton’s addition.
“To have Townsend and Hinch back is amazing - I think they’re an awesome duo,” he said. “And Will, he’s a fireball of enthusiasm. I think he’s going to be great for the series. He loves IndyCar racing. Naturally he’s come over here so obviously he loves it.
“But every time I’ve seen him, spoken to him, he’s raving about it, talking about it, follows it very closely. He’s also quite the fun on the Sunday evening after the race as well. He’s going to be great.”
Among those rumoured for pit-reporting roles are Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s 2025 Indy 500 duo Ryan Hunter-Reay - winner of the 2012 championship and 2014 Indy 500 - and Jack Harvey.
“There’s a lot up in the air at the moment,” said Hunter-Reay. “I’d certainly love to do some broadcasting work. I’ve done just a little bit here and there - I did some pit reporter stuff, I did some booth stuff - [and] I really enjoyed it.
“It comes naturally for me having raced these cars for 20-plus years. Having the freshest perspective on the current car is also something that I can contribute with. When you have that experience in the car over so many years, you know the little things. There’s just so many little nuances to it that would stick out to a recent or current racing driver way more.”
Harvey, currently only confirmed for an Indy 500 drive this year, is also keen.
“I’ve been pretty vocal about it,” he said. “I’d like to do it. Whether it comes together is not really in my hands. I think it would be fun. If I could drive, then obviously that would be my very primary desire, but if this was a way to still be in this environment and in this industry and in this community, then I wouldn’t see it as a plan B or sidestep.”
Comments