After nearly two decades, IndyCar begins its first season without NBC as its broadcast partner.
The long and successful relationship came to define the series, especially as the broadcaster was the first to truly go all-in on IndyCar after it reunified 17 years ago following the infamous 1994 ‘split’.
But NBC often didn’t market the series enough, much to the chagrin of fans in the US. With Fox now on board, there is an air of excitement around the series.
The series’ new broadcast partner created three advertisements centred around star drivers Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward, and Álex Palou, all of which were heavily promoted when Fox aired the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl earlier this year.
With Super Bowl adverts reportedly costing up to US$8 million for a 30-second slot, Fox’s decision to give IndyCar such high-profile visibility is a much-needed change of pace.
Fox also secured an all-star broadcasting team of Will Buxton, James Hinchcliffe, and Townsend Bell to call this season’s races, underlining its intentions with the series.
The crucial part in all of this is that all 17 races this year will air on network TV, an unprecedented level of exposure for IndyCar. It becomes the first motorsport series to air exclusively on commercial television in the US.
In many ways, this will be a revolutionary year for IndyCar, and the series reacted to this impending progress by undergoing various management changes just weeks before the season-opening race. Most notably, Douglas Boles was named as the series’ new president.
Replacing Jay Frye, who served ten years in the role, fewer than three weeks before the start of the season is surprising. IndyCar is understandably tight-lipped on what really went on behind the scenes.
Securing new commercial deals appears to have been a struggle for the series recently, so this organisational overhaul may well encourage a change, especially with the increased visibility thanks to Fox.
But the grid has grown with the addition of Prema Racing, an Italian team that should attract more international eyeballs to the series. IndyCar has also secured a new race at the AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, but this won’t debut until next season.
The short-term goal, though, must be securing an expansion into Mexico, especially after Nascar beat IndyCar to the announcement of a race in the country. Home hero O’Ward is arguably IndyCar’s biggest star and capitalising on his profile will only serve to further the series’ commercial interests.
Editor’s note: Updated 5th March 2024