IndyCar hits 17-year high as 7.05m watch Indy 500 on Fox

Last weekend’s Indianapolis 500 was the most-watched edition of IndyCar’s flagship event in 17 years as 7.05 million viewers tuned in for the race on Fox.

Confirmed:

• Last weekend’s audience is highest since 7.25 million viewers watched 2008 edition
• This year’s viewership represents a 40 per cent year-over-year (YoY) increase on last season’s audience of 5.02 million
• It is only the second time this century that the Indy 500 has drawn more viewers than Nascar’s Daytona 500

Context:

A more proactive approach from Fox saw the creation of three advertisements centred around star drivers Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward and reigning IndyCar champion Álex Palou. Fox aired them during its coverage of the 2025 Super Bowl, which is typically the most-watched TV programme of the year in the US. But even with this level of marketing, Fox will still be surprised to see such an instant impact. 

Drawing in over seven million viewers for the first time in 17 years shows this approach was a clear success, with IndyCar’s decision to depart from longtime broadcast partner NBC already bearing fruit. The question now is whether the Indy 500 will dwarf the rest of the championship more than it already does, so IndyCar and Fox will be keen to capitalise on this momentum.

Coming next:

IndyCar will look to continue the viewership momentum with this weekend’s Detroit Grand Prix, followed two weeks later by Gateway, which will be the first-ever scheduled primetime network IndyCar race on a Sunday night. Fox has reacted to some underwhelming viewership figures to start the season and will now look to avoid clashing with Nascar wherever possible.

But the viewership picture in IndyCar is looking decidedly more rosy now, averaging 1.89 million viewers through the first six races of the year. This is IndyCar’s best start to a season since at least 2016.

Go deeper:

• IndyCar’s TV deal with Fox: Why has the series left NBC and what does the move mean for its future?
• IndyCar 2024 season review: Stuttering viewership and off-track politics overshadow an exciting year