The Indianapolis 500 will race on Fox after years of laps around the track on NBC.
IndyCar announced Thursday that Fox will be the new home of the NTT IndyCar Series and its iconic races starting in 2025. The new deal gives Fox the rights to two of the best-known events in auto racing: the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, which is part of NASCAR.
“Adding the iconic Indianapolis 500 to the Fox Sports lineup, along with the entire NTT IndyCar Series, fits perfectly with our model of partnering with the biggest events and best-in-class brands in sports,” said Eric Shanks, CEO and executive producer, Fox Sports. “We’re honored to be the new broadcast home for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’ a very special event for all of us at Fox Sports.”
The Indianapolis 500 has aired on NBC since 2019, when the network acquired the rights long held by Disney and ABC.
But NBC has new reasons to be more careful about its sports budget. The company is believed to be in talks to take over a significant number of NBA games from Warner Bros. Discovery, in what is expected to be a pricey deal. NBC recently ceded rights to the French Open, which will be transferred to Warner next year.
Under the terms of the new agreement with IndyCar, Fox will broadcast all NTT races in 2025 on its broadcast network, the Fox Sports app and Fox Deportes. Fox will also broadcast Indy 500 qualifying on both Saturday and Sunday, bringing the total number of slots on the broadcast network to 19 and expanding the total for NTT. IndyCar will be the only premier motorsport in the United States with every race airing exclusively on a major broadcast network.
“This represents unparalleled exposure and provides unparalleled growth opportunities for the most competitive and entertaining motorsport on the planet,” IndyCar CEO Mark Miles said. “Fox Sports is a committed partner, ready to deliver compelling, technically innovative coverage to millions of fans across the country, while also relentlessly promoting IndyCar across all platforms.”
Meanwhile, Fox will dedicate a five-hour slot on its broadcast network to broadcast the Indianapolis 500 race.
All NTT IndyCar Series practice and qualifying sessions will be broadcast on cable television on FS1 and FS2. The majority of INDY NXT by Firestone races will also be broadcast on FS1, with FS2 providing supplemental coverage of additional races.
Fox said talent decisions will be announced at a later date.
