The promo ends: Welcome to the fastest racing on earth.
IndyCar’s new broadcast deal with FOX Sports in the USA is already paying dividends, if social media reaction is anything to go by.
On Monday, FOX gave IndyCar fans a glimpse of what’s to come in 2025 under the new agreement.
Its first promo piece (video below) featuring two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden is bizarre but brilliant. In just 45 seconds, it touches on everything that makes IndyCar, IndyCar — the speed, the sound, and of course, the milk.
For everything that is wrong with IndyCar at the moment – whether it be the ageing chassis or stagnant calendar – the first FOX offering is a sign it wants to outdo its predecessor NBC.
In the seven hours between the promo going live and this story being written, the advertisement had already amassed nearly 1 million views on X.
Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks lauded the marketing campaign. “This is how it’s done,” he wrote.
Newgarden’s ad is the first, and more are expected to be released soon featuring champion Alex Palou and the sport’s most popular driver, Pato O’Ward.
And while speed and sound are important elements in capturing attention, if there’s one lesson other categories could learn from the piece (I’m looking at you, Supercars) it’s to focus on the personalities.
The message is strong – IndyCar is the fastest racing on earth – but that’s ultimately meaningless if the stars in the cars are invisible.
In 45 seconds, FOX gives fans every reason they need to barrack for Josef Newgarden without ever explicitly saying he’s won the Indianapolis 500 twice or is an IndyCar champion.
The FOX agreement will put every IndyCar race, including the Indianapolis 500, on network television in the USA. Streaming service Stan Sport will simulcast in Australia.
It’s a massive coup for the single-seater series that has lagged behind NASCAR for decades largely due to the split in the open-wheel ranks that led to Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.
IndyCar will enjoy the fruits of having all of its races in one place while NASCAR splits the Cup Series across four networks in 2025.
The first 14 events of the Cup Series will be on FOX Sports across Fox and FS1 before switching to Amazon Prime for a five-race swing. TNT takes the reins briefly for another five-race swing with the final 14 races on NBC Sports across USA and NBC.
For NASCAR fans in the United States, it’s a convoluted set-up and IndyCar could reap the biggest reward.
Discussion about this post