Tag: Fox

FOX Sports, INDYCAR Unveil 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Race Broadcast Start Times 

thepitwindowLeave a comment

From IndyCar and FOX:

 Fastest Racing on Earth Featured with Record-Tying 19 Network Windows, FIFA World Cup 2026™ Lead-ins, Six Hours of Live Coverage for Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025) – FOX Sports and INDYCAR have announced the race broadcast start times for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule.
For the second consecutive year, FOX will highlight the dynamic and hyper-competitive championship with a record 19 network windows, with all 17 races featured on broadcast television. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is once again the only premier motorsports series in North America with all races broadcast on network television.
The 2026 broadcast schedule also includes a summer stretch that coincides with FOX Sports’ coverage of FIFA World Cup 2026™, providing a massive and historic showcase for North America’s premier open-wheel auto racing series. The opening match on Sunday, June 21 will lead into the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ annual trip to the exhilarating, demanding layout at Road America and the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America scheduled for 2 p.m. (all times Eastern).
FIFA World Cup 2026™ Round of 16 action will follow the 12:30 p.m. start of FOX’s broadcast at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid Sunday, July 5.
The biggest match in world soccer, the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Final, and the celebration of an epic champion on FOX will provide a massive lead-in for INDYCAR’s annual thriller at Nashville Superspeedway. Broadcast tune-in time for the 2026 edition of the 400-mile Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix will be announced at a later date.
In 2025, during the first year of a multiyear partnership with FOX Sports, viewership of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season increased 27 percent from the previous season, generating the fastest growth curve of any major sport.
“Once again FOX Sports is providing an unparalleled platform to showcase the most competitive and dynamic racing series on the planet,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said.
“On the heels of significant milestones and momentum last year, this new season will provide meaningful opportunities to reach new audiences and build upon the best growth trajectory in all of sports.”
Other highlights of FOX’s 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES broadcast schedule include:
A supercharged set of three consecutive weekends to kick off the season as part of a record four races during the month of March, which includes the series’ return to Phoenix Raceway for the Good Ranchers 250 at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 7.
A highly anticipated event on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar, the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on the Streets of Arlington on Sunday, March 15, featuring a 30-minute prerace that begins at 12:30 p.m.
Coverage of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying – setting the field for the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge – beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17
.For the second consecutive year, an extensive six-hour broadcast – beginning at 10 a.m. – for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 24.
The return of fan-favorite primetime racing under the lights at World Wide Technology Raceway and the 10th annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at 9 p.m. Sunday, June 7.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ return to Canada for the debut of the Streets of Markham layout and the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham at noon Sunday, Aug. 16.
The return of the popular doubleheader at the historic Milwaukee Mile at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29 and 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30.
The crowning of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and a Labor Day weekend return to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Coverage of the season finale begins with a prerace show at 2:30 p.m. Sunday Sept. 6.
WHAT NTT INDYCAR SERIES DRIVERS ARE SAYING:“2025 was an incredible year not only for me but also for INDYCAR on FOX, and I know we are both prepared to build on our accomplishments. Needless to say, I’m excited to get 2026 started as we go for a fourth straight NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and cannot wait for the opener at St. Pete.” – Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
“There is so much to look forward to on the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule, including our first race at Arlington. As we have already seen in this new partnership, it is one of the most exciting, new additions to our calendar in the recent years, and FOX Sports will provide the perfect showcase for our fans watching on TV. The new season can’t get here soon enough.” – Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren
“I’m a big sports fan, so having the 2026 INDYCAR schedule share the stage with FOX’s coverage of the World Cup next summer is going to be exciting. 2025 was a breakout year for me, and it was especially rewarding to see it all play out on FOX in their first INDYCAR season. We’re looking forward to another strong season for the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda, and I’m eager to see what FOX has in store for the upcoming season.” – Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global
Coverage of all 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice and qualifying sessions will be featured on either FS1 or FS2, FOX One and the FOX Sports app.
The coverage schedule for the 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone championship, the developmental series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, will be announced in the coming days




FOX SPORTS’ 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES RACE COVERAGE SCHEDULE:

DateVenueTVTime (ET)
Sunday, March 1Streets of St. PetersburgFOXNoon
Saturday, March 7Phoenix RacewayFOX3 p.m.
Sunday, March 15Streets of ArlingtonFOX12:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 29Barber Motorsports ParkFOX1 p.m.
Sunday, April 19Streets of Long BeachFOX5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 9Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road CourseFOX4:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 24The 110th Indianapolis 500FOX10 a.m.
Sunday, May 31Streets of DetroitFOX12:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 7World Wide Technology RacewayFOX9 p.m.
Sunday, June 21Road AmericaFOX2 p.m.
Sunday, July 5Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseFOX12:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 19Nashville SuperspeedwayFOXTBA
Sunday, Aug. 9Portland International RacewayFOX4 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16Streets of MarkhamFOXNoon
Saturday, Aug. 29Milwaukee Mile Race 1FOX2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 30Milwaukee Mile Race 2FOX1 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 6WeatherTech Raceway Laguna SecaFOX2:30 p.m.

Note: Dates and times are subject to change

Race Day at St. Pete!

thepitwindow

Today’s Schedule:

All Times Eastern. Warmup and Indy NXT race on FS1. IndyCar race on FOX with pre race beginning at noon.

After 167 long days, IndyCar races again this afternoon with the 21st Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Drivers predictions for the race range from interesting to chaotic. Tires are the major concern. Firestone has created the wider gap between alternates and primary tires that the series requested. Some drivers aren’t sure the alternates can last a full fuel stint, and others say the primaries are degrading faster than usual.

Marbles could be an issue on track andfit should be fun for the fans watching how the different strategies play out.

Pato O’Ward will be coming from 23rd and will have to pick his way through field to get to the front. Will Power in 13th will be another driver to watch.

In the end, I like Colton Herta to end up in Victory Lane.

FOX Debut

FOX begins its coverage of IndyCar today. I am eager to see the replay later this week. I watched the replay of qualifying last ight, and I liked much of what I saw, but the still have some work to do.

I thought the booth was great. Will Buxton did a fine job, an James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell seemed to have stepped their game a notch too. I really like the telemetry graphic, which appeared as a faux dashboard. I like that it showed the car’s track location and he distance to the next turn. The driver portraits were a nice touch, although some were a bit cartoonish.

I thought Jack Harvey had a fine debut as a pit reporter. I could sense his nervousness, and he asked safe but good questions. I’m sure he will grow into the role and relax as the season goes along, but he is off to a great start.

For qualifying FOX needs to indicate which tire a driver is using, and also display the pace in comparison to other drivers. The scoring pylon wasn’t even on during McLaughlin’s last lap in the Fast Six. I wanted to see if he was on track to get the pole.

I will be back later with warm up results and tire selections in a bit, then a quick race summary after the race. Look for a more detailed analysis tomorrow.

Thoughts on the 2025 Schedule

thepitwindow

Next year’s Indycar series schedule is the same, yet different. There are no new venues, but there is one less oval race. Several events have been moved, and just slightly.

Milwaukee lost one of its races. I am glad it is still on the schedule, but I am not thrilled with the second race’s replacement, The Thermal Club. If you drop an oval, replace it with an oval. I will give the points paying version of Thermal Club a chance to see if it works, but replacing an oval with flat road course which appears to have very little personality doesn’t seem to be a great trade off.

World Wide Technology Raceway moving to June will allow for slightly improved weather conditions, but coming right before Road America may hurt attendance at both places. Some fans may have to choose between the two. I do like having an oval race closer to the Indianapolis 500.

While Laguna Seca will have its third date in three years, going to Portland afterwards makes sense with a week to travel in between.

I like ending the season with two ovals. Ovals are a fairer way to decide the championship.

The worst thing about the schedule is the August 31 end date. Take a bit of a ratings hit and run through September. Saturday races are fine with me. Fox could promote the races on their football broadcasts.

It’s not the best schedule I’ve ever seen, but it’s not the worst either. I think this early end date will be a thing as long as Fox holds the contract.

Indycar’s New Television Deal – Some Thoughts

thepitwindow

Indycar finally got some positive news yesterday with the announcement of the new television partnership with Fox. Overall, this is the best television package I have ever seen for Indycar There are many good things in this package, and at the same time some concerns remain, and not small ones either. While there are many good things in this package, and at the same time some concerns remain, and not small ones either.

Having every race on a main broadcast channel is a dream come true. There will be no more hunting for USA, Peacock, or (shudder) CNBC again. Viewers will know where to find the Indycar series. This part is something I did not expect.

Indy NXT now has a semi-permanent home on FS1 with an occasional appearance on FS2. Getting off streaming exclusively and getting over the air exposure can only help the drivers and teams in that series. Maybe even the Indycar owners will start noticing and not run to F2 so quickly.

My understanding is that Fox is paying a huge sum of money for this deal. Rights fees have always been an issue with Indycar media deals.

Doubts Still Linger

Still, despite the best news the series has had since that spectacular Indianapolis 500, there are still questions.

Who will be the announcers? Fox has a whole tends to seek mediocre talent as their top lev el. If you have ever watched a World Sereies game or a Big East basketball game, you know what I’m talking about. I hope they hire as much of the NBC crew as is available.

Production Values

I don’t like the way sports events are presented on Fox. They seem to spend too much time trying not showing the game in progress so they can interview someone who is supposed to be focusing on the game. Talking to managers during baseball games, pulling coaches from time out huddles, or a flashback to when two opponents met 15 years ago when they each played for different teams all detract from the game going on right now.

I haven’t watched a NASCAR race on Fox, but I have heard some comments that give me pause.

Television Windows– Flexibility Required

Each race has been allotted a two and a half hour window, except for the 500 which has a five hour window. That might work for some sports, but racing needs some more flexibility. If we have a situation next year such as we had at the 500 this year, does the 500 end up on FS2? Will they stay with a race that runs long?

Is five hours really long enough for a three hour race/ It sounds as if the pre race will be rushed, and the post race could possiblybe cut off mid ceremony.

I agree Indycar took the best package and got virtually everything they wanted. I’m excited to see what it looks like. The ball is in Fox’s court to produce.