Tag: FOX Sports

Musings on the 2026 IndyCar Schedule

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After a 2025 schedule which was my least favorite in a while. I feared the 2026 schedule would be even worse. Fortunately, I think it is a somewhat better lineup with many things to like. There are some disappointments as well.

Iowa is out, and Mexico City will not have a race. It is sad that the series didn’t try harder to make Iowa viable in 2025. Mexico City’s absence has been blamed on the World Cup, but I think the reason runs deeper than that. I think Liberty Media had something to do with IndyCar not running there.

Let’s start with what I don’t like and then end on a positive note.

The most glaring error is reinstalling Weather tech Raceway at Laguna Seca as the season finale. Why the series wants any road course as the final race of the year is a head scratcher. That is not the type of track to decide your champion. Laguna Seca has very few passing opportunities, the outcome is usually decided by qualifying, and the champion is crowned after 6 pm eastern time on a Sunday night.

The final belongs on an oval where the points leader has a chance to have a challenge to clinch the title. Nashville has been a great final venue the last two years. Milwaukee would be even better. There is an energy at The Mile which exudes the importance of a season finale with a championship on the line.

Even though Alex Palou had wrapped up the title the week before Milwaukee, there was still a lot of energy in the crowd. Imagine if that trace were to decide the champion.

After a rousing March with four races in five weeks, April has just one race with a three week gap on either side of it. Any momentum gained in March will be hard to sustain.

While the Nashville race immediately follows the World Cup final and has the potential to draw a huge audience, we have another three week gap following that race. Looks like another momentum killer.

I’m concerned that a Milwaukee double header will take some of the steam out of the crowd that we saw this year. I am not a fan of double headers as it means one less venue for the series.

The St.Pete opener will share the weekend with NASCAR Trucks. I don’t usually mind sharing weekends with the truck series, but I think it’s inappropriate to have them at IndyCar’s opening race. The Opener should be an IndyCar standalone event.

Some Good Stuff

I am thrilled to have the series return to Phoenix even though I wish it were a solo program. I am not going to complain too much, because we get to race at Phoenix! I’ll save my thoughts on this after thta weekend.

I am happy that there are no conflicts with Sebring or Le Mans in 2026. The world’s top drivers should be free to compete in all of the world’s top events.

Two new events– Arlington, Texas, and Markham, Ontario, join the schedule. It’s good to add new venues to the calendar, and it will be interesting to see how those weekends go. Texas has been in the planning stage for more than a year, but Markham has just 11 months to be ready.

I like the split of six ovals, six road courses, and five street courses.

Gateway and Nashville will finish under the lights. Nashville has been extended to a 400-mile race.

In many ways the 2026 schedule is a typical calendar. There are some things to like, and some things that just do not seem to be right. We may change our minds on somethings as the season goes on, but I promise you, it will not be a dull ride

INDYCAR Announces 17-Race2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Schedule

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From IndyCar. My thoughts later today.

  Dynamic, Hyper-Competitive Event Roster Built To Accelerate Sport’s Growth. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES Races Again To Air on FOX

INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025) – INDYCAR has announced an action-packed 17-race schedule for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, highlighted by multiple new events and several exciting showcases for the stars of racing’s most exhilarating and competitive series. This includes:
A supercharged set of races on three consecutive weekends to kick off the season, including new events at Phoenix Raceway and on the Streets of Arlington. A massive showcase at Nashville Superspeedway with FOX’s telecast of the FIFA World Cup 26™ Final serving as the historic lead-in. More prime-time racing under the lights on ovals, at both World Wide Technology Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway. A return of the season finale and the crowning of the 2026 champion to the renowned WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
For the second consecutive season, all 17 races will be broadcast on FOX, with two additional appearances during the two days of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is once again the only premier motorsport series in North America with all races broadcast on network television.In the first year of a multiyear partnership with FOX Sports, viewership of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season was up 27 percent from the previous season, generating the fastest growth curve of any major sport. An average of 1.36 million viewers watched the 17-race schedule that led to the history-making championship of Alex Palou, the first three-peat series title winner in 14 years.
“Our growth is industry-leading and will only accelerate faster as we continue our powerful partnership with FOX Sports and increase investment in our events,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said.
“The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule provides a dynamic showcase for our sport and its stars, blending fan-favorite race weekends with incredible showcases at exciting new venues. We cannot wait for 2026.”
Massive March
For the first time in the sport’s history, North America’s premier open-wheel series will compete on four dates during March. The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 1 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. It is the 16th time and fifth consecutive year INDYCAR has opened the season on the sun-splashed streets of St. Pete.Following the launch of the 2026 season on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES arrives at Phoenix Raceway as part of a buzzworthy weekend alongside NASCAR. The Saturday, March 7 race will be the 65th time the INDYCAR SERIES has raced on the historic oval and the first on the track’s reconfigured “dogleg” layout. The weekend will provide a joint-showcase with NASCAR in partnership with FOX Sports.
“We’re going to kickstart the season in fitting fashion, with four races in five weeks,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “Our joint weekend in partnership with NASCAR and FOX at Phoenix Raceway will be a can’t-miss for motorsport fans across the country and a truly special celebration of fast, fearless racing across the motorsport landscape.”
The INDYCAR SERIES first raced at Phoenix in 1964. Past winners include a legendary list of champions such as A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Gordon Johncock, Johnny Rutherford, Tom Sneva, Bobby Rahal, Rick Mears, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden.
A week later, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races on the new 14-turn, 2.73-mile Streets of Arlington circuit for the inaugural INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington. A tentpole event during the 2026 championship, the weekend is a first-of-its-kind venture uniting three championship organizations: INDYCAR, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers.
The Sunday, March 15 race will anchor an action-packed all-star lineup of entertainment and engaging fan activations in what is expected to be racing’s next can’t-miss global spectacle.
Two weeks later, the month of March finishes on the series’ first natural terrain road course of 2026 with a return to beautiful Barber Motorsports Park for round four of the championship, Sunday, March 29. This is the 16th race for the series on the picturesque and physically demanding track.
Spring to Indianapolis
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule resumes Sunday, April 19 on the palm tree-lined Streets of Long Beach for the iconic Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. It will be the 42nd time the INDYCAR SERIES has raced on the iconic Southern California streets as the event enters its sixth decade.In 2025, a modern event record of more than 200,000 fans attended California’s “200 mph beach party” at the INDYCAR SERIES’ longest-running street circuit event on the calendar.
A few weeks later, the series moves into the traditional Month of May calendar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. May at IMS begins with a race on the road course Saturday, May 9 before attention shifts to the famed 2.5-mile oval for two days of qualifying Saturday-Sunday, May 16-17 building toward the 110th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – the world’s largest single-day sporting event – on Sunday, May 24.
Summer’s Time INDYCAR’s traditional post-Memorial Day weekend visit to the Streets of Detroit starts a summer stretch of intense on-track action through the Fourth of July holiday.
The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear is scheduled for Sunday, May 31, with racing on the 1.645-mile street circuit for the fourth straight year. The layout on the city’s vibrant and challenging streets has become a fan favorite and has featured the most on-track passes on a street course in nearly three years.
A week later, it’s back to Sunday prime-time oval racing at World Wide Technology Raceway for the 10th Annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline Sunday, June 7. The 2025 night race featured an event record 14 different leaders and tied the event record with 254 on-track passes for position.
A return to tradition-rich Road America and the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR is scheduled for Sunday, June 21. Last year’s race on the picturesque circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, had a race-record nine different leaders and the second-most passing numbers on record at the track.Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will continue the series’ tradition of a Fourth of July trackside celebration by hosting the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on Sunday, July 5. The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio matches Long Beach as it hosts INDYCAR SERIES racing for the 42nd year in 2026.
Prime-time Oval Racing Follows FIFA World Cup 26™ Final
The FIFA World Cup™ Final on FOX will provide a massive lead-in and showcase as the series begins the final six races of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship. Following FOX’s full telecast of the FIFA World Cup™ Final and Trophy ceremony Sunday, July 19, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will take the green flag at Nashville Superspeedway. The expected start time of the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix will take the series’ stars and wheel-to-wheel action to a checkered flag finish under the lights on the 1.33-mile concrete oval. Next year’s race also will provide more thrilling action, with the race length set for 400 miles on the unique and demanding track.
The season’s schedule continues into August featuring a flurry of four races beginning at the hard-charging Portland International Raceway and the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, Aug. 9. It will be the 32nd INDYCAR weekend in the scenic Pacific Northwest city.
A week later, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to Canada to race on the new Streets of Markham layout Sunday, Aug. 16. Recently announced, the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham continues the series’ rich history of exciting wheel-to-wheel racing in the Toronto area. Major investments from the city are creating a 12-turn, 2.19-mile layout, which will include a double-sided pit lane, a high-speed straight and technically challenging sectors.
Markham, as part of the young and diverse York Region of Ontario, is experiencing significant growth at a population of more than 1.25 million. The 2026 race will mark the 38th year the series has competed in Ontario and 40th INDYCAR SERIES race in the province.
A popular doubleheader at the famed Milwaukee Mile will mark a crucial championship stretch Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 29-30. In recent years, the 250-lap races have featured the most on-track passes on record at the oldest continuously operated motor speedway in the world.
The climactic ending of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship and the presentation of the Astor Challenge Cup returns to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday, Sept. 6. The historic venue is known for its challenging corners, unique and demanding elevation changes and the world-famous Corkscrew.
It is more impressive than ever, having benefited from significant investment and fan-focused renovations through the leadership of “Friends of Laguna Seca,” a local non-profit that now manages the venue.
“Once again INDYCAR will have the most challenging schedule in all of motorsports with its nearly even mix of ovals, road courses and street circuits,” Boles said. “This championship format and diverse schedule test driver and team adaptability and truly celebrate the most complete driver and team at the end of the season.”
The INDYCAR Radio Network again will provide audio coverage of all NTT INDYCAR SERIES sessions via SiriusXM Channel 218 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
Start times for the 2026 events will be announced at a later date. The 2026 schedule for INDY NXT by Firestone, INDYCAR’s developmental series, will be announced in the coming days.




Nashville Wrap Up

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Some final thoughts on the final IndyCar race of 2025:

I honestly don’t remember seeing a better non-Indy 500 race. The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix had all the elements of a great race- side by side duels for the lead, an ever-changing front of the field, drama, disappointment, chaos, and 27 drivers with little to lose. The order of the top four spots are in doubt until the checkered flag.

If having Alex Palou winning the championship with two races to go creates what we have seen at Milwaukee and Nashville the last two weeks, let him clinch early every year.

I said after Milwaukee that Nashville had a tough act to follow. Now, Milwaukee, the ball is in your court for 2026.

Here is my breakdown of the race, the event, and the FOX broadcast.

The Race

Kudos to IndyCar and Firestone for hitting an aero and tire combination that was perfect. The racing was as good as I’ve ever seen. There were side by side battles, but nothing like the pack racing of the mid 2010s.

I just watched the race, and I studied the David Maukas/Louis Foster incident. While I agree with the blocking call on Foster, I trhink Malukas has some share of the incident. He came straight down on Foster. Malukas should have shown some patience, especially dealing with a rookie. I understand his urgency to try to get to O’Ward, who was leading, but patience is usually rewarded.

Foster had been lapped by O’Ward, so I don’t understand why he was fighting Malukas so hard. I can understand trying to stay ahead of the leader, but once the leader puts a car a lap down, that driver needs to let the other leaders through.

The top 10 finishers had an average starting position of 11.6. Runner-up Palou was the highest starer in fourth, and fifth place Conor Daly the lowest starter in 24th.

From yesterday:

The Long and Winding Road to Victory

The Event

Attendance was down from last year, which is puzzling considering the Titans were not playing at home as was the case in 2024. It was a better than both days at Iowa combined, but still lots of bare aluminum showed.

Tram service from the infield to the grandstands and back needws to improve in the event there is a huge crowd in the coming years. There two, maybe three trams running single cars which held 25-30 people, pulled by SUVs. The track needs to double up on the trailer cars, and have larger vehicles towing them so that fans do not have to wait so long for a ride.

The pickup/drop-off locations are quite remote, requiring a long walk to the grandstands. The outside location could be moved into the parking lot. I’m not sure if the infield station can be put anywhere other than where it is outside the paddock.

The event ran smoothly otherwise, and the fans there seemed to be having a good time. I hope the season finale stays at the Speedway, rather than moving back downtown.

FOX

I admit I was skeptical of how well FOX Sports would do televising IndyCar, and the first couple of broadcasts did nothing to lower my level of concern, but slowly and steadily the presentation improved weekly.

The network added graphics and improved the location of the in-car telemetry screen. They finally added a pit stop timer and made the drivers’ pictures more realistic. The Driver’s Eye is a great view.

I have always enjoyed Will Buxton, and he grew into the lead announcer role over the course of the season.

Jack Harvey relaxed and felt right at home covering the pits after a debut in which he was stiff and nervous. I think adding the grid run allowed him to get more comfortable. I think Jack will be even better next season.

It helped the broadcast that they brought James Hinchcliffe, Townsend Bell, Kevin Lee, and Georgia Henneberry over from NBC. They are consummate professionals, and they work well together.

Now we wait for Silly Season the 2026 schedule. I have a feeling there will be news tomorrow.

I will have a season review later in the week. Thanks to all who followed along this season.

Milwaukee Wrap-Up

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Two Notes

Photo: Penske Entertainment by Joe Skibinski

1.Dear IndyCar- especially Messrs. Penske, Boles, and Miles-

Keep Milwaukee on the schedule permanently. The last two years have seen three very good races. The track is a classic, pure IndyCar track. The fans will show up.

Yesterday the crowd energy was palpable. I haven’t felt crowd excitement like that since that race you run in May. 2025 can be built on. Thank you.

Sincerely, Every IndyCar fan in the world.

2. A huge shoutout to the staff at Wisconsin State Fair Park for putting on a great weekend. Promotion was outstanding as the crowd indicates. There were many logistical improvements from 2024. All this was accomplished while having to clean up from a flood two weeks ago.

Huge thanks to Snap-On for assuming the title sponsor role.

The Race

The Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 is definitely in contention for best race of the year. There was action throughout the field, three on track lead changes, including one for the victory, and a late race strategy decision that changed the event’s complexion.

I just watched the FOX replay, and my impression of the race became even better. More on the broadcast in a bit.

Not only should Milwaukee be awarded a long-term contract but yesterday was exhibit A for more oval races. Not necessarily double headers- I think Milwaukee worked better as a single event- but a variety of short and medium sized tracks.

Congratulations to Christian Rasmussen on joining the IndyCar Winners’ Club. I think this is the first of many for him.

From yesterday:

A Splenda’d Victory-Quick Thoughts on the Milwaukee 250

FOX Coverage

It has been a learning year for FOX, and the broadcast improves every race.

I loved the opening segments with the vintage clips and the billboards showcasing the greats who have won at the fairgrounds.

Jack Harvey has improved immensely through the season, and he is now very comfortable in his pit reporting role. I wonder if the grid walk allowed him to feel more relaxed as he could talk with his fellow drivers.

I liked the way the pit stop timer was presented, where I could check several pit stop times at once, but their inconsistencies in showing the timing got a bit annoying. WE did not see times for crucial stops at important moments.

FOX was in commercial during the last yellow when many drivers dove into the pits for fresh tires- the key moment of the race. Thew broadcast returned as cars were exiting the pits. The moment called for cut back to action and a makeup spot elsewhere.

I don’t know which producer had the prescience to follow Christian Rasmussen so closely all day. That was a great call. Rasmussen was a show all by himself all day.

The biggest disappointment was no post-race show for a race that deserved many interviews and analysis.

Every year after the Indianapolis 500 I begin anticipating the following year’s race. I am eagerly waiting for Milwaukee’s date in 2026 just as much now.

Long Beach Wrap Up

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Fifty consecutive races at the same venue is something to celebrate, and The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach honored its legacy in style. Historic cars representing the three formulae that have run in the Grand Prix- Formula 5000, F1, and Indycar- held two races. Six-time winner Al Unser, Jr. and four-time winner Mario Andretti were on hand to give the command. Echoes of the past were prevalent throughout the track and convention center.

In the modern era record weekend crowd of more than 200,000 spectators were many who had come back to the race after years of being away. I talked to Keith from Palm Desert, California, who attended the first F1 race in 1976. He has been to several Indianapolis 500s. Currently F1 is his favorite series, and he wanted to be in Long Beach for the 50th race. Keith told me how the track used run along Ocean Boulevard in its early days.

On each of my three trips to Long Beach, I have met car crazy race fans. My favorite memory was on my first trip when I met two brothers who watched Bill Vukovich race midgets at Ascot Park when they were kids. I wasn’t writing this blog then, but I wish I could have spent more time with those guys and recorded some of their stories. I assume they have passed on by now.

Back to the present. The race was a great race for the hard-core fan, but I’m not sure a new fan would be impressed. there was some early action and a late pass for a podium spot by Christian Lundgaard, but not a lot of intrigue at the top.

The Start

Long beach rolling starts have always been ragged, and Sunday’s was no exception. Only about a third of the field was in formation. Part of the problem is the field has to round the slowest turn on the schedule and line up before the green. It is an impossible task.

My friend Chris DeHarde of Frontstretch makes a good argument for a standing start. I agree with him. Other possibilities are a rolling start on Pine Street or moving the start line further toward turn one. The start and finish line do not have to be at the same place.

FOX Broadcast- Better but not Yet 500 Worthy

I watched the replay of the FOX broadcast last night. It was their best presentation of the three. The driver’s eye camera provided some wonderful shots and perspectives, and I thought the booth crew did a better job of telling the story of the race. James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell broke the race down clearly and in plain language.

I like their showing of the cars and liveries in the driver introductions.

Many of the early passes were shown, and unlike an F1 broadcast, the leader appeared on screen enough that we remembered who was at the front.

Josef Newgarden’s seat belt issues got the attention they deserved.

One thing still missing is a pit stop timer. It is crucial that this clock is in place for the 500. I would also like to see the laps of the top two cars timed simultaneously once in a while.

The thing I enjoyed the most is that the winner can get right out of the car in Victory Lane without having to wait for a signal from a TV producer. The celebration was more spontaneous.

Overall, a much better job by FOX. They have two more chances to refine their race show before the big one. I think they’ll make it.

NOTE – IndyCar has a full field oval test at IMS April 23 and 24. Turn 2 mounds are open for viewing. Part of Wednesday is devoted to rookie orientation and refresher tests.

Shanks Brings Knowledge, Passion, Ideas

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Photo by Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment

“We are going to blow the doors off Indy,” Eric Shanks, CEO of FOX Sports, told the assembled media last Saturday at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.. Shanks joined IndyCar CEO M ark Miles and IndyCar President Doug Boles to talk about the direction FOX planned to take their coverage of the series.

Shanks, who owns a motor home across the street from IMS on Georgetown Road, has attended the 500 as a fan for more than 20 years. He understands that a broadcast partner’s obligation isn’t just the Indianapolis 500.

-” …we also wanted to make sure that our
focus is not just on Indy. So, you see what we’re doing
here. You’re going to see what we’re doing at Thermal,
Long Beach, as it goes out. But we are going to blow the
doors off of Indy. We’re going to bring everything that Fox
has to bear.”

Shanks takes a driver centered approach to his network’s coverage.

“The really cool thing about this series is it really is all about
the driver. The cars are so similar, and there’s an
enormous amount of engineering that goes into these
things, but at the end of the day it’s how aggressive, how
smart, how strategic are these drivers. These drivers are
elevated more than any other series in the world probably.”

“Honestly,” Shanks continued, “what I would love to see is the relationship with Fox help teams get new sponsors, help the league get new sponsors, because that’s what sets us off on this flywheel,
right, is economic success. Every sponsor that comes on
then uses their voice to actually market the sport as well,
and I’m kind of hearing this from teams, too. They’re
hearing better conversations with people either wanting to
buy in or sponsor, because they believe in the trajectory
that these guys have built and the media trajectory as well.”

FOX plans a mass marketing campaign to promote the 500, involving fox affiliates nationwide.

“I think what you’ll see around the 500 is much more of all of our local stations all over the country really dive in and our marketing team
will be working with each of them,” Shanks said.

Shanks wants to make the sport more approachable, and his driver centered approach is a big part of that.

“I would say everything that we’ve done technology-wise
here is to make the sport more approachable. As much as
it’s easy for me to watch, I just put myself in fans who are
trying to get into this, and first and foremost, they need to
know the rules, so we’re going to have a lot of technology
to show the car and what the rules are and the impact of
that, but then also just who is in what car, right? So, I think
that will go a long way highlighting how easy it is to attach
yourself to the drivers and to this sport.”

We saw some of this approach in Sunday’s broadcast, when blurbs appeared explaining a rule, and a cartoon representation of a driver accompanied their name. I think photos would be better, and I hope to see some of the kinks worked out by Long Beach.

Shanks has lofty goals, and he seems to be really invested in IndyCar both as a network executive and as a fan. when these two sides of Shanks clash, I hope the fan wins.


St. Pete Wrap Up

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I watched the race replay on YouTube yesterday, and it confirmed a few things that I suspected.

Pit stops hurt Colton Herta badly. I hope his team can get it together because he has a strong enough car to fight for the championship. He now has a significant gap to make up given Alex Palou’s consistency.

Tire strategy made the race compelling for a diehard fan, but if I were watching as a casual observer, I may not have stayed until the end of the broadcast.

I learned this morning that race day attendance was 165,000. I would like to know the total for the weekend. Television numbers are not out yet.

Speaking of television, a few notes about the broadcast. Much willecho what others have said.

The IndyCar on FOX debut was a solid extra base hit, probably a double. The commentary was very good. James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell seem to have stepped up their game from NBC. Will Buxton had a decent first outing.

Pit reporting was solid with veterans Kevin Lee and Jamie Little. Jack Harvey’s debut was very good, and I’m sure he will improve each race. During the media scrum on Friday Harvey took copious notes and asked questions of drivers. He was well prepared.

The biggest presentation issue I had was when Newgarden’s pass of Dixon wasn’t shown live because they were covering a pit stop. All pit stops are pretty much the same, and we don’t need to see all 27 cars pit two or three times a race. It’s okay for the first stop, but late in the race just show the leaders’ stops, especially if they pit together and race off pit road.

Graphics

As many have pointed out, this the network’s biggest issue at the moment.

The scoring pylon is a bit too large. We nee to see which tire the cars are on and the intervals between positions. Spots below the top 5 need to rotate more often. Fans want to see where their favorite driver even if he isn’t contending. The lap counter seemed to come and go.

Fox fell into the trap every other network has in switching from counting laps to showing how many laps to go. It reverted to the lap counter. I think most fans are smart enough to count.

FOX did show some informational tidbits in the lower right hand corner, such as how many cars pitted during the caution. More things like that would be fine.

The telemetry display is a nice feature, but I wonder if teams afre happy with their sponsors names being blocked while it’s running. I think some kind of workaround is needed. I found it hard to get used to yellow for accelerating and blue for braking.

One thing I did not miss was the ERS deployment display. I never thought last year that contributed much to my understanding of the race.

I think FOX overall had a very good debut, and I’m sure we will see improvement every race. I want a perfect telecast by the Indianapolis 500. Eric Shanks talked some about that on Saturday at St. Pete. I will share that later this week.

Saturday at St. Pete

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All times Eastern. Morning IndyCar practice on FS2.

Qualifying on FS1

Today’s schedule:

Number change– Conor Daly’s car will be number 76 this weekend as Juncos Hollinger Racing has a new sponsor in Union 76 gasoline. We’ll see if this number stays throughout the season or just at select races. One positive is that the 76 in an orange circle on the side if the roll hoop makes the JHR easier to tell apart.

FOX first broadcast– The biggest complaint about yesterday’s practice on FOX was ta plethora of commercials. Comments I have seen on social media say that the content was very good and that the raphics looked great.

Last night the network said that all commercials during the race will be side by side. It’s a step n the right direction.

This morning’s practice will give a better idea of who will contend for the pole. Andretti looked strong yesterday with Kyle Kirkwood and Colton Herta each leading a segment. Kirkwood led the session overall. Don’t count out Team Penske, McLaren, or Ganassi cars thought. They all had good runs.

I’ll be back after practice with a quick qualifying preview.