"Death of the sport": IndyCar faces backlash as FOX buys $135M stake in Roger Penske-owned series

FOX Corporation has bought a one-third stake in IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway's parent company, Penske Entertainment, for an estimated value of $125-135 million. This has opened the gateways for a long-term alliance between the Manhattan-based broadcaster and the racing series, which led fans to share mixed opinions on how this deal would affect the championship overall.

NBC had been the flag bearer for the championship before FOX Sports arrived in 2025. Subsequently, FOX hit it off with multiple commercials and even took gambles in promoting the series.

With the partnership going smoothly, barring a few exceptions, the two parties have grown interconnected with each other. This eventually led to FOX Corporation purchasing one-third equity of Roger Penske-owned Penske Entertainment.

This entity oversees everything related to IndyCar and the IMS. However, with a broadcaster-sports tie-up being viewed with scepticism in the sporting sphere, some lamented this decision:

"Death of the sport." "This is actually a f**king tragedy for motorsports," one netizen wrote. "F**king hell, disaster. What are they going to do with it? Turn it into WWE?" another fan wrote.

Meanwhile, fans pointed out how FOX's greater integration could be both a boon and a bane:

"On one hand this will inject a lot of money into the sport, on the other hand the last thing we need is more media influence in motorsports," one netizen wrote. "Don’t like that," another netizen wrote. "NASCAR need to get away from FOX. Favoritism is going to be wild. Funny how Indycar can’t get over 1M on FOX compared to NASCAR getting 2.5M on cable 🤣😅," a third netizen wrote.

The premier open-wheel racing championship has conquered multiple frontiers with the arrival of FOX Sports in 2025.

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FOX Sports' alliance with IndyCar has been growing consistently in the 2025 season

Alex Palou after winning the 2025 NTT INDYCAR Series Java House Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

FOX Sports brought a host of changes to the broadcast segment with the arrival of helmet cameras, the aeroscreen projections, Will Buxton forming the trio of commentators, etc. This has helped IndyCar's viewership numbers soar in 2025.

The season opened with a 1 million+ viewership figure for the St. Petersburg race. Moreover, such a feat was repeated at Detroit and World Wide Technology Raceway later this year, with the Indy 500 remaining in a league of its own.

However, apart from such highs, the views have consistently been in the 700,000+ range. This trend continued at the recent race at Laguna Seca, where FOX averaged 734,00 average viewers:

"🚨 @INDYCARonFOX stays the course with ratings hike at Laguna Seca!📈"

On the other hand, the next race will take place at the Portland International Raceway, with the Grand Prix weekend setting off on August 8 and concluding on August 10.

Edited by pranavsethii