FOX About to Land Historic TV Deal as NASCAR’s Biggest Race of the Year Has a New Behemoth Partner in Crime

When you think of some of the biggest deals in motorsport history, what names come to mind? Is it Budweiser’s sponsorship of Daytona International Speedway? Lowe’s sponsorship of Jimmie Johnson? Or when NASCAR leased its naming rights to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which named the series after its premier brand, ‘Winston’. Well, all of that is from the past, but another historic deal is on the verge of being announced that could change where you watch some of the most iconic races on television. Literally.

According to a report from Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal, FOX Sports is on the verge of closing a deal with the IndyCar Series, which could be announced within days, and will close the chapter on the circuit’s relationship with NBC Sports.

How does the deal impact NASCAR?

As per the current agreement with NBC Sports, Penske Entertainment, owner of the NTT IndyCar Series, gets a reported $20 million in media rights fees from NBC Sports. However, IndyCar is now looking for one partner for its entire season within its forthcoming media rights cycle, and with FOX Sports being the frontrunner, it will end the property’s relationship with NBC once the season ends in September.

With viewership at an all-time high, it’s understandable why FOX is closing on a deal with IndyCar. Despite a four-hour weather delay, the Indianapolis 500 averaged 5.34 million viewers, the largest audience for the Indy 500 in the last three years. The terms of this deal won’t just influence IndyCar but NASCAR as well, as FOX Sports will have the rights to broadcast the most prestigious and important NASCAR race on the calendar, the Daytona 500.

The speculation came as a Motorsports writer for USATodaySports started a thread on X, replying to Adam Stern’s post that read, “The NTT @IndyCar Series is closing in on a new media rights deal with @FoxSports, and the agreement is expected to be announced within days, according to people familiar with the matter.”

Reports about this deal come after NASCAR announced a new seven-year media rights agreement with FOX Sports, Amazon’s Prime Video, Warner Bros. Discovery, and NBC Sports. Beginning in 2025, the deal is collectively worth $7.7 billion and will see Fox’s NASCAR Cup Series sliced in half from ten to five, with the Coca-Cola 600 no longer being broadcast on the network. However, with the Indy 500 and Daytona 600 on the channel from next season, it still seems like FOX will walk away with this feeling good.

The community reacts to FOX Sports’ deal

The 2024 Daytona 500 averaged 5.96 million viewers, while the 2024 Indy 500 viewership broke records to reach 5.34 million viewers. Both races are considered two of the biggest and most prestigious motorsport events in the United States, and having the opportunity to be the broadcaster for both presents endless opportunities for Fox Sports.

On this note, one fan wrote on social media, “Which would mean that, for the first time since 1978, the same network would be doing both the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 (ABC Sports did both from 1965-’78), though it would be the first time both were done live by the same network.”

Another fan took a trip down memory lane, to the time when IndyCar agreed on a deal with Motorsport Games in 2021. The first game, as a result of the partnership, was set to be released in 2023, but behind-the-scenes issues and massive layoffs saw the game fail to come to fruition.

As a result, two licenses between the parties were canceled with immediate effect and IndyCar demanded payments for the failed partnership. Addressing the deal, the fan wrote, “Remember when @IndyCar made a deal with Motorsport Games and everyone told them it was a bad idea but they didn’t listen? Yeah, this is that all over again.”

For one fan, the added cost of paying for cable or satellite television is enough to not watch the next IndyCar season. Highlighting that the deal isn’t convenient for fans, the user wrote, “That’s a bummer. Guess I won’t be watching. I don’t pay for cable or satellite now and only watch Peacock. I won’t do a new subscription just for IndyCar, and I’m probably not the only one.”

For others, though, being able to watch it on television without the need for a stable internet connection is a refreshing change. A fan wrote, “Good. That means all the races will be on TV instead of having a couple on a streaming site where not everyone has the money, the internet, or fancy TVs, fancy phones, or computers/laptops/tablets to watch it from.”

There has been plenty of frustration voiced by fans about how Fox Sports has covered the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. With IndyCar moving to the broadcast channel for the next season, expectations are low, with one user writing, “Very disappointing. I mean if Fox will give a effort sure but with how things with NASCAR right now I highly doubt. I mean, I’ll be happy to get proven wrong with Fox next year, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

What are your thoughts about Fox Sports’ historic deal? Let us know in the comments!