Blackhawk helicopters fly over on the parade lap before the start of the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Indianapolis 500 isn’t just another race, it’s one of the grandest sporting spectacles on Earth, drawing the largest, single-day audience of any sports event on the planet.
It is also one of the most watched motorsports events on television.
Last year’s 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 was the first on FOX and it drew a television audience of 7.05-million viewers, a 40 percent increase over the final Indy 500 telecast on NBC in 2025 and the largest television audience to watch the Indy 500 since 2008. Last year’s race peaked at 8.4 million viewers during the final stages of the race from 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time to 4:30 p.m.
The Indianapolis 500 telecast was the most-watched motorsports event of the year in the United States, drawing higher ratings than NASCAR’s Daytona 500 and any of the Formula One races that were televised in the US on ESPN.
This year’s Daytona 500 on FOX has set the bar rather high as 7.489 million viewers watched the race with a peak audience of 9.154 million viewers between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m.
It remains to be seen if Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 telecast can match last year’s rating or achieve the numbers that NASCAR achieved for this year’s Daytona 500, but it is evident that interest is high as this year’s Indy 500 is sold out for the second straight year.
One out of every 1,000 Americans will be at the Indianapolis 500 as 350,000 fans will be at the race.
But for those who are not in the grandstands of the world’s largest stadium, FOX has six hours of coverage on Race Day beginning with a two-hour pre-race show at 10 a.m. ET. The Indianapolis 500 telecast including the traditional pre-race ceremonies begins at 12 noon ET with the green flag of the biggest race in the world at 12:45 p.m.
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Once the checkered flag drops, the Borg-Warner Trophy is presented to the winner and the Bottle of Milk is giving to the winning driver, FOX will have an extensive post-race show afterwards from 3:30 to 4 p.m. ET on FOX.
“The amazing scale of the Indianapolis 500 fits so well into the FOX Sports big-event mentality,” said Jacob Ullman, FOX Sports SVP Production/Talent Development. “We’re excited to take what we all learned in our inaugural year and elevate the coverage to new heights and build on it for this year and beyond.”
For race fans around the world, Sunday, May 24, 2026, is the day many have waited for all year. It’s a day when every native-born Hoosier from the state of Indiana feels tremendous pride, and a day those who aren’t from Indiana feel “Hoosier Pride” for one day.
It brings people from all over the world to the city known as the “Crossroads of America” on the great American Holiday of Memorial Day Weekend.
But for those who won’t be in the grandstands, here is “How to Watch The 110th Indianapolis 500.”
FOX play-by-play announcer Will Buxton is alongside nine-time Indianapolis 500 competitor James Hinchcliffe and 10-time Indy 500 racer Townsend Bell on the call for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
IndyCar on FOX booth James Hinchcliffe (left), Will Buxton (center) and Townsend Bell (right)
FOX Sports Photo
FOX IndyCar’s veteran pit road squad includes Georgia Henneberry, working her second Indianapolis 500 for network television; Kevin Lee, covering his eighth Indy 500 for network TV after reporting for 17 for INDYCAR Radio Network; and Jamie Little, the first female pit reporter for a national television broadcast of the Indianapolis 500 (2004). Little covered 11 straight Indianapolis 500s from 2004 to 2014.
Georgia Henneberry
FOX Sports Photo
FOX IndyCar pit reporter Jack Harvey, piloting the No. 24 INVST DRR Chevrolet for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the second consecutive year and his ninth Indy 500 start, is again set to offer insights from the cockpit.
Special, expanded prerace coverage begins at 10:00 am ET on FOX and FOX One.
Tony Stewart, the 1997 IndyCar Series champion, and Danica Patrick, who led 19 laps in the 2005 Indy 500 and finished third in 2009, the highest finish ever by a woman, reprise their prerace duties alongside veteran host Chris Myers, who anchors the desk against the backdrop of the iconic Pagoda.
Acclaimed FOX Sports reporter and renowned storyteller Tom Rinaldi, winner of 17 national Sports Emmy Awards (and 2026 nominee) and seven national Edward R. Murrow Awards, is back on-site at The Brickyard with special feature interviews.
Four-time Super Bowl champion and FOX NFL analyst Rob Gronkowski returns to the Indianapolis 500 to serve as the grand marshal of the infamous infield Indy 500 Snake Pit for the second consecutive year and will check in with the FOX IndyCar crew throughout the prerace show.
Rob Gronkowski (Snake Pit grand marshal) four-time Super Bowl champion walks on the red carpet before the NTT IndyCar Series 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The FOX IndyCar broadcast team has a collective 40 Indianapolis 500 starts behind-the-wheel:
Townsend Bell, 9 Starts, 0 Poles, Best Finish of fourth (2009), 0 Top Tens
James Hinchcliffe, 9 Starts, 1 Pole (2016), Best Finish of sixth (2012), 3 Top Tens
Danica Patrick, 8 Starts, 0 Poles, Best Finish of third (2009), 6 Top Tens (2005 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Years).
Jack Harvey, 8 Starts, 0 Poles, Best Finish of ninth (2020), 1 Top Ten
Tony Stewart, 5 Starts, 1 Pole (1996), Best Finish of fifth (1997), 3 Top 10s (1996 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year)
FOX Sports and IndyCar’s new digital-exclusive series in conjunction with critically acclaimed creative studio show Shadow Lion, All-In: IndyCar, will be on-site at the Indianapolis 500 to capture the iconic race and the days and moments leading up to it. All-In: IndyCar crews embed with drivers and teams to depict how some of the sport’s biggest stars navigate the pressures of the NTT IndyCar Series high-speed competition.
Episodes also feature FOX IndyCar broadcasters Buxton, Bell and Hinchcliffe and are available on the IndyCar on FOX YouTube Channel and across IndyCar and FOX Sports’ social media platforms, FOX One, FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports app and Tubi.
FOX Sports will bring fans inside the action at the Indianapolis 500 with the SpeedVision In-Car Cam livestream, streaming live on the IndyCar on FOX YouTube channel and vertically on TikTok (@INDYCARonFOX).
The experience begins with prerace ceremonies and the opening 10 laps from the FOX broadcast before shifting to every in-car camera for the entire race, enhanced by custom heads-up display (HUD) graphics and raw pit crew-to-driver audio for an unfiltered, cockpit-level view of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
FOX’s coverage of the Indy 500 qualifiers averaged 987,000 viewers as Alex Palou won pole on Sunday (postponed from Saturday). That was up 7 percent from last year's Sunday telecast (924,000).
The telecast peaked with 1,207,000 viewers from 5:15-5:30 p.m.
IndyCar is intensifying its efforts in 2026 to reach global audiences during the 18-race NTT IndyCar Series season. A strong network of international partners, including new media and broadcast relationships, will bring the NTT IndyCar Series’ star drivers and signature events to audiences in more than 200 countries and territories.
IndyCar Live acts as IndyCar’s global direct to consumer streaming service, supporting the broadcast partners in their markets and elsewhere, bringing fans full and uninterrupted coverage of the NTT IndyCar Series and INDY
“IndyCar’s growth trajectory is the best in sports and that includes significant expansion of our global availability and new interest from international audiences,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “This season, 14 nations and territories will be represented in our full-time lineup, and, with that, it is crucial that platforms are available to showcase the intense, wheel-to-wheel action of IndyCar to their countries and our international fanbase. We are delighted to announce this list of new and renewed partners, who will intensely follow what we believe will be a thrilling 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season.”
Partnerships for the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season include:
New in 2026 to Brazil is Band Sport (Bandierantes) after an eight-year hiatus from IndyCar, allowing fans to witness fellow Brazilian Caio Collet in his rookie season.
ESPN continues to provide coverage across sub-Saharan Africa, as well as to Latin America, Brazil and Mexico where fans can support Mexican native Pato O’Ward.
Spain will continue to provide premium coverage via Movistar+ and #Vamos, highlighting reigning series champion Alex Palou as he seeks to win his fourth straight and fifth overall title.
Sky Sports will showcase reigning NTT IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year Louis Foster in the United Kingdom, and sister channel Sky Sports Italia continues race coverage in Italy.
In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Sky Sports will be closely following Mick Schumacher’s Rookie season.
Sky Sport New Zealand will be providing coverage of Kiwis Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin and Marcus Armstrong.
A new relationship with SBS Sport allows IndyCar to reach new audiences in Korea for the 2026 season.
Viaplay will continue its coverage in the Nordics for fans to follow Danish drivers Christian Rasmussen and Christian Lundgaard, Swedish drivers Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Ericsson and Norwegian rookie Dennis Hauger.
Returning for its second year partnering with IndyCar is Motorvision, also broadcasting in Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
Stan Sport in Australia will allow fans to follow Will Power for his 22nd IndyCar season.
France will broadcast Romain Grosjean’s return to INDYCAR with Canal+.
Ziggo Sport continues to spotlight IndyCar in the Netherlands for fans to follow Dutch driver Rinus VeeKay.
Additional returning broadcasters of IndyCar in 2026 include TSN in Canada, RTVS in Slovakia, S Sport in Turkey, Arena 4 in Hungary, Gaora in Japan and Sport TV in Portugal.
When the INDY NXT by Firestone series returns next week at Detrlit, it will have also have coverage across the globe with first-time coverage in Poland with Motowizja, allowing fans to see rookie Tymek Kucharczyk in action. Polish fans will also be able to stream all races at the URL tymekkucharczyk.pl. REV TV will broadcast throughout Canada, while ESPN will showcase INDY NXT races to fans in Latin America and Brazil. Further coverage will be provided on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Italy, Viaplay in the Nordics and Sport TV in Portugal.
“IndyCar continues to inspire more international interest and fandom, reflected in our expanded viewership opportunities and also our highly engaged digital audience,” IndyCar Chief Marketing Officer Alex Damron said. “This year, we’ve seen a strong increase in international media credentials for the Indy 500 and are also hosting a special group of social media influencers from Europe and South America.”
The 110th Indianapolis 500 is fast approaching. It’s time for television and streaming viewers around the world to “Start Your Devices.”
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 25: IndyCar driver and pole sitter Rober Shwartzman (83) leads the field for the start of 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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