There have been plenty of talks about a potential rift between FOX Sports and NASCAR, especially in light of Fox’s increased promotion of the IndyCar series. This gets even more interesting when you realize FOX and NASCAR have a relationship that has been built over 25 years.

The possibility of tense relations between the broadcaster and NASCAR appeared confirmed in a post on X by Adam Stern.

He pointed out the combined actions of the broadcaster in recent times, implying that the relationship between the two entities had been strained.

"Fox Sports' decision to drop Race Hub and heavily promote IndyCar in recent years has led to chatter in NASCAR circles about tension between Fox and NASCAR." He continued.

But Fox and NASCAR say their relationship is fine and that the industry talk is inaccurate. "

Jordan Bazant, Executive Vice President of Fox Sports, stated the importance of having the type of conversations that allow both parties to continue improving and to do the right things.

Addressing the same, he said to SBJ, “We’ve had a lot of success together for more than 25 years, and the measure of any great relationship is the ongoing ability to have the conversations necessary to make things better, to keep things moving forward.”

Meanwhile, Brian Herbst, Executive Vice President and Chief Media and Revenue Officer in NASCAR, was also appreciative of their long-standing relationship with Fox and noted that the broadcaster has been around ever since NASCAR got televised.

In a conversation with SBJ, he said, “We’re extraordinarily proud of our relationship with Fox. They are our most long-standing broadcast partner, and they’re the only broadcast partner that has been a part of every single one of NASCAR’s media rights cycles.”

Is there going to be a strategic shift?

It began when Fox dropped the daily studio show Race Hub in 2024. The bids for IndyCar’s media rights were also up for bids around that time, and the broadcast firm did not take too long in striking a deal.

This led many to think it’s an early sign Fox was re-evaluating its motorsport coverage priorities ahead of the new media rights cycle.

As per figures from SBJ, the average annual value of the IndyCar series is believed to be at USD 30 million. During the Super Bowl, the fact that multiple ad slots were given to IndyCar did not go unnoticed.

Then, in mid-2025, Fox acquired a 33% stake in Penske Entertainment Co., giving the broadcast firm exclusive rights through 2030.

According to figures from iSpot.tv, Fox aired IndyCar-related content 725 times since the beginning of 2025. This is nearly twice the number of NASCAR-related ads within the same time frame.

What truly raises curiosity is that despite Fox’s increased efforts to push more IndyCar, the average viewership of NASCAR stood at 2.5 million views, while IndyCar averaged 1.4 million views.

Despite Fox and NASCAR quashing any rumours of a rift, the fact that the broadcaster has re-evaluated its motorsport coverage priorities can certainly be felt. There is a belief that while NASCAR continues to generate a healthy viewership and revenue, IndyCar might be the new thing Fox would look to grow.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Daniel Cohen, Executive Vice President, Global Media Rights Consulting, Octagon, who feels that Fox executives see a lot of growth potential in IndyCar.

He said," I think that, especially given their equity interest in IndyCar, there are folks within Fox’s hall that see the ceiling could be much higher with a ceiling like IndyCar versus a property like NASCAR."

“That’s not to say that IndyCar, in my opinion, will ever surpass the prominence or revenue generation of a NASCAR, but when you look at, ‘How can we grow something from its starting place to where it can be?’ I think they see a lot of opportunity in IndyCar.”

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi