US motor racing’s IndyCar Series achieved its biggest viewership in almost two decades for the 2026 season.
The series reached an average audience of 1.68 million viewers on national network Fox across an 18-race schedule.
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This represents the largest average viewership since the 2008 season. In total, nine races saw an average audience of more than 1 million viewers, also the most since 2008.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. provided particularly large viewership, reaching a peak audience of 3.5 million people.
This was the highest tune-in for a non-Indy 500 race since 1995. With all coverage on Fox combined, the IndyCar Series made a record 23 appearances on broadcast television in 2026.
The impact extended across race weekends, where overall attendance rose by approximately 20%.
Grandstands sold out at marquee fixtures including the Indianapolis 500 and the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
The open-wheel racing series described the 2026 season as “historic, record-breaking and game-changing.”
Mark Miles, Penske Entertainment president and CEO, said: “This is an incredible new era for the IndyCar Series, defined by growth, energy and momentum.
“Our partnership with Fox Sports has raised the bar for our sport, and in turn we’ve invested in new events and opportunities to accelerate our already immense progress. Alongside our teams and partners, our commitment to maintain and expand one of the fastest growth curves in all of sports is unmatched.”
IndyCar also posted strong digital numbers, led by notable milestones in engagement and video consumption.
The 2026 Indy 500 delivered the most popular digital day in IndyCar Series history, with more than 1.5 million engagements. In addition, there were more than 250 million video views across social and digital channels, also a new record.
IndyCar’s YouTube channel saw significant growth for the 2026 season with a 58% increase in watch time, a 41% rise in view duration and a nearly 70% growth in livestream views.
In July 2025, Fox acquired a significant minority stake in Penske Entertainment, meaning that the success of the Indy 500 and the wider series is key for the US media giant, which took over the rights to IndyCar from NBC in 2024.
The 2025 debut of the Indy 500 race on Fox drew a massive year-on-year viewership uptick compared to the final NBC edition.
The 2026 season of the IndyCar Series concluded on September 6, with Spain’s Alex Palou winning the championship for a fourth straight year and fifth time overall.
The 2027 campaign is slated to begin on March 7.
Japanese tech heavyweight NTT and its NTT Data intelligence arm recently extended their title sponsorship deal with IndyCar on new multi-year terms.
