IndyCar’s television path has been winding. During the 2000s, it moved from ABC/ESPN stability through NBC and Versus, now NBC Sports, leveraging cable’s reach but often relegating marquee practices and qualifying to apps like Peacock. In 2025, IndyCar made a bold pivot by granting Fox Sports full-season, network-level coverage, including the prestigious Indy 500 and its qualifiers. The move promised consistent exposure, but it also tasked Fox with protecting television integrity across its entire schedule, which now seems to be faltering.

The broadcaster refresh brought in seasoned voices: Will Buxton from Drive to Survive, along with James Hinchcliffe, Townsend Bell, and additional NBC alumni joining Fox’s IndyCar booth. Fox CEO Eric Shanks emphasized grandeur, even dubbing the Indy 500 their “Super Bowl of racing,” and enlisted figures like Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski to boost reach. New camera angles, drone shots, and storytelling innovations aimed to elevate coverage to a national spectacle, but the execution, especially midseason, drew mixed reviews.

During the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto race, the tension peaked during a dramatic Lap 36 restart when a major crash involving Jacob Abel and Josef Newgarden unfolded, but it went unseen by viewers as Fox cut away for a commercial break. The timing was infuriating: a high-adrenaline moment erased from live coverage, leaving viewers rattled and critics aghast. One NASCAR insider wrote on X, “Fox’s IndyCar coverage is quickly rivaling the quality of its NASCAR coverage. And that ain’t a compliment.” The incident exemplified how broadcast priorities can backfire when they undermine core racing moments.

In comparison, NASCAR has wrestled with similar issues: over-commercialization, awkward breaks during restarts, and viewer complaints, especially FOX, which has handled NASCAR since the early 2000s. Fans on both sides are familiar with the pattern: building up hype, then stumbling through secondary events. Fox’s historical missteps, cutting to adverts mid-green and coverage misfires, have become recurring critiques. IndyCar watchers are now witnessing an unsettling replay of the same systemic issues.

Motorsport fans expected Fox’s deep pockets and tech-forward strategy to raise the bar, but when critical incidents like crashes and pit road mishaps get buried in ads, fan patience wears thin. Whether it is IndyCar or NASCAR, fans demand that broadcasters prioritize authentic racing moments, not ad margins. The current dissatisfaction signals that allegiance lies not with the network but with the integrity of the sport itself.

Fans voice frustration after broadcast misstep.

“It’s the same formula, giant production and build up for one race and then limp through the others,” one fan wrote, which is the same situation for FOX’s NASCAR broadcasts. NASCAR viewership calls out Fox for bombarding major race weekends with polished promos and cinematic camera work, only for the mid-tier events to devolve into parade-like broadcasts littered with poorly timed commercials and technical blunders. A prime example of this is the time when Fox cut away from a last-lap crash with Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suárez at the 2023 Phoenix race, only to show replays minutes later, or frequently missing critical passes and pit road incidents in favor of commercial breaks during regular-season Cup Series events.

One fan sounded extremely disappointed, adding to the sentiment, writing, “At first I thought they cut back to some incident that happened after leaving pit road under caution. Nope, they missed the restart. Just as bad as NASCAR on FOX’s coverage.” On Lap 36 of the race, following a caution period, the green flag waved for a crucial segment of the restart. However, instead of witnessing the frantic action that often defines IndyCar restarts, viewers were subjected to only replays of the moment. The oversight meant that the dramatic multi-car incident involving Abel hitting the wall and subsequently Newgarden, whose car ended up beneath Abel’s, along with Louis Foster and Devlin DeFrancesco. All unfolding completely off-screen.

Another fan sarcastically commented, “Glad Indycar ditched NBC for some classic FOX TV coverage,” and the hate is justified. During the Indy 500, FOX infamously cut away from Alex Palou’s winning final-lap finish to show a crash that had zero impact on the outcome, betraying fans’ trust at the most critical moment. At the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, a full production truck failure left fans staring at replies, while NASCAR was shown instead, as social media erupted with demands for a backup plan.

Some others added in with their sarcastic humor, saying, “Live on FOX” Me when I lie.” FOX has continued to make fun of themselves for quite some time now. Remember that one time at Gateway, when a cameraman tripped live on air when a driver abruptly stopped with the insurance scam brake check. It became a bizarre blooper that viewers only got because FOX prioritized showing everything but the action.

But during all the chaos, some fans praised Amazon Prime’s short partnership with NASCAR, saying, “Amazon Prime is poised to take on a racing series right now. Race fans’ ability to consume more content has gone beyond what network channels can provide them. Streaming services will soon have all the relevant racing series.” Prime is rapidly expanding its footprint in motorsports broadcasting, having aired 5 live Cup Series races alongside Fox, NBC, and TNT. With Prime handling not only races but also practice and qualifying sessions, its presentation, featuring double-box commercials and on-demand highlights, offers a viewing experience networks struggle to match.

As Amazon also pioneers racing documentaries like First to the Finish and sponsors prime-time race cars, fans are getting a full-spectrum motorsport package, something network channels simply cannot replicate. Streaming services are not just supplementing racing content; they are primed to become the preferred home for everything from grassroots series to global championships.