Okay. FOX might have a chance to win the fans back, and the Phoenix Raceway serves as the perfect example, or that’s what Kenny Wallace feels. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the fans have put FOX under the target once again this season, but one of their more recent acquisitions might as well save them.

Kenny Wallace’s idea to save FOX

“It looked good. I think it could work. And here’s why. Because we love the O’Reilly Auto Parts series. We love that. But they’re both kind of the same type of racing. You know what I mean?” Wallace said, referring to the second consecutive NASCAR x IndyCar weekend at Phoenix Raceway. The crossover was a success. IndyCar witnessed an unusually huge crowd, while the fans also enjoyed the Cup Series qualifying session.

Now that FOX has acquired a part of the IndyCar Series, they have the chance to make it more common. As per Wallace, the fans would love to see two different types of racing series go down on the same track on weekends.

“This gives the fans a chance to look at something really different,” he added. “It’s like, damn, here’s IndyCar racing and here’s stock car racing. And it just might work. And then also with Fox Sports owning a third, they’re more invested.”

The difference in the crowd wasn’t very difficult to notice. This was the first time in a long time that IndyCar witnessed such a large gathering in the grandstands. Although they shared the weekend at St. Petersburg with the Truck Series, it isn’t as popular as the Cup Series. With some of the best drivers in America gathered on one field, it was obvious that the fans came rushing in.

For FOX, however, it is more than just a business deal. Being one of the biggest sports broadcasters in the country, it has a huge responsibility on its shoulders. However, some choices made in recent years, including the booth, the graphics, and the random live TV editing, have put them under the radar.

However, seeing the popularity the NASCAR x IndyCar weekend had at Phoenix, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Roger Penske were to make this happen multiple times a season. On the other hand, however, it will possibly happen only during FOX’s broadcasts.

Why did FOX face backlash again this season?

The 2026 season started much better for FOX. Even though there was some backlash regarding the booth for the races, the fans seemed settled. They got rid of the driver caricatures they had been using for quite a while, and the overall graphics had improved.

Shortly after, however, FOX released a commercial. Nothing odd, except for when fans took a closer look at Kyle Larson’s Next-Gen car featured in the ad. Interestingly, the wheels had five lug nuts instead of one. Moreover, the rear looked a little odd, and there was an odd texture all over the car. Yup, the fans caught it; it was an AI-generated image.

Now, this wasn’t the first time FOX had allegedly done this. Prior to this year’s Dayton 500, they released yet another commercial, which many pointed out had AI-generated elements. While the fans let that one go, they were quite agitated with this, claiming that the broadcaster was only attempting to cut costs by not having to pay an actual artist.

This one incident seemed to bring back all the criticism that FOX had finally let go of. However, NASCAR’s Phoenix Raceway weekend gives Kenny Wallace a bright idea. While there are no signs from FOX right now that they are planning to execute this, it could make this a huge business deal for them.