Strategic Investment and Partnership Launches New Era of Growth Across INDYCAR that Includes a Multi-Year Extension of INDYCAR’s Media Rights with FOX Sports. Photo courtesy of the NTT IndyCar Series

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

FORT WORTH – Next spring’s inaugural INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington could emerge as a template for future NTT IndyCar Series schedules under the new investment partnership between Penske Entertainment and Fox Corporation, parent company of FOX Sports.

Those two mega-entities announced an investment in the future of North America’s premier open-wheel racing series last week with FOX’s acquisition of one-third interest in Penske Entertainment, inclusive of INDYCAR and the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The investment is expected to initiate a new era of growth for the NTT IndyCar Series, featuring innovative and industry-leading racing and entertainment events, an increased digital strategy and immersive content focus, enhanced promotion and star-building opportunities for series drivers.

The announcement includes a multi-year extension of INDYCAR’s media rights with FOX Sports, which is currently in its first season.

“This partnership is built on long-standing trust and a shared vision for the future,” said Roger S. Penske, chairman of Penske Corporation. “FOX sees the incredible potential across our sport and wants to play an active role in building our growth trajectory. Lachlan Murdoch and his (FOX) team, starting with Eric Shanks, are committed to our success and will bring incredible energy and innovation to INDYCAR.”

FOX Sports acquired INDYCAR’s media rights in 2025, bringing fresh promotional resources and significantly larger reach to the NTT IndyCar Series. This year’s Indianapolis 500 on FOX averaged 7.01-million viewers, a 41 percent increase over the previous edition on NBC and a 17-year high. So far, the 2025 season is averaging a 31 percent increase in viewership year-over-year.

“We’re thrilled to join the INDYCAR ownership group at such a pivotal time for the sport,” said Shanks, CEO & executive producer, FOX Sports. “INDYCAR represents everything we value in live sports _ passionate fans, iconic venues, elite competition and year-round story-telling potential. This investment underscores our commitment to motorsports and our belief in INDYCAR’s continued growth on-and-off the track. We’re excited to help elevate the sport to new heights across all platforms.”

This news capitalizes on a wave of momentum across the sport, marked by rising attendance and record crowds at several events this year, including a sellout of the 109^th Indy 500. INDYCAR invested heavily in digital growth recently, launching a new mobile APP, website and fantasy platform while also generating 1-million new social followers.

Enter the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington, scheduled for March 13-15, 2026. The event will showcase racing through Arlington’s Entertainment District via a first-of-its-kind joint venture with the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers. 

Practice and qualifications are set for Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, respectively, with the main event on Sunday, March 15. Racing will take place on a temporary, 2.73-mile street-course against the backdrop of a pair of sporting venues recognized by fans around the world _ AT&T Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Rangers. The track will weave through Arlington’s core sports and entertainment district, which annually sells more than 1.6-million tickets to stick-and-ball spectators _ many of whom likely never have attended a live motorsports event.

Penske and Fox are aiming to attract the next generation of fans via festival-like street racing events for INDYCAR. Taking racing to the masses in popular entertainment districts like Arlington _ located between Dallas and Fort Worth _ is viewed as critical to avoiding stagnation.

Recall that this formula previously was deployed in the 1980s by IMSA in domestic sports car racing and the Championship Auto Racing Teams for open-wheel. Case in point, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach celebrated its 50^th anniversary in April as domestic open-wheel racing’s equivalent of Formula One’s crown jewel, the Monaco Grand Prix.

Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment _ official events partner of the Texas Rangers _ officially announced the move to Arlington last Oct. 7, ending a colorful and controversial 27-year history at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

INDYCAR’s move to Arlington represented an unexpected scheduling and marketing blow to TMS and parent company Speedway Motorsports. TMS’ high-banked/1.5-mile oval was dropped from the NTT IndyCar Series’ 17-race lineup in 2024 after a run that began under President/General Manager Eddie Gossage during the track’s initial season in 1997.

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden won the series’ PPG 375 at “The Great American Speedway” on April 1, 2023 _ the first race of a reported new, three-year contract between sanctioning body INDYCAR and Speedway Motorsports. Noting that NASCAR had moved its race weekend date from September to April in 2024, TMS Executive Vice President/General Manager Mark Faber said track management and INDYCAR were unable to reach an agreement on a date that worked for both parties.

Armed with its new contract and a largely positive vibe emanating from the paddock, TMS was poised to continue its position as the “Second Home of INDYCAR Racing.” That tag was among several marketing brands developed by Gossage, TMS’ first president/general manager and promoter extraordinaire, during his 25-year tenure.

With the blessing of Speedway Motorsports founder O. Bruton Smith, Gossage aligned a still-under-construction TMS with Tony George’s all-oval Indy Racing League in the summer of 1996 during its bitter sanctioning turf war with CART.

INDYCAR’s exit from TMS continues a recent trend that has seen the series’ oval-track schedule shrink to six events this season. With the exception of the Indy 500 _ the series’ marquee event _ INDYCAR has been dropping high-speed/high-risk ovals like TMS and Pocono Raceway in favor of short tracks like Iowa Speedway and The Milwaukee Mile.  

The NTT IndyCar Series currently is the only premier motorsport in North America to have every race broadcast on U.S. network television. This season’s 17-race schedule features an international field of versatile drivers who compete on superspeedways, short ovals, street circuits and permanent road courses.

The series revolves around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s famed 2.5-mile oval, annually home to the Indy 500, largest single-day spectator sporting event on the planet. “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in May attracted a crowd of more than 300,000 people.

Penske Entertainment is a leading provider of world-class sports and entertainment, encompassing INDYCAR and IMS. It is a subsidiary of Penske Corporation, which manages businesses with consolidated revenues of more than $45-billion, operating in over 3,300 locations and employing more than 73,000 people worldwide.

Fox Corporation produces and distributes news, sports and entertainment content through its primary domestic brands, including FOX News Media, FOX Sports, FOX Entertainment, FOX Television Stations and Tubi Media Group.

FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing Fox Corporation’s array of multi-platform U.S.-based sports assets. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Network; FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports’ digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Also included in FOX Sports’ portfolio are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network and the UFL and a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.

Arrow McLaren has taken ownership of a larger facility in Indianapolis and begun renovations to expand and modernize the building at 7615 Zionsville Road. The move will serve the Arrow McLaren INDYCAR Team in Indianapolis, the city touted as “The Racing Capital of the World.”

Arrow McLaren currently fields the fulltime INDYCAR entries for Pato O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas; Christian Lundgaard of Denmark and native Floridian Nolan Siegel. O’Ward is a two-time winner this season in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and point runnerup to three-time/reigning series champion Alex Palou of Spain and Chip Ganassi Racing.

“We’re proud to begin the renovation and grow our footprint right here in Indianapolis,” said Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing. “The investment is a big step in our long-term growth and this new facility will provide our team with state-of-the-art tools, equipment and space to keep pushing forward.”

Dillon Construction Group, original builder of the facility, will manage the major transformation that will increase available space from 74,000 to 86,000-square-feet. Arrow McLaren has been operating out of a 33,000-square-foot race shop on Coffman Road; the new location will nearly triple the square footage for team activities, improving overall workflow and day-to-day operations. Renovations have been carefully designed and planned to increase adaptability while providing state-of-the-art equipment, technology and workspaces.

Among the significant changes to the building, Arrow McLaren plans to introduce an expanded lobby showcasing the team’s success and heritage, a new second floor mezzanine, a premier fitness center and a new elevator to enhance accessibility. The building’s exterior will undergo a facelift with additional windows, architectural elements and a repaint to align with McLaren Racing’s Papaya Orange-and-black brand identity.  

This transformation marks another milestone in Arrow McLaren’s continued growth and investment in the NTT IndyCar Series. The team is prepared to move into the new facility in January ahead of the 2026 season.

McLaren Racing was founded by racing driver/engineer Bruce McLaren of New Zealand in 1963. The team entered its first Formula 1 race in 1966. McLaren since has won 20 Formula 1 world championships, 200 Formula 1 grand prixs, the Indianapolis 500 three times and the Le Mans 24 Hours at its first attempt. Johnny Rutherford of Fort Worth won the Indy 500 in 1974 and 1976 with Team McLaren.  

McLaren Racing competes in INDYCAR and five additional racing series, including the FIA Formula 1 World Championship with McLaren F1 drivers Lando Norris of Great Britian and Oscar Piastri of Australia; the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with NEOM McLaren Formula E Team drivers Sam Bird and Taylor Barnard, both of Great Britain; the Extreme E Championship with NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team drivers Cristina Gutiérrez of Spain and Mattias Ekström of Sweden and F1 Academy with Rodin Motorsport and Driver Development program member Ella Lloyd of Great Britain. The team also competes in the F1 Sim Racing Championship as McLaren Shadow, having won the 2022 Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships. 

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 590; 2, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 469; 3, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 392; 4, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 377; 5, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 357; 6, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 315; 7, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 313; 8, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 307; 9, Will Power, Team Penske, 289; 10, David Malukas, A.J. Foyt Racing, 276;

11, Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne Racing, 259; 12, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 259; 13, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 248; 14, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 239; 15, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 232; 16, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 231; 17, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 215; 18, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 214; 19, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 213; 20, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 200;

21, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 181; 22, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 172; 23, Robert Shwartzman, PREMA Racing, 168; 24, Callum Ilott, PREMA Racing, 163; 25, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 144; 26, Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 133; 27, Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing, 100; 28, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 36; 29, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing, 20; 30, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 16;

31, Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, 12; 32, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, 10; 33, Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren with Henrick Motorsports, 6; 34, Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb-Agajanian, 5.

FOX SPORTS’ 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST COVERAGE SCHEDULE

Sunday, March 2 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, March 23 _The Thermal Club, Thermal, Calif.  (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, April 13 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, May 4 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, May 10 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, May 25 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, June 1 _ Streets of Detroit (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, June 15 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, June 22 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, July 6 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington (Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, July 12 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 1 (Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren)

Sunday, July 13 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 2 (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, July 20 _ Streets of Toronto, Canada (Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren)

Sunday, July 27 _ WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, Aug. 10 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (FOX, 3 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 24 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (FOX, 2 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 31 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn. (2:30 p.m.)

NOTE _ All times Eastern. Dates and times subject to change.