Fox Sports marked its new oversight of the IndyCar Series with glossy new commercials that have been showcased everywhere from the Super Bowl to the Daytona 500.

The network partnership begins in earnest this weekend with the season-opening race on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. There is hope that Fox Sports will push IndyCar back toward the top of motorsports.

How Fox might be able to boost the Roger Penske-owned series has been on overwhelming theme of the offseason, overshadowing Alex Palou’s bid for a third consecutive IndyCar championship, Josef Newgarden’s quest for a third consecutive win in the Indianapolis 500, a change at the top of series, a new team and a revolving cast of drivers.

“I love what Fox has done with the series and it does feel like there’s a different level of excitement — it is the best racing across many of the series and that’s the story that needs to be told,” said Dan Towriss, the new majority owner of Andretti Global. “Fox has done their part in that and brought in a lot of momentum. It’s probably premature to say ‘IndyCar is back’ but I’m really hoping IndyCar is back and really catches the wave of motorsports excitement that’s developing in the U.S.”

FILE – Josef Newgarden celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Increased TV exposure

Fox Sports acquired IndyCar’s broadcast rights last June after the series spent 16 seasons with NBC Sports. Fox promised all 17 races would receive network broadcasts — as well as the two days of qualifying for the Indy 500 — throughout the multiyear deal, the exact length of which has not been disclosed.

Fox Sports has also promised all races will be on Fox and the Fox Sports app, while Fox Deportes will carry Spanish-language coverage. All practice and qualifying sessions will be aired on either FS1 or FS2.

FILE – Colton Herta, of the United States, drives during an IndyCar auto race in Toronto, Sunday, July 21, 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

Nineteen races on a network will be an IndyCar record and it is the only top motorsports series in the country with all its races set for that kind of exposure. NASCAR’s schedule, for example, is spread across multiple networks in 2025; Fox has said five of its 14 NASCAR races will be on its network, the rest on cable.Related video: IndyCar drivers make a pitstop on Fox Square (FOX News)

IndyCar racing is coming to Fox, and it kicks off

“I think what Fox and IndyCar are doing is freaking phenomenal,” said McLaren driver Pato O’Ward, who along with Newgarden and Palou are the three featured drivers in Fox Sports’ marketing campaign of commercials he called “fun” and “edgy.” His commercial aired early during the Super Bowl.

“It’s flirting with that line where people do get engaged and you’re like, ‘Hey, this is different,’” O’Ward added. “It felt like I was doing a movie shoot.”

Marketing the racing

The marketing of IndyCar has long been a paddock-wide sore spot for drivers and team owners, who say a lack of series spending is a major factor in slow growth. That is where Eric Shanks, the CEO and executive producer for Fox Sports, can help most.

Shanks is an Indiana native and with that comes an automatic affinity for the Indianapolis 500 and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He promised that the Indy 500 will be the network’s biggest event of the year, a large order considering Fox Sports has the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and the World Series.

“In the list of things that we can do to improve IndyCar, number one was finding the right broadcast partner, and to have FOX on board is fantastic. Eric Shanks has a personal commitment to and passion for IndyCar, and I think that will come through in the broadcast quality,” McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown wrote to fans this week. “They’re focused on learning about the history and future of IndyCar and what works best, intent on evolving their broadcast through the season. Continuous improvement, I love that.”

FILE – Roger Penske and Josef Newgarden pose with the Borg-Warner Trophy during the traditional winner’s photo session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 27, 2024, in Indianapolis, the day after he won the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

Changes at the top

This year will be the first full season for IndyCar’s new hybrid engine, which was introduced midway through last season. The cost of the transition — along with a new car in development for 2027 — has ruffled ownership.

Tensions over the two projects may have played a role in the dismissal of IndyCar President Jay Frye, who was replaced by speedway President Doug Boles weeks before the season opener. Many believe Frye was fighting hard to help the teams reduce spending, while others grumbled that the installation of Boles has made IndyCar “The Penske Series” since the bulk of the executive leadership team consists of Penske loyalists.

Penske, who turned 88 last week, has tried to maintain a separation from his three-car team and ownership of the series; when Will Power was in the thick of last year’s title chase, he stopped discussing IndyCar issues with media. Team Penske also was embroiled in a cheating scandal when it was discovered that Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin illegally used their push-to-pass system in finishing first and third in last year’s opener at St. Pete.

What to watch for in 2025

Palou has dominated the series since his move to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021. The Spaniard has won 11 races and three of the last four championships, the last two while locked into a $30 million lawsuit with McLaren over a breach of contract claim. The two sides met for mediation last month with another session set for October.

FILE – IndyCar owner Roger Penske speaks to the media during a news conference announcing the IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington to be held in 2026 in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron, File)

McLaren has a new lineup as O’Ward has two new teammates in Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel, but most of its title hopes are tied to O’Ward, the wildly popular Mexican driver who is also McLaren’s reserve driver in F1. O’Ward was in tears after finishing second to Newgarden in last year’s Indy 500, and has made winning that race and the series title his 2025 priorities.

Newgarden is seeking a third consecutive Indy 500 victory, a feat that has never been done. He led a combined 22 laps in his two victories, which is far from the dominance needed to continue the streak.

“We have figured out how to win the race twice so far. I like our process,” Newgarden said. “We’ll see if it keeps working. If it doesn’t, we’ll change the formula. But I think we’ve got a good process.”

Power, his Penske teammate, is in a contract year and has hired Fernando Alonso’s management group to represent him in negotiations. It is the first time Power, a two-time series champion and Indy 500 winner, has used an agent.

NASCAR star Kyle Larson plans to run in the Indy 500 again, though he has made clear his stock car team and the Coca-Cola 600 that same day are his priority.

All eyes will be on Andretti driver Colton Herta, who is among the candidates for the new Cadillac Formula 1 team that is set to debut in 2026. Herta, who finished second to Palou in last year’s standings, believes landing that job will require him to win the Indy 500 and the championship.

And new to the IndyCar grid this year is Prema Racing, an Italian team that competes in F1’s lower levels. Prema will debut with Callum Ilott, who has bounced in and out of IndyCar the last four years, and rookie Robert Schwartzman, who won the F2 and F3 titles for Prema.

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FOXSPORTS – From St. Petersburg to Nashville, the 2025 IndyCar season promises to have exciting moments and drama. 

Just look at 2024. No driver won more than three races and any driver who won did so at least twice. Seven different drivers won over the course of the 17-race schedule.

And in addition to several driver changes from the middle of the field to the back, two organizations — Andretti and McLaren — saw a significant change in leadership.

Indianapolis 500: Pato O’Ward. He’s come so, so close in past years. This has to be the season the Arrow McLaren driver does it, right? It would be cruel if he doesn’t. And it would be so cool if he does.

Kyle Larson double: Larson will attempt the Indy 500-Coke 600 double again this year and hope that a storm system doesn’t get in the way. With a year under his belt, he’ll finish fifth in the 500, and this time, he won’t just start — he’ll win the 600.

Most poles: Scott McLaughlin. McLaughlin led the series in poles last season with five and there’s no reason to think the Penske driver won’t again this year. Qualifying won’t be his issue.

Most podiums: Scott Dixon. OK, this might be a pick more from the heart than the brain, but as everyone else gets rattled and caught up in the drama on the track (and maybe off the track with IndyCar also in a state of transition), it’ll be the steady Dixon that earns the most top-three finishes.

Most wins: Alex Palou. This will be the year that the three-time champion wins on an oval. Add that to at least a couple of road-course victories, and he’ll top the winner chart.

Champion: Colton Herta. The Andretti driver will want to show that he isn’t focused or worried about whether he gets to Formula 1. And this team will want to show that it can perform under new leadership. Somehow, Herta will get it done.

2025 IndyCar predictions: Who will win the most races, Indy 500, championship?

Rookie of the year: Louis Foster. There are three rookie candidates: Foster, Robert Shwartzman and Jacob Abel. Foster won the Indy NXT title last year and the Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver will use that experience to his advantage. Shwartzman will be strong but likely inconsistent as he and his Prema team learn the IndyCar ropes. 

Comeback Driver of the year: David Malukas. The A.J. Foyt Racing driver had such high hopes entering 2024 — until he broke his hand in a mountain biking accident prior to the season and eventually lost his ride. He’ll want to prove that the mistakes of last

The 2025 IndyCar Series season opens this Sunday at St. Petersburg (12 p.m. ET on FOX).

If last season is any indication, this will be another year of great parity. No driver had more than three wins over the 17 races in 2024 and no driver recorded more than seven top-three finishes.

Here’s a look at the power rankings (from 10th to 1st) heading into the year. These will be updated after each race weekend:

On the verge: Marcus Armstrong, Christian Lundgaard, Alexander Rossi

10. Kyle Kirkwood

Kirkwood finished highest in the standings (seventh) among the drivers who didn’t win a race last year. He managed one podium. The Andretti driver will need more to stay on this list in 2025.

9. Nolan Siegel

Siegel is running his first full season for McLaren. He had one top-10 in his 10 starts for the team last year. But he’s young and there are high hopes for him in 2025.

8. Santino Ferrucci

Ferrucci finished ninth in the standings and his return to A.J. Foyt Racing for another year should only mean he improves. There will be drama, but also potentially even better finishes as well.

7. Scott Dixon

Dixon’s finishing sixth in the standings was his worst since ending the season sixth in 2016. The Ganassi organization has trimmed from five teams to three (and added two Indy NXT cars), and whether Dixon gets his mojo back to where he can be dominant at full throttle as well as fuel mileage will determine where he ends up in 2025.

IndyCar Power Rankings: Alex Palou top preseason list, but for how long?

6. Will Power

Power was fourth in the standings in 2024 and putting the Penske driver this low seems to be a bit of a disservice. He’ll more likely go up than down.

5. Pato O’Ward

O’Ward had a win and a second-place finish among the final three races in 2024 but also four finishes of 15th or worse among the final six. The McLaren driver is the defending winner of St. Pete, although he has no memory of a celebration as that win was awarded to him several weeks later with the disqualification of Josef Newgarden (push-to-pass violation).

4. Josef Newgarden

Newgarden won the Indy 500 to make it back-to-back triumphs in the sport’s biggest race and is one of the stars of the sport. But the Penske driver also saw potential good runs slip away last year. 

3. Colton Herta

Herta ended up second in the standings last year, a season in which he capped with a win at Nashville. So does he have momentum coming into this year? He should. Lots of changes, though, at Andretti Global.

2. Scott McLaughlin

McLaughlin won on a couple of ovals last year as well as the road course at Barber. The New Zealander is coming into his own at Team Penske — and he needs to continue that progress.

1. Alex Palou

Palou — the three-time champion, including back-to-back in 2023 and 2024 — tops the power rankings. But it’s not as stable as one might think. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver had “just” two wins last year and still seeks his first oval victory.

IndyCar Power Rankings: Alex Palou top preseason list, but for how long?

Full IndyCar on FOX coverage:

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and IndyCar for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.