What a Week to Take Off!
After posting about the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America last Monday, I took off for a week so that we could enjoy our vacation in Northern Michigan. I really enjoyed the time away, but I’m not sure I could’ve picked a busier time in the IndyCar world to take off. So much has happened since last Monday (including yesterday’s unexpected termination of Theo Pourchaire from Arrow McLaren), that I will have to limit this to only two topics that are fairly old news now. Others will have to wait until next week for me to comment on.
The two that I will touch on today were both announced last Thursday morning – the new TV deal, and the 2025 schedule. Those were the two biggest things that happened in my absence, so I will deal with them first as I catch up. Next Wednesday I’ll discuss other happenings from last week like David Malukas signing with Meyer Shank Racing, and Nolan Siegel being named to the seat Malukas was originally designated for. I’ll also discuss the tire test that I attended at Nashville Superspeedway, as well as the hybrid test that I did not attend last week at Milwaukee. That’s assuming that no other big stories drop between now and then. Otherwise, I may never get to some of the smaller stories.
When I first heard that FOX got the new TV contract, I was not happy. A couple of months ago, I outlined why I was hoping NBC would retain the contract, instead of it going to FOX. Now that we know it did go to FOX and we know more of the specifics – I feel better about it.
Yes, I’m still concerned with the image of the FOX robot dancing on the main straightaway at IMS. I also fear something like boogity-boogity-boogity becoming commonplace in the IndyCar telecast, along with a cartoon “digger” and the “gopher-cam”.
But my biggest concerns have gone away. Was FOX prepared to televise every practice and qualifying session of every race weekend? What about a streaming service similar to Peacock?
Selfishly, my problems are solved. We have You Tube TV, which carries FOX, FS1 and FS2, All races and Indianapolis 500 Qualifying will be carried on Network FOX. Practices and qualifying for the other races will be carried on FS1 and FS2, which are both carried on You Tube TV. I can’t watch afternoon practices at work, but I can DVR practice and watch it Friday night when I get home.
But others have cut the cord more completely than I have. They rely totally on streaming services. FOX does not currently have a stand-alone streaming service. The FOX Sports app is only usable to those who already have a cable provider or a live streaming service like You Tube TV or Hulu Live. If you live in a metropolitan area, you can purchase an HD antenna for about $30-50 and get all the races, but none of the other weekend programming. If you are a full-fledged cord-cutter that lives in a remote area, well you might be out of luck.
FOX, Discovery/Warner (MAX, Turner) and Disney (ESPN) are supposedly bringing out a sports app sometime this fall (assuming it does not get shut down by the Federal Trade Commission), but it is rumored to be $40-50 per month. Ouch!
But the fact that all of the races will be on network television far outweighs the fact that some fans might be inconvenienced – at least in the eyes of many. All of that and about $10 Million more straight to the bottom line? IndyCar had to take that deal.
This is a major selling point to sponsors. All seventeen races on a platform that the vast majority can access for free is something that sponsors crave. Formula One can’t provide that. Neither can NASCAR or IMSA. This was huge and it is the main reason I changed my tune a day or two after the initial announcement.
Of course, there will be changes and you know how I feel about change…Change is Bad! Some see it as a positive that we will lose Leigh Diffey. Personally, I didn’t mind Diffey the way a lot of fans did. He could sometimes be a little over the top with his screaming, but I preferred him over a lot of people we’ve had in the past (Todd Harris and Marty Reid come to mind). But Diffey will continue to be employed. Others will not, and that’s a shame.
There are three people that I feel very strongly that should be able to migrate to FOX: Kevin Lee, James Hinchcliffe and Russ Thompson. Kevin Lee has been in the fabric of this sport forever. He has been on the IMS Radio Network for decades. He and Curt Cavin have co-hosted Trackside since 2008, and he has been a pit-reporter on IndyCar broadcasts since the old Versus days, then NBCSN and NBC. If he is not retained by FOX, I feel like that will leave a huge void in our IndyCar telecasts.
James Hinchcliffe has been coming into his own, ever since he replaced Paul Tracy in the NBC booth. He has a sly humor, but he knows when to be serious. He has the unique ability to explain technical situations and make them seem easy to understand. He is young and could have a solid career in front of him for the next twenty to thirty years, if this change doesn’t derail him.
Many will know the name Russ Thompson, because the NBC booth gives him plenty of recognition – and deservedly so. I am a little biased, because Russ lives in Nashville and we have become good friends over the years. But make no mistake, Russ is a vital asset in the booth. He is their official statistician and is the one that provides all of the little tidbits about some obscure record being broken, or the last time some milestone was reached back in 1983. Russ is so valuable that when ESPN and NBCSN were splitting the TV contract – he worked for both competing networks at the same time. Let’s hope FOX recognizes his value the way the two preceding networks did.
Another plus (for now) is Eric Shanks, who is the current CEO of FOX Sports. Apparently, he is a huge fan of IndyCar and was a key piece in getting this deal done in the latter stages of negotiations. He understands the sport and recognizes the differences between NASCAR and IndyCar. I say “for now” because sometimes these positions change. We have seen with title sponsors, where one CEO is gung-ho for IndyCar; but then that executive moves on and is replaced by another suit that has no interest at all in our sport. Suddenly signage disappears, commercials evaporate and the next thing you know, they break the contract a year or two early. We’ve been down that road before, so I’m always just a little skeptical when I hear how bullish an exec is on IndyCar.
If the TV Deal wasn’t enough to digest last Thursday, IndyCar chose to release the 2025 schedule on the same morning. Last year the schedule wasn’t announced until September 26 – more than two weeks after the season finale. Sometimes it has been released in August, other times in October. June 13 must be a record. I never recall the schedule being released in June, and I’m not sure if it has ever been released in July.
This is good for fans, but it is also good for teams. Teams usually finalize their budgets with sponsorship sometime in August. With a full network TV package to flaunt; teams can tout their new TV deal and present a full schedule to existing and potential sponsors.
One thing that most fans are griping about and many of you feel strongly against is that the season ends during Labor Day weekend in August. This is where most of you disagree with me, and I know I’m in the minority. But I have always been an advocate for finishing the season before the NFL season starts. Many say we should not be afraid of the NFL. Yes we should. That’s like saying we shouldn’t be afraid of tornados. What’s a little wind?
The NFL is a ratings behemoth. I have always felt that IndyCar should avoid it at all costs. You want people to care about your championship? Don’t make them choose between IndyCar and their favorite NFL team. IndyCar will lose nine out ten times. I consider myself a hardcore IndyCar fan, but the last few years when Portland and Laguna Seca have gone up against football – I’ve recorded the race, while watching the Titans live. Then I immediately go to the race and zip through the commercials to the point that I catch up about the time the race is over. Now, I won’t have to choose.
Is this a perfect schedule? No. There is a three week gap between the opening race at St. Petersburg and the next race at Thermal, which will be a points-paying race in 2025. That is followed by another three week gap between Thermal and Long Beach. That is too long. It’s a momentum killer. I’m also not wild about Barber running on May 4. I was hoping Barber would move earlier, not later. May 4 in Birmingham will most likely be a scorcher. Barber has run as early as April 1, when it was too chilly. April 10-15 is the sweet spot for Barber. The temperature is perfect and the dogwoods and azaleas are at their peak.
That also means four on-track weekends in a row in May, followed by a fifth straight weekend in Detroit. Once again, the first half of the schedule is famine and then feast. It’s too bad they can’t figure out a way to spread it out more evenly over the calendar.
I am a fan of moving Road America back a couple of weeks. This year, Road America ran on June 9, just two weeks after the Indianapolis 500. Next year it will be two weeks later, creating a four week gap between Indianapolis and Elkhart Lake. For those of us that go to both races, that larger gap is most appreciated. However, I’m not a fan of shoehorning Gateway in between Detroit and Road America. Five IndyCar drivers just took part in the 24-hours of Le Mans last weekend. Gateway will fall on the Le Mans weekend next year. Not good.
Laguna Seca is jumping around, which is usually the kiss of death for an event. In 2023, it was run in September as the season finale. This year it runs this weekend in June. Next year, it jumps to July 27. I’m sure there is a reason, but jumping around from month to month and ignoring date equity is a good way to euthanize an event.
The only other change doesn’t really bother me, and that is that Milwaukee will lose one of its double-header dates. Not being a fan of double-headers, I prefer picking up another venue and racing weekend at Thermal, versus repeating a race at the same event on the same weekend. Double-headers seem like a cheap way to reach an event count. I’m not wild about a race at Thermal, but it’s an extra race weekend.
We really enjoyed our vacation and it was good to take a break from here. But that doesn’t mean I had tuned out IndyCar. Every time I heard a bombshell drop this past week, I cringed thinking I had to write about it, but it would be old news to everyone before I did. Oh, well. Better late than never.
George Phillips
Oilpressure 
June 19, 2024 at 4:55 am
I’m disappointed that Le Mans is not a free weekend for Indycar drivers. Dixon, Palou, Grosjean, Siegel, Ilott and Simpson all drove this year and I rather expect would like to again. It might also be a deal breaker now if a driver wishes to compete in both series. A paid works drive for Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, McLaren, Alpine, Toyota might mean indycar losses a quality driver.
June 19, 2024 at 7:24 am
I hate it for the Indycar drivers who drive at Le Mans. It was fun to see Scott and Alex at the autograph session, and to speak to Callum at scrutineering.
June 19, 2024 at 7:26 am
I’m glad Milwaukee is not a double header next year also, but to replace it with Thermal is not a good thing. Milwaukee race 2 should have been replaced with another oval.
June 19, 2024 at 9:28 am
I don’t see any reason to expect a robot, or a “boogity boogity boogity”, or a Digger and the gopher-cam on Fox’s Indycar broadcasts given that it has been many many years since any of those things appeared in a Fox NASCAR broadcast.
It is hard to argue that the Fox deal isn’t an overwhelming positive from a business perspective. For individuals, of course, it may be a mixed bag. While I understand the complaints about the loss of the inexpensive and convenient streaming via Peacock (hey, remember when folks were complaining about having to pay for Peacock?), and while the Indycar audience on Peacock was slowly growing, there likely weren’t enough viewers using the platform to watch Indycar for the loss of such a streaming option to factor heavily into Indycar’s decision. Reported viewership on Peacock never topped 100,000 viewers outside of the 500 and only once (Peacock exclusives aside) made up more than 10% of a reported broadcast audience. Indycar may well have been concerned about Peacock’s long-term viability when making this decision. Streaming may indeed take over the television landscape, but Peacock is one of the weakest streaming services, with the fewest subscribers of any major services and multiple years straight posting billions in losses.
Also worth noting, one does not need an “HD” antenna to pick up over-the-air digital broadcasts. If using a television with a digital tuner (which is nearly every TV made in the last 20 years), any antenna new or old is capable of picking up digital television broadcasts. Some antennas are better than others, of course, but if you have an old antenna you haven’t used in a long while, try it out.
I like the general continuity of the schedule, retaining races has not been the order of the day for Indycar schedules in recent years. I am disappointed that a return to Texas or addition of another pet track was not in the cards, but expectations of such probably weren’t realistic for 2025. One of the unfortunate consequences of compacting the schedule to end before the NFL is the risk of having to hold races during events like Le Mans or Sebring that would otherwise see participation from Indycar drivers.
June 19, 2024 at 10:00 am
Glad you enjoyed your vacation and glad to have you back! I was just thinking last night how my wishlist for FOX by priority is Kevin Lee and James Hinchcliffe. There are a few others I’d like to see migrate over there as well, but those two are key. (I didn’t think of Thompson because I assumed that one was a no-brainer, but you never know for sure I suppose)
Schedule is ok. I’d still like to see 20 races on the schedule some day. Not sure we’re ever getting there. Add another Canadian race for one. Put a severed horse’s head in the bed of the president of Michigan International Speedway and make ’em an offer he can’t refuse. I miss seeing IndyCars go ’round that place! And tab the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame to sponsor the street race at Burke Airport in Cleveland. You could have some awesome cross-promotion between the series and the Hall over the weekend.
June 19, 2024 at 12:32 pm
“full-fledged cord-cutter” here.
maybe it is time to go full-fledged pirate
like most of my son’s friends have.
June 19, 2024 at 12:55 pm
I am happy to see you enjoyed your Michigan vacation. You were in a great area.
I may take a look at YouTube TV as next season approaches, otherwise my only options to follow races or qualifications live will be IMS Radio Network and/or INDYCAR app, it those remain available to me.
June 19, 2024 at 3:32 pm
Thanks for your coverage of yet another great event (Road America).
Both news items you discuss here are not what I would call spectacularly good for the series: the choice of Fox as TV station who is also carrying NASCAR makes me think IndyCar will have to play 2nd fiddle when it comes to the programming. The TV station might even ask for schedule changes that benefit only NASCAR and nobody else. Also, the risk of sensationalism in the boogity style is quite high until they prove otherwise. What is the on-air team going to look like? Two unknown guys and Danica?
Now on to the schedule. I like that Thermal does not have the odd format again that they used this year but is a regular points-paying race. Still, it’s an odd place to race at. It would have been OK during the pandemic when nobody could come to sit in the stands but now, it just seems an odd thing to do for a series that is otherwise so fan-friendly as this one.
The lack of date equity indeed has got me worried about Laguna Seca. Looks like it’s gone for good soon. But why? They even renovated the track, and now this. A bad choice to move it around.
The same thing goes for Gateway which should have kept its date equity. Slotting it into the place that Texas Motor Speedway used to have does not seem to help grow the event.
Speaking of which, the absence of Texas, of any race in Texas, is very prominent to longtime followers of the series. I was never a fan of TMS but that was mainly due to the fact that a night race in Texas is unwatchable live from Central Europe unless you don’t sleep. I stayed up for it once, and saw what may well have been the above mentioned Danica’s best race in which she duelled long and hard with Marco over P2 and P3. It was pretty amazing to watch those two at the height of their craft.
Here’s hoping that fans in Texas will get a race next year. Maybe without TMS, they can make COTA work?
It’s good to see Portland return with a contract extension.
Not fond of the current Detroit downtown circuit: I’ve read comments about a videogame-like dystopian aesthetic of the circuit which the commenter said would be appealing to fans of video games. Don’t count me with that group. I would have preferred the most recent and best version Belle Isle.
Also, the gaps in the schedule don’t seem to be getting any smaller.
Here’s hoping Milwaukee is going to be a success and will make its return next year even more worthwhile so it can grow back into a staple of the series.
June 19, 2024 at 5:22 pm
On the Fox-NASCAR-Indycar dynamic, it is not really all that different than the present. NBC also carries NASCAR, and presently (and during the duration of the Indycar-NBC exclusive relationship) has more of an overlap carrying both NASCAR and Indycar than Fox will next year (though had Indycar stuck with NBC there would be less of an overlap than with Fox as Amazon and Turner are taking several summer races from NBC’s present slate).
June 20, 2024 at 8:46 am
It’s my usual 1 week delay to see the race on Youtube this weekend. Sigh.
Bring it on FOX!!!
June 20, 2024 at 1:12 pm
The first thing I did was check to see if I had both Fox Sports 1 and 2. Whew, I do.
Peacock has been much better this season with it putting sessions on replay much quicker than before. At least I can “tape” all the Fox stations when I can’t watch live.
So happy Susan and you had a great vacation, George.