Industry chatter about a possible rift between FOX Sports and NASCAR has circulated in recent months. However, both sides are pushing back against the notion that their long-standing partnership is in trouble.
According to a report from Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal, questions have emerged within NASCAR circles as FOX has invested heavily in promoting the IndyCar Series. It’s especially poignant, as FOX has been one of NASCAR’s most important broadcast partners for decades.
The network has aired the last 23 editions of the Daytona 500 and remains under contract with the sport through the 2031 season, marking one of the longest-running relationships between a major sports property and television partner. However, some within the NASCAR industry have noticed a shift in FOX’s motorsports strategy.
The conversation began gaining traction after FOX canceled their long-running daily NASCAR studio show Race Hub, acquired the rights to broadcast IndyCar races and began promoting the open-wheel series heavily during high-profile broadcasts such as the Super Bowl.
Moreover, advertising data has further fueled the perception. According to iSpotTV figures cited by SBJ, Fox has aired roughly 725 IndyCar-related advertisements since the start of 2025, compared to about 385 promotions tied to NASCAR. That imbalance raised questions within NASCAR team circles about whether the sport might be slipping down FOX’s motorsports priority list.
Alas, both organizations insist that is not the case: “We’re in a great place with NASCAR,” said Jordan Bazant, executive vice president of FOX Sports, in a statement to SBJ. “We’ve had a lot of success together for more than 25 years, and the measure of any great relationship is the ongoing ability to have the conversations necessary to make things better, to keep things moving forward.”
Meanwhile, NASCAR executives echoed that sentiment. NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief media and revenue officer Brian Herbst emphasized the sport’s appreciation for FOX, which has been part of every NASCAR media rights cycle since the sport began negotiating television deals.
“We’re extraordinarily proud of our relationship with FOX. They are our most long-standing broadcast partner and they’re the only broadcast partner that has been a part of every single one of NASCAR’s media rights cycles,” Herbst said.
Continuing, NASCAR’s new media landscape also plays a role in how the sport is promoted across platforms. Under their latest rights deal, NASCAR races are now distributed across five partners. FOX and NBC Sports remain involved, while newcomers Prime Video, TNT Sports and The CW have joined the rotation.
From NASCAR’s perspective, the collective promotion from multiple partners could ultimately expand the sport’s reach beyond what was possible under the previous two-network arrangement. Still, industry analysts believe FOX’s increased attention on IndyCar is likely part of a broader strategic shift, rather than a signal of declining interest in NASCAR.
“FOX continues to evaluate their motorsports portfolio, and they have done a terrific job. Just look at the Daytona 500 numbers. Continuing to generate revenue and eyeballs for NASCAR,” said Daniel Cohen, executive vice president of global media rights consulting for Octagon.
Cohen added that some executives within FOX see major growth potential in IndyCar, which could explain the heavier promotional push: “That’s not to say that IndyCar in my opinion will ever surpass the prominence or revenue generation of a NASCAR,” Cohen added. “But when you look at, ‘How can we grow something from its starting place to where it can be?’ I think they see a lot of opportunity in IndyCar.”
Even with the increased focus on open-wheel racing, NASCAR still commands the larger television audience. Last season, NASCAR races averaged roughly 2.5 million viewers compared to about 1.4 million for IndyCar events.
For now, both FOX and NASCAR say their relationship remains strong. Even as the network continues to reshape their broader motorsports portfolio.