IndyCar’s season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg drew 1.4 million viewers on Fox on Sunday, the same figure that watched the season-opening race last year.
The race, which three-time defending IndyCar champion Alex Palou won by over 12 seconds, peaked at 1.6 million viewers, per Nielsen Media Research. That peak amount was slightly lower than last year’s race in St. Petersburg, which topped out at more than 1.8 million viewers.
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After becoming a network partner last year, Fox Corporation purchased a one-third stake in Penske Entertainment, IndyCar’s parent company, last July. Fox’s purchase of a stake in IndyCar has elevated its involvement and promotion of the series.
Fox released four preseason commercials with Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward, Will Power and Palou, which aired during the NFL playoffs, Daytona 500 and other Fox programming. O’Ward and Palou were also guests on First Things First, an FS1 sports talk show, last week ahead of the season opener.
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Alex Palou, driver of the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Alex Palou, driver of the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Graham Rahal, driver of the #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Will Power, driver of the #26 Andretti Global during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Kyffin Simpson, driver of the #8 Chip Ganassi Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Romain Grosjean, driver of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Scott McLaughlin, driver of the #3 Team Penske during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Romain Grosjean, driver of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #20 Ed Carpenter Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Will Power, driver of the #26 Andretti Global during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Kyle Kirkwood, driver of the #27 Andretti Global during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Rinus Veekay, driver of the #76 Juncos Hollinger Racing drives during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #20 Ed Carpenter Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Christian Rasmussen, driver of the #21 Ed Carpenter Racing drives during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Alex Palou, driver of the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Sting Ray Robb, driver of the #77 Juncos Hollinger Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Louis Foster, driver of the #45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Will Power, driver of the #26 Andretti Global during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Santino Ferrucci, driver of the #14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Santino Ferrucci, driver of the #14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises drives during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #20 Ed Carpenter Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
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IndyCar opens 2026 season at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 27: Graham Rahal, driver of the #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing during practice rounds of the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
Last year’s 17-race schedule on Fox averaged 1.362 million viewers on Fox, making the viewership from St. Petersburg a tad higher. Fox, unlike NBC — which was IndyCar’s sole rightsholder from 2018 to 2024 — airs all IndyCar races on its network channel.
Instead of going on its typical weeks-long break following the season opener, IndyCar follows St. Petersburg with two races, the Good Ranchers 250 in Avondale, Arizona, on Saturday, and the Grand Prix of Arlington in Arlington, Texas, on March 15.
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The Good Ranchers 250 will be IndyCar’s return to Phoenix Raceway for the first time since 2018, and the Grand Prix of Arlington, a street race that will weave through the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium and the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field, is a new race added to the schedule. Both races have no prior broadcast history on Fox, making their TV ratings intriguing to watch.
How fans react to IndyCar’s three new races (Arlington, Markham, Ontario and Washington, D.C.) and jampacked March schedule will show just how impactful Fox’s promotion of the series is this year. For now, we know a similar number of fans were ready to see the season begin in St. Petersburg yet again.
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar TV ratings: How season opener rated in 2nd year of Fox deal