The Indianapolis 500 averaged 6.635 million viewers on FOX, marking a slight decline from last year but still delivering one of the strongest audiences for the race in more than a decade, according to Nielsen fast national ratings.
The 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 continued to show strong national reach in FOX’s second year as the broadcast partner for the event. The audience fell about 6% from last year’s 7.05 million viewers, but the race still ranked as the second-most watched Indy 500 since 2012.
Viewership peaked at 8.349 million during the closing stages of the race, when the battle for the win tightened and late-race drama unfolded at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
FOX’s coverage once again benefited from a primetime-style afternoon window and continued momentum from increased promotion of IndyCar under its broadcast package. Despite the year-over-year dip, the network remains well above recent averages from the NBC and ABC eras.
The 2026 race also posted strong head-to-head performance against other major sports programming on the same day, reinforcing the Indy 500’s status as one of the most-watched single-day motorsports events in the United States.
FOX will continue its IndyCar coverage through the remainder of the season, with NASCAR and other spring sports sharing a crowded motorsports calendar around Memorial Day weekend.
Indy is cool once again.
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