FOX Sports and the IndyCar Series have put hard numbers against their new TV era, confirming the start times for every one of the 17 championship rounds that will air on the FOX network in 2026. The season opens on March 1 on the streets of St Petersburg with coverage going live at noon Eastern, and it wraps on September 6 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with a 2:30 pm Eastern broadcast start. In between, FOX keeps IndyCar in front of a free to air audience for every race, while practice and qualifying sessions shift across to FS1, FS2 and the FOX Sports app.
The shape of the calendar stays familiar but the timing is tuned for eyeballs. Phoenix runs under late afternoon sun with a 3 pm Eastern start on March 7, while the new street race in Arlington follows on March 15 with lights on at 12:30 pm for a half hour pre race show ahead of the green. Barber’s flowing Alabama road course is set for a 1 pm slot on March 29, before Long Beach goes to an early evening 5:30 pm broadcast on April 19 that should catch west coast crowds still in the grandstands and east coast fans settling in for the end of the weekend.
May belongs to Indianapolis. The IMS road course race hits FOX at 4:30 pm on Saturday May 9, leading straight into two full weekends of live qualifying coverage on cable as the field of 33 sorts itself for the 110th Indianapolis 500. Race day on May 24 delivers FOX’s biggest single IndyCar broadcast of the year, with a six hour block beginning at 10 am Eastern built around prerace, the full 500 miles and post race reaction. A week later, the series shifts to the streets of Detroit with a 12:30 pm start on May 31, keeping IndyCar in its now traditional post Indy window in the Motor City.
Summer is where FOX leans on its other big property. The network is using the FIFA World Cup as a lead in to several marquee IndyCar events, treating millions of football viewers as potential open wheel converts. The opening match on June 21 rolls straight into the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America, which is set for a 2 pm Eastern broadcast from Elkhart Lake. Mid Ohio’s 200 mile classic gets a 12:30 pm slot on July 5, again following Round of 16 World Cup action, while Nashville’s 400 mile Music City Grand Prix will sit behind the World Cup final itself with tune in details to be confirmed. World Wide Technology Raceway breaks the pattern with a proper night race feel at 9 pm on June 7, putting IndyCar under the lights in prime time.
The run in to the finale keeps things busy. Portland’s road course race is pencilled in for 4 pm Eastern on August 9, followed a week later by IndyCar’s debut on the streets of Markham in Canada with coverage starting at noon on August 16. The Milwaukee Mile double header closes out August, with FOX live at 2:30 pm for race one on Saturday the 29th and back on air at 1 pm for race two on Sunday. After that, all roads lead to Laguna Seca and a 2:30 pm start on September 6, where the title will be decided in front of a national audience. With the times now locked, teams and fans can plan; FOX and IndyCar have done their part to put the series in front of as many casual sports viewers as possible next year.
