Fox’s IndyCar move into primetime pays dividends on Father’s Day

Fox and IndyCar took advantage of a prime opening in the sports calendar on Sunday and it paid off.

Last month, the network and racing circuit announced that the event at the World Wide Technology (WWT) Raceway, which took place on Father’s Day this past Sunday, would be moved from a 3 p.m. ET start to a primetime window at 8 p.m. ET. The move successfully avoided competition from other sporting events, namely NASCAR’s Cup Series race from Mexico City and the final round of the U.S. Open, clearing the way for IndyCar to secure a sizeable audience.

The strategy worked. According to Fox Sports PR, Sunday night’s race averaged 1.01 million viewers on Fox, up 17% from the Road America race last year, which averaged 863,000 viewers on the Sunday before Father’s Day, and up 88% versus the event at WWT Raceway in August of last year (537,000 viewers). IndyCar did not race on Father’s Day last season.

Sunday’s race was not the only event Fox and IndyCar agreed to move mid-season. Four other IndyCar events are slightly altering their start times to avoid direct competition with NASCAR.

Perhaps one of the bigger reasons for IndyCar’s success over the weekend was an (inexplicable) lack of any NBA or Stanley Cup Finals games. Sunday night is traditionally a strong time for television viewing, even more so on a holiday like Father’s Day. But neither the NBA nor NHL scheduled a game, and IndyCar took advantage.

Through the first eight races of the season, Fox is now averaging 2.01 million viewers for its IndyCar broadcasts. That’s up 27% versus this time last year when NBC Sports owned the races (1.58 million viewers).

So far, IndyCar’s new deal with Fox is working out quite well for the circuit. The network and IndyCar seem keen on working together to maximize viewership and give the sport the best television windows possible. Next season, expect more strategic scheduling around NASCAR events.