Bold New Perspectives: Fox Sports' Groundbreaking 2025 Indianapolis 500 Coverage
Fox Sports Kicks Off Indy 500 Broadcasting, Introducing Innovative In-Car Technologies
HOLY CRAP, Indy! When Fox Sports Executive Vice President of Technical and Field Operations Michael Davies reflects on the network's debut Indianapolis 500 production, he finds himself marinating in a cocktail of satisfaction, ambitious planning for 2026, and a pinch of humbleness.
"Man, it was humbling," he admits. "When you jump into something big like this, without a clear idea of what's ahead, you learn on the fly and take it as it comes. These first-time major productions are few and far between in a career, and the Indy 500 was one of them."
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The 109th Indianapolis 500 marked the first time Fox Sports took the helm of the race after securing exclusive media rights for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series races in June 2024, nudging aside NBC Sports who had held the mantle since 2019 [ABC Handover]. Working hand-in-glove with Indy Motor Sports Productions, the cooperation between the two organizations laid the groundwork for this year's Indy 500's monumental success.
Three trailblazing advancements—innovations in video, audio, and augmented reality (AR) graphics—strutting their stuff in the cockpit were downright captivating for race fans.
"Driver's eye cams really showed how fast these cars were moving," Davies exclaims. "It doesn't even seem possible, considering speeds like that trickle down from NASCAR, but watching these Indy cars zoom by at 240 miles per hour is absolute insanity!"
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The helmet cameras deployed on six drivers throughout the race were largely successful, though a smattering of minor technical hiccups were encountered. "We'll figure it out, we always do," Davies assures, with a confident nod.
Fox Sports wowed Indy 500 viewers with a head-up display (HUD) featuring real-time telemetry for the cars, borrowed from Formula One and tailored to the Indy circuit. "Much like how this competition borrowed ABC's crown, so too did we snatch a great Idea from Formula One," Davies chuckles.
Listening in on the action via microphones neatly embedded on each side of the Indy cars resonated much more strongly than a standard radio transmission.
To lend some additional lift to the coverage, Fox Sports utilized drones in an expert orchestration, enhancing the two-hour pre-race show and the race itself. With drones artfully deployed for on-set tours, capturing racing strategy, caution periods, and action-packed moments, their role in the coverage has proven indispensable.
One of the most impressive drones used was a modified DJI Inspire sporting a paintable broadcast camera and an agile FPV racing drone. This deadly duo, which Fox Sports employs frequently in NASCAR coverage, added a distinctive "in-between" layer that seamlessly tied together ground, hard, on-board, and aerial perspectives.
Drones, ever the game-changer in Fox's NASCAR coverage, have now solidified their position as a vital, race-day companion in IndyCar racing as well.
Shortly after the race, Davies and his crew dove headfirst into postmortems to identify areas for improvement. "There were always a few tweaks we could make—some small nips and tucks—but we were generally pleased with the coverage," he acknowledges.
Davies is already conjuring up a mental list of refinements for the 2026 race, including one more drone, additional driver's-eye cameras, and extra data-infused features to keep fans abreast of the drivers' speed, engine performance, and propulsion details.
Fox Sports is also working diligently on AI-powered solutions for cataloging conversations between drivers and their teams and perfecting the audio quality, ensuring a more natural, digital microphone-like sound quality. And hush-hush negotiations are underway to deploy a private 5G network, with the aim of creating a robust broadcast and communication infrastructure for cameras, telemetry, and two-way communication.
As the dust settles on the 2025 Indianapolis 500, Fox Sports can finally take a breath and bask in the triumph of a successful debut.
"At the end of the day, if you walk away from Indy lookin’ to build on what you’ve done, rather than change what you’ve done, then you know you‘ve had a success," Davies concludes. And success, they did indeed.
- Fox Sports, having recently secured exclusive media rights for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series races, took charge of the Indianapolis 500 after NBC Sports, showcasing their debut coverage in 2025.
- The cooperation between Fox Sports and Indy Motor Sports Productions laid the groundwork for this year's Indy 500's monumental success, with innovative advancements in video, audio, and augmented reality (AR) graphics.
- Driver's eye cams, deployed on six drivers throughout the race, offered a captivating perspective on the race's incredible speeds, while some minor technical hiccups were encountered.
- Fox Sports wowed viewers with a head-up display (HUD) featuring real-time telemetry for the cars, borrowed from Formula One and tailored to the Indy circuit.
- Listening in on the action via microphones neatly embedded on each side of the Indy cars resonated much more strongly than a standard radio transmission.
- To enhance the coverage, Fox Sports utilized drones, artfully deploying them for on-set tours, capturing racing strategy, caution periods, and action-packed moments.
- Fox Sports is now focusing on refinements for the 2026 race, including more drones, additional driver's-eye cameras, and data-infused features, as well as AI-powered solutions for cataloging conversations, perfecting audio quality, and negotiating a private 5G network for a robust broadcast and communication infrastructure.
