The Super Bowl, a last-chance gamble for IndyCar?

This is the complaint heard in the paddocks of theIndyCar for many years now, "Roger Penske needs to spend more money on marketing"! Zak Brown and Michael Andretti were the two most ardent opponents of Roger Penske's management of this sensitive area. In 2024, the situation could almost be compared to that which led to the creation of CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) in 1979, when the team owners seceded, faced with the lack of will of the managers of the time, USAC (United States Auto Club), to promote the drivers and teams of the championship.

This 2025 season, which will begin on March 2 in the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, already has the appearance of a last-chance year from this point of view. And what Americans call a "Perfect Storm" happened at the end of last year. FOX, one of the main television networks in the American audiovisual landscape, decided to try to steal the rights to IndyCar from its rival, NBC. The championship ultimately decided in favor of the newcomer, which has never broadcast the championship on its channels, except for one or two Indy Racing League races on one of its cable channels in the late 1990s.

Super Bowl and advertising

The arrival of a new major player, with an audience to educate, represents a golden opportunity for IndyCar to regain its letters of nobility. And where the "Perfect Storm" occurred is that FOX seized the marketing of its new toy! Michael Strahan, one of the most prominent faces of the channel, and former American football player, will drive the Pace Car during the Indianapolis 500 Miles, next May. The broadcaster has launched into the production of four television spots, all broadcast on the sidelines of NFL (National Football League) matches, to an audience flirting with 50 million viewers.

And by chance of the calendar, thanks to the rotation between the different broadcasters, the venerated Super Bowl, the final of the American football championship, was broadcast this year on FOX. The IndyCar therefore benefited from a promotion never seen before, with the broadcast of spots dedicated to Josef Newgarden, Álex Palou and Pato O'Ward, as well as a fourth spot focused on a tire and the upcoming race in St. Pete. The three "driver" ads were even broadcast during the match, in the middle of other spots that could cost up to $7 million per 30 seconds, and in front of an audience exceeding 100 million Americans.

These ads, which adopt an offbeat tone and show the drivers in comical situations while reminding us that IndyCar is "the fastest motorsport on the planet," are at the heart of FOX's strategy, which wants to recoup as much as possible on its investment, which is rumored to be over $25 million. The millions of views on social networks and the rather warm reception from the public give reason to be optimistic before the start of this new season. The 17 races of the championship will be broadcast on the main FOX network, which is for example more than the number of races of NASCAR also available on a "network" this season. All the signals are green, we can only hope that the figures will follow from March...

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