In 2018, there were four weeks between the season's first two races. The same was true in 2020. In 2022, there was a three-week break, and in 2023, there was another four-week break.
In 2024, there was a six-week break, albeit with an exhibition race three weeks in between the first two points races. Then in 2025, there was yet another four-week gap.
It was a problem that NTT IndyCar Series fans had justifiably complained about for years, and the problems associated with that gap were never more obvious than they were in 2025.
IndyCar needed to fix schedule gap ASAP after 2025 mistake
After an offseason full of stellar promotion from new exclusive broadcast partner Fox, the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida was the series' most-viewed non-Indy 500 race since 2011.
For race number two at Thermal Club, ratings absolutely tanked, and while the total viewership over the course of the season was up 27% year-over-year, the biggest jump for any sport already averaging over one million viewers, fans were left wondering what might have been had IndyCar actually capitalized on its early-season momentum beyond just one of its 16 non-Indy 500 races.
IndyCar corrected this issue for 2026. While viewership for the St. Petersburg opener was down slightly from what it was a year ago, the race was still the second-most viewed non-Indy 500 IndyCar race over the past 16 years.
But most importantly, race number two on the schedule was contested just six days later. It ended up being the sport's most viewed race on a Saturday since the 2020 season opener at Texas Motor Speedway, which was a long-awaited June opener since COVID-19-related restrictions had delayed the start of the season. So naturally, those numbers were slightly inflated.
With an average of 1,247,000 viewers during Saturday's race at Phoenix Raceway, which marked the series' first visit to the track since 2018, it was up 95% over the average viewership for past Saturday races on Fox, and it was notably up 77% over the 2025 race at Thermal Club.
Viewers double down on the Desert Double at Phoenix Raceway as INDYCAR viewership jumps +95% on FOX! 🌵🏜️🏎️ pic.twitter.com/djEokw7qdA
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) March 10, 2026
With IndyCar set to be back in action again this week, and with a much-hyped brand-new event on the streets of Arlington, Texas, Fox and the series are in prime position to continue to capitalize on the fact that the season didn't start with one race and then take a month off.
While we can't ignore the fact that the doubleheader with NASCAR certainly helped at Phoenix, IndyCar finds itself well-positioned to potentially exceed its total viewership from Fox's first season following a strong start overall, and hopefully all parties involved learned a valuable lesson: keeping things moving after getting the season underway is massively beneficial.
Fox is set to provide live coverage of the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington from the streets of Arlington, Texas beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, March 15. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss it!