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FOX Sports has done multiple marketing campaigns for IndyCar, starring Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou, and Pato O'Ward. Sharing his intuition during the Sebring test, O'Ward anticipated IndyCar to fast-forward five years of growth in a short time span.
NBC has broadcast IndyCar races since 2009 and held a firm grip over the racing series' television market. However, all this has changed with the entry of FOX Sports into the mix. The Los Angeles-based broadcaster signed a multi-year deal with the premier American open-wheel racing series.
The broadcaster then made several promos for the series to increase its popularity. The most recent one starred Pato O'Ward, which debuted at the Super Bowl.
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Subsequently, sharing his experience with FOX Sports so far, O'Ward elaborated on how the new broadcaster's investment would translate into a surge in popularity and said:
"FOX is bringing it man, I mean they are doing such a good job, and you can really tell the investment that they are laying on to what they want to see grow during the year... To have a partner like this is huge for the series, for the drivers. I was one of the lucky guys that got there commercial in the Super Bowl... So I'm super pumped to see what it's going to bring to the series. I think the growth that we have seen in the last four or five years in IndyCar, I think we are going to see it in the next 12-18 months with FOX."
Pato O'Ward made his debut in IndyCar in 2018 with Harding Racing and joined Arrow McLaren two years later.
Pato O'Ward reflects on his IndyCar venture
The 25-year-old Pato O'Ward has seven victories and 26 podiums with the British outfit. With him having a fairly successful venture in IndyCar so far, O'Ward said:
"You know, where you are fighting at the top, it's always going to be drama, there's always going to be different highs and lows of emotions, because that's ultimately what makes it, so special and entertaining for other people as well. So when you think about it, I think it's such a privilege to be in such a high pressure situation, because that means you are doing something well. And that's what we are going to try and do."
Pato O'Ward finished a career-high third in 2021 and will hope to better his personal best this year. The 2025 IndyCar season will start on March 2 at St. Petersburg, a race in which the Mexican driver has great results.
O'Ward finished second in the previous two editions of the Grand Prix but inherited the victory last time after Josef Newgarden was disqualified from the race for the push-to-pass saga.
