How to watch IndyCar on FOX

IndyCar’s shift to a new television partner has left some domestic fans asking where to find their favorite series on linear and streaming platforms during race weekends. IndyCar recently published a separate list of ways for international fans to tune in.

For the home audience, RACER has compiled a viewing guide for the upcoming season that represent most of the known ways to watch IndyCar on FOX content.

OVER THE AIR

It’s a throwback to how people received television signals prior to cable, but for those who want to watch IndyCar races for free, the use of an external antenna affixed to a compatible TV will capture the signal being sent by FOX and the other networks.

In a nod to what was once the only way to watch TV, networks continue to broadcast over-the-air (OTA) signals at no charge, and while modern flatscreen TVs rarely come with antennas, aftermarket TV antennas can be found on Amazon and similar sites in the $20 range.

The Federal Communications Commission provides an online resource for those who are interested by searching for whether OTA TV signals are broadcast in your zip code.

If there’s a downside to this old-school method, it’s in the limitation of what’s available on FOX as only the races will be played live OTA. All other on-track action prior to each race is reserved for non-network, non-OTA platforms. But if you want to get 17 IndyCar races on FOX at no charge — if there’s an OTA signal in your area — this is a solution some fans have chosen.

CABLE

Practice and qualifying sessions will be broadcast on the FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 1 cable channels. FS1 will serve as the most common location for those sessions, with light use of FS2.

Every IndyCar race will be aired on the main FOX network, along with portions of both days of Indy 500 qualifying. Every on-track outing, from the first practice of the year to the last lap of the final race race, will be streamed through the FOX Sports app, which is available for download on most phones and tablets.

A cable subscription is required to stream IndyCar sessions on the app; users must authenticate the stream by logging into their cable service before it will play.

Those with cable appear to have the easiest pathway to viewing IndyCar on FOX with the FOX network, its FS1 and FS2 cable channels, and streaming through the FOX Sports app included in most providers’ offerings.

STREAMING

IF OTA and cable aren’t acceptable options, there are a variety of independent streaming subscriptions to consider that deliver most (or all) of what’s available on FOX/FS1/FS2. Packages that include FOX and FS1 are the most common; FS2 in some cases isn’t offered or is said to come at a higher pricing tier.

The new IndyCar- and FOX Sports-preduced docuseries will air on the FOX Nation streaming subscription service, and while a FOX-owned streaming subscription that includes FOX/FS1/FS2 does not currently exist, the network says it has one in the works to launch by the end of the year that would give IndyCar fans the closest thing to what was available on NBC’s Peacock.

Asked to share their preferred streaming solutions, a number of IndyCar fans weighed in with what they use and the costs involved as of early February.

Pricing and availability in all areas is subject to change.

• YouTubeTV: $82.99 - FOX, FS1, FS2

• Hulu+Live TV: $82.99 - FOX, FS1, FS2

• Fubo TV: $84.99 - FOX, FS1, FS2

• Sling Blue: $45.99 - FOX, FS1 (FS2 is an extra $11)

• DirectTV Stream: $89.99 - FOX, FS1

• DirectTV MySportsbeta (DirecTV’s sports-only offering): $49.99 for the first three months, $69.99 afterwards - FOX, FS1, FS2, only available in limited markets

If there are other streaming subscription options to consider, please share them below in the comments.