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World Cup lead-in helps make IndyCar at Road America a big ratings hit
The XPEL Grand Prix at Road America was one to remember as Christian Lundgaard turned first-lap adversity into first-place celebrations and the epic performance by the Arrow McLaren driver also delivered big for the IndyCar Series and FOX with an average audience of 1,803,000 viewers.
The event posted a year-to-year increase of 131 percent and serves as the second-best audience since outside of the Indianapolis 500 since 2011.
The race was aided by its World Cup lead-in, which produced an audience of 2,943,000 viewers during the first minute of Road America coverage.
IndyCar’s strong second season on FOX is up 14 percent over 2025 and 44 percent up from its final season in NBC in 2024.
Marshall Pruett
The 2026 season marks Marshall Pruett's 40th year working in the sport. In his role today for RACER, Pruett covers open-wheel and sports car racing as a writer, reporter, photographer, and filmmaker. In his previous career, he served as a mechanic, engineer, and team manager in a variety of series, including IndyCar, IMSA, and World Challenge.
Read Marshall Pruett's articles
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