Welcome To IndyCar - A Quick Introduction

Hello and welcome to all new people interested in IndyCar. This post is going to be a quick introduction to the series. A primer, if you will, of what's going on. I hope you join us in watching this season.

So, first question. What is IndyCar?

IndyCar is a single seater (so one driver the whole race) motor racing. If you are a fan of Formula 1, that is also single seater motor racing. IndyCar in its current form was founded in 1996.

What's the difference, then?

Formula 1 has always been the racing series about engineering. Working within a rigid structure of rules and then finding the grey areas. There are a lot of rules and a lot of structure.

IndyCar, on the other hand, is more about racing. There's a lot more uniformity in the engineering, a lot less rules and a lot more penalties. There's also a lot of unity. A good example of this is the engines changed for all teams mid-season of 2024 and all of the teams just went with it. Same with the introduction of the aeroscreen, which is a visual difference between an IndyCar and a F1 car.

Formula 1 is also somewhat at the mercy of the FIA. There is no one owner of F1, there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen, which we are seeing currently with the power struggle between Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the teams in F1, and the drivers themselves.

On the other hand, IndyCar is currently owned by Roger Penske, who also has a team. It is still sanctioned by the FIA, but there is somewhat of a brush off there because the FIA can control less of it. Don't mistake me, though, Team Penske still gets penalties like the rest of them. Things are just more in house.

Now we get into track style. F1 has two track styles - traditional courses and street courses. That's it.

IndyCar, on the other hand, has a mix of road (a traditional track), street and oval courses. Although ovals may be tainted by NASCAR, this is a whole other animal. IndyCars on ovals are fun and engaging, and so many IndyCar drivers see winning an oval as a rite of passage. Liking ovals were my biggest surprise in IndyCar.

The final big difference for beginners is location. Formula 1 operates fully internationally, having no 'home base' race. It spans twenty one countries over ten months, with one month break in the summer.

IndyCar is primarily based in the United States. Seventeen races over six months, Indy sees a variety of states, but only one other country. A brief hop over the border with our neighbors to the north, Canada, and we're back to being stateside. There is some talk of another international race, but it would be in Mexico.

Okay, so who is competing? Who is who?

There are eleven teams in IndyCar. One is new for the 2025 season - PREMA - which should be familiar to F1 fans. PREMA is a feeder team up into F1, but has decided to join IndyCar to develop its drivers more often.

Unlike F1, each team can have either two or three drivers, depending on what they've managed to get in the whole charter system. There is an exception to this during the Indianapolis 500, in which there is more of a freedom in entry, and no guaranteed qualification by the drivers to get to the race.

More on that in another post.

Besides PREMA, there are ten long standing teams. I rank the lineups here and go into detail, but of the ten teams, the big four are as follows. In bold are the people that FOX featured in ads during the SuperBowl.

• Penske - owned by Roger Penske - drivers Newgarden (last year's 500 winner), Power, and McLaughlin.
• Chip Ganassi Racing - home of the current champion Palou, previous champion Dixon, and second year driver Simpson.
• Andretti Global - another familiar name to F1 fans as they will be entering F1 as Cadillac in 2026. Their driver Colton Herta will be the main target for that seat, and they round out their lineup with Kirkwood and Ericsson. F1 fans will be somewhat familiar with Ericsson, and he is the one of the three who has won the 500.
• Arrow McLaren - yes, we have Zak Brown in IndyCar as well. The third of Indy's big names lives here, Pato O'Ward. A dynamic driver on the rise to superstardom, you will not be disappointed following him. His teammates are Siegel in his first full year and Lundgaard.

One big thing I will say, that I mentioned in my Will Buxton piece, is that the personalities are very different in IndyCar. You're a lot closer to the action and somewhat the drivers in Indy, and it's a different sort of engagement.

Where can I watch it?

New fans, this is where you are in for a treat! Unlike previous years, where we were all slogging through Peacock or the various NBC channels to try and figure out where the race was, they will all be streamed on FOX.

That's right, plain old FOX. Unlike F1, there is really only one broadcast, and FOX has ensured you don't have to pay for it. All you need is a set of bunny ears and a dream.

I also wouldn't be surprised if FOX has some races on TUBI like the SuperBowl was. They are committed to their investment, and it's great to see!

Now, I'm not quite sure what the opening days of the weekend will be like (practices, qualifying), but it seems like they're going to communicate clearly where things will be available to view.

Why should I watch it?

If you like racing, you will like IndyCar. Like I said above, IndyCar is about the racing, F1 is about the engineering. There is a lot more freedom in what happens, and also a lot more penalties. If it annoys you when something like a black flag happens for touching the car, then IndyCar is your place.

The tracks are insane and fun to watch, the personalities are engaging, the sport itself is welcoming. I will warn you, there is a bit of patriotism and a prayer every race, but it's also something you can skip watching in the pre-show.

Hope to see you on March 2nd on FOX for the beginning of our season!