FOX Sports CEO And Executive Producer Eric Shanks And IndyCar’s First Season With FOX

BRUCE:

This is Roger Penske, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indie, sponsored by Penske Truck Rental. IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcast. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series. Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans an insider's view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport. I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as NBCSports.com, SI.com, ESPN SportsTicker, Sports Illustrated, AutoWeek and SpeedSport. So let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy. Welcome to this special bonus edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental as we continue our fourth season of giving IndyCar fans an inside look at the most exciting form of racing on the planet, the NTT IndyCar Series. Let's welcome back our friends from Penske Truck Rental as they return to sponsor Pit Pass Indy, helping bring you the inside stories of IndyCar from the paddock to the racetrack to the highways and streets of America. The season was off and running after a fantastic Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the season opening race for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season. Pit Pass Indy was there and gathered so many interviews with so many big-name drivers in IndyCar, we had to break them up over several shows to fit them all in. One of the most important people in IndyCar is Fox Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Schenks, who met with the media in a formal session at St. Petersburg, along with Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles, and IndyCar and Indianapolis Motors B-Way President Doug Bowles. Pit Pass Indy was part of that media session, and today's episode will include audio clips from that media availability with Shanks. The first race in the Fox Sports relationship with the NTT IndyCar Series delivered the largest viewing audience for any IndyCar Series race other than an Indianapolis 500 in 14 years, according to ratings information provided by Fox. The March 2nd Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was watched by 1.4 million viewers across the Fox telecast and Fox streaming services. That was a 45% increase over last year's telecast of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on NBC. It ranks as the most watched non-Indianapolis 500 NTT IndyCar Series race on any network since 2011. It was the first ever IndyCar race ever televised on Fox after a new agreement was announced in June 2024 that IndyCar and Fox would team up as television partners for IndyCar. The new relationship was heavily promoted with Fox producing a series of unique and highly entertaining commercials featuring IndyCar Series stars, including three-time IndyCar champion Alex Bellow, Pat O'Ward, and two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden. The commercials were viewed by over 125 million people during the Super Bowl 49 telecast by Fox on February 9th. It was the largest television audience in Super Bowl history. They were also featured during Fox's telecast of the 67th Daytona 500 on February 16th. Here is Eric Shank's opening remarks from that media session on March 1st.

ERIC:

Just a big thanks to Mark and Doug for allowing us to be a part of this. It's a real honor to be able to kick off the season. And, you know, as Mark said, it's rare that you are able to become a new partner at a time when they're already seeing massive green shoots of growth. And hopefully we can pour a little bit of ethanol onto the what is already happening and bringing everything that Fox has to bear. And it's something that you actually believe in, right? And you know that when you are able to elevate the stars and bring it to new fans, but also the hardcore fans, these stars are ready to shine. And that's really all we were able to do is start to build on what is already happening, you know, what the Pinsky's have done with owning the series and owning the Speedway. You know, there was just an enormous amount of momentum already. And then this partnership, which has really kind of been, we've taken a few swings at being partners over the years and the stars aligned now. And with other things that were happening, we were able to put every rate on broadcast television, which I think is gonna make a big difference. Consistency for fans and simplicity for fans, it means a lot. And so I think we're gonna start to see all of that bear fruit.

BRUCE:

Next, I asked Shanks about Fox's plans for the 109th Indianapolis 500 telecast on May 25th. We've seen what a tremendous job Fox has done promoting the start of the IndyCar series on Fox. What do you have in store for us to promote your first Indianapolis 500?

ERIC:

Yeah, so I think our goal with particularly how we have dug into IndyCar and this partnership is figuring out how to make the hardcore fans more passionate but also make the product approachable to new fans and as you guys could imagine like open wheel racing is cool but you really kind of got to work to attach yourself to it so we're doing simple things like every 15 minutes telling you what the rules are, right? Because it's kind of complicated. We are deploying new technology to take you places that you haven't been before, but then also simple things like, who's in what car? Like, you haven't had these point, we put transponders in the car along with IndyCar that for the first time, you can actually like during practice on a wide shot, you see who's who, right? These cars all kind of look the same and they don't have big numbers. So, and then it really all comes down to the drivers. You take Alex, Josef, Pato, Marcus, Rossi. They have not said no to us yet, right, of doing anything. And when these guys are all in and they think that they're with somebody that truly has their brand at heart, highlighting their personalities along with new technology, making it approachable. And we're going to learn as we go. Like yesterday's broadcast was different than today's. And then to answer your question about the 500 itself. We clearly know that it's the crown jewel of all of motor sports. But we also wanted to make sure that our focus is not just on Indy. So you see what we're doing here, you're gonna see we're doing a thermal Long Beach as it goes out. But we are gonna blow the doors off of Indy. We're gonna bring everything that Fox has to bear. We've got personalities that we probably haven't announced yet. But there'll be an enormous amount of Fox personalities and non-Fox personalities doing everything that you could imagine there. We're gonna be cross-promoting with our other sports. And I think we've got a two and a half hour pre-race show that day. And you could imagine bringing Tom Rinaldi's storytelling to bear. Telling stories that hopefully that either you haven't heard before, or we're gonna tell them in the way that you haven't heard before. You know, keeping in mind that we want to elevate the whole series, we've got a big team already working on Indy.

BRUCE:

Shanks is from Brazil, Indiana, about one hour southwest of Indianapolis, and owns a motorhome parked in the mobile home lot outside of Turn 1 that he has utilized for years. He calls it the Trackside Lodge.

ERIC:

Yeah, we're definitely ahead of the curve. I'm waiting for the price to go up so that they actually give me a fair price if they ever want to buy it. And we're getting new swag. So this is the new swag for IndyCar on Fox, fastest racing on earth. And then like a, like a concert tour, we've got all of the stops on the back with the kickstart my heart tour. That's our theme for the year. I think Vince Neil's actually going to be here tomorrow, which is going to be awesome. It's not real until you have t-shirts, right?

BRUCE:

With so much promotion and marketing effort behind Fox's first season in IndyCar, Shanks discussed his goals for the partnership in 2025.

ERIC:

Yeah, I think I've learned a long time ago not to make predictions. I think that over the course of We all who grew up at the track just remember mid 80s to mid 90s. And whether it's TV ratings or just the feel of the sport, I think that's our goal, right? Is to get the feel of the sport that it's capturing the nation's attention at the times for our big tentpole events. And so ratings aside, Can you walk down the street and talk to people about Josef and Pato and, you know, can you strike up a conversation? I think that's, at the end of the day, that would be a huge win, you know, at the end of the first few years.

BRUCE:

Fox Sports specializes in storytelling and intends to utilize that in IndyCar this season. That means gaining the trust of the drivers who are the stars, as Eric Shanks discussed.

ERIC:

It's an interesting question. I'm not sure that we're letting anybody do anything. Each team, each driver themselves has their own story, really, and kind of their own brand. I think it's up to us to figure out, OK, this is kind of the role that you play. This is who we think you are. And then asking questions, telling stories, hopefully, that reinforce that. And quite honestly, a lot of it comes down to building that trust, right? And we've been with these guys a very short amount of time. And so building that trust between our producers and honestly with their sponsors, sometimes sponsors and teams kind of have their own personality, right? And mix that in. And so a lot of that trust comes with success and making sure that, you know, you know, over a long period of time, we're able to like, every driver has a great personality, right? We've just got to figure out exactly who they are and what they do. And the really cool thing about this series is it really is all about the driver, right? The cars are so similar, and there's an enormous amount of engineering that goes into these things. But at the end of the day, it's How aggressive, how smart, how strategic are these drivers? And these drivers are elevated more than any other series in the world, probably.

BRUCE:

Both IndyCar and Fox are hoping for an impressive boost in ratings, but fan insights are equally important. Shanks has another priority that could help the entire paddock through increased visibility and additional sponsorship.

ERIC:

couple of things is the ratings we obviously want to be up right we do a ton of we have multiple thousand-person fan insights panel. So we want to start to see, all right, are the fan insights that we have, are they starting to turn, right, for approachability? Are the hardcores loving it? But honestly, what I would love to see is The relationship with Fox help teams get new sponsors, right? Help the league get new sponsors. Cause that's what sets us off on this flywheel, right? Is economic success, every sponsor that comes on then uses their voice to actually market the sport as well. And I'm already hearing, I'm kind of hearing this from teams too. Like they're having better conversations with people either wanting to buy in or sponsor because they believe in the trajectory that these guys have built and the media trajectory as well. So the ratings are going to be the ratings. I think because every broadcast is on Fox, I mean, I saw some numbers last year on Peacock that were pretty bad. So we're definitely going to do better, I think, on average. But that's just the first part of the story. The real part of the story is, what does that do to the sport, right?

BRUCE:

Fox Sports will utilize IndyCar across its other platforms including the main Fox Network, Fox News Channel, social media platforms, and other sports properties such as Major League Baseball, the Live Golf Tour, Pro Football, College Football, and College Basketball.

ERIC:

Yeah, I mean, definitely taking time out of, you know, our talk shows. We're totally integrated with Fox News. I think you said we're going to have a hit every hour in the morning on Fox News. You know, you'll see more coverage probably in social and online. We have, we have three complete social media teams down here this weekend that are going to be publishing, um, everything, you know, today and tomorrow. Um, and then you'll start to see crossover with some of our other events, like in, uh, the all-star game, you know, um, live actually has an event in Indy. And so we're trying to figure out what the cross promotion between live golfers at the motor speedway to promote their event and also promote the 500. Like what what fun things can we do with live golfers at the track? And then our own personality. So it's a bit of a work in progress, but it's super fun because you've got You've got the drivers kind of raising their hand now to do stuff. And we'll take full advantage of that as it goes. But as far as kind of like the meat and potatoes, like we've got that kind of that machine is starting to be in place. I think what you'll see, you know, around the 500 is much more of all of our local stations all over the country really dive in. And our marketing team will be working with each of them. The other thing with the 500 that I'm working on really hard with these guys is, you know, really want to turn the Indy 500 more into like a Kentucky Derby day from a wagering standpoint. Like it's, it's hard to understand how to wager on motor sports. Like you just kind of don't get it. Like, but on Kentucky Derby day, if even if you don't know anything about horse racing, you put down an exact or a trifecta, you got wind place show. So like, how can we figure out how to get that type of broad attention around an event that honestly kind of feels a lot like horse racing, right, that day. So that kind of stuff we're working on as well and hopefully have an announcement, you know, in the near future.

BRUCE:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

SCOTT:

Hi, I'm Scott McLaughlin, driver of the number three team Penske Chevy, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

Welcome back to this bonus edition of Pit Pass Indy. Fox is working on a dedicated streaming platform so IndyCar fans can have the opportunity to stream the races if they are not at home for the over-the-air broadcast. Shanks explained that in further detail.

ERIC:

So we did announce that customers will be able to buy a Fox package, like an a la carte Fox package, similar to what others have had. I don't think that we've announced when it will be, but because of all the work that we did for venue, we have a big tech stack kind of ready to go. And you can imagine when most things launch in this country, right? So it'll be, It'll be available, I don't think we've set price yet, but it'll be the full package of your local station, Fox News, all the Fox Sports channels in one place.

BRUCE:

Shanks described Fox's unique ability for IndyCar to lead into the NASCAR race broadcast, also on Fox, and vice versa, as well as its other sports properties.

ERIC:

Well, tomorrow is actually kind of a really cool day because it's the first time that we're going to take IndyCar and lead straight into NASCAR at Kota. And I think that as much as we're talking about IndyCar here, I do think that, you know, sometimes that's going to be reversed. Sometimes NASCAR will lead into IndyCar. I think that these two properties have, you know, the ability to elevate each other and us to talk to both fans. And who knows where that leads in the future with events and things like that. But tomorrow is going to be an interesting test, right? There's probably going to be like, I don't know, 45 minutes in between, you know, checkered flag and green flag, which would be very cool. And then, you know, as you guys know, I think we have we only go through like the middle of May with NASCAR now. And then, yeah, you turn into full-on, you know, IndyCar while NASCAR goes to various other places. And so, yeah, you'll have, you know, the heart of the baseball season. So, you know, around the all-star game. And so, yeah, you'll, that shelf space will free up. And at least from a Fox perspective, it'll be IndyCar and then kind of our other UFL and baseball and other spring and summer sports to promote and cross-promote Indy.

BRUCE:

Shanks revealed that his production team has been shooting special features for the 109th Indianapolis 500 and how that will create a memorable Indy 500 pre-race show. Fox hopes to create memories for a lifetime at the Indy 500.

ERIC:

Yeah, I don't think he's here today, but that came down to this race was Bill Richards, who, you know, produces our Fox NFL Sunday and Super Bowl pregames. And so he's down here this weekend. And I would tell you, we've, we've already been shooting for the Indy 500 for months. We will have an added talent lineup in addition to the Fox personalities. We've got some things that we're talking about for the pre-race ceremonies that I think could be very cool. And so, you know, with With blowing the doors off, it really is, at least for us, do you walk away feeling like you made new memories for people? And that's what we do with the Super Bowl pregame, with World Series pregames, is do we feel like there's somebody that's 10 years old and somebody that's 80 years old that walked away from that day feeling like we made a burned-in memory in their minds? And those memorable moments are what you do with features or stunts or people or colliding of worlds or things that we do in the pre-race that make it walk away going, wow, like that's different than what I did, than what I've seen before. So that's That's kind of what we're planning. And we won't know until we get closer exactly what's going to happen, but those are the goals is to create memories for people of a lifetime. And the real memories are what happens during the race. Like me going to 20 some Indy 500s, the memories are what happens in the race and making sure that you are able to take those things that happen on the track and hopefully elevate them into even bigger memories.

BRUCE:

Shanks recalls how his love and interest in the Indianapolis 500 regarding television began.

ERIC:

Where did I get a little bit of an inkling of this start? And it honestly was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. My first ever internship was for GTE Motorsports, right? At the Indy 500. And I got to be an intern at Indy for a whole summer. And I was like, holy crap, this is amazing. And so that was kind of like the first thing that triggered me. And then I will say, I was at Rahal Letterman's Partner Summit last week in Indy, or two weeks ago in Indy with Doug. And they put David Letterman up on the screen, and I remember, like, David Letterman's kind of the reason I wanted to get into TV, right, is because if a kid from Indiana can do what he did, why not? And just seeing him up there and seeing him be attached and as passionate about this sport today, It is kind of cool that it comes full circle, but I would say you wouldn't have the passion for it if you didn't already see the growth. Like the Penske ownership, Mark, Doug, the entire team, the drivers, like you kind of feel like you're, you're just kind of like, there's a wave here that you're starting to get up on the surfboard and you're going to go with it. And if we can get this team together, like these guys have talked about, the wave is going to be really big.

BRUCE:

Technology plays a key role in IndyCar and Fox has utilized several innovative ideas to the broadcast, but Shanks wants to make sure the sport is more approachable and relatable to the fans and viewers.

ERIC:

How is technology going to enhance? Yeah. Yeah. So, um, My old boss David Hill had a great line where, and I feel the same way, where you can work on a graphics package and technology and audio and all these things, and he was so proud of this new package that he was going to launch on cricket. And he called his mom afterwards and he said, mom, what do you think of the broadcast? And she said, your announcer's tie was crooked. I couldn't pay attention to anything else that you did. And so we have thrown a bunch of technology at this series that you'll see throughout the season. But I would say it's pretty simple. It's people talking to people. And the booth that we have together, Will and Hinch and Townsend and then Pitt reporters that we have here this week. I think I am so excited about just the camaraderie and the energy and the passion that they have and already kind of just being on the inside of this sport. So that's first and foremost is the people talking to people. But I would say everything that we've done technology wise here is to make the sport more approachable. Like as much as it's easy for me to watch, I just put myself in fans who are, we're trying to get into this. And first and foremost, they need to know the rules. So we're gonna have, you know, a lot of technology to show the car and what the rules are and the impact of that, but then also just who's in what car, right? And so I think that will go a long way is highlighting how easy it is to attach yourself to the drivers and to this sport. And that's, and then, you know, like this is like a drones playground out here. And so aerial coverage, drones, everything that we're going to do is going to make it sexy. And then, you know, hopefully more approachable.

BRUCE:

The attire for the Fox booth has ranged from dressy casual to sport coat and tie. Shanks described how that portrays each broadcaster's personality.

ERIC:

I have kind of one simple rule is that if you're on TV, you got to look better than the guy watching you who's sitting on the couch. And so whether it's, you'll see the guys in ties at some point. Will has, you know, obviously his own very special style, which is cool, but as long as it's put together and it looks top notch, it can be more modern, but you're not going to see, you're definitely going to see the guys put together and have a plan for how they look with each other but the thinking is that's kind of who they are and they're more comfortable and they're still looking great and sometimes they'll be more formal than others.

BRUCE:

One of the biggest television properties for Fox in 2026 is the FIFA World Cup, the largest worldwide sporting event that showcases soccer throughout the world. Shanks believes the combination of the World Cup audience can help fuel further growth in the IndyCar audience.

ERIC:

Yeah, I think that one's going to be huge. We're going to have an audience for that World Cup that's going to break all records. And it's, it's definitely going to help IndyCar. Um, and being able to work with our scheduling department to, you know, maintain that consistency as much as possible on the Fox broadcast network, um, is something that the guys are in lockstep with and also, you know, making sure that we maintain momentum. Like, we're gonna have a great kickoff this weekend, and then, you know, we're taking a few weeks off. So, in the World Cup year, you know, the scheduling department's working together to figure out how to work, how to maximize the World Cup audience, but then also hopefully maintain that momentum and get us going and keeping it going, you know, once we start. 26 is also, the Arlington race, which is before the world cup starts. So, you know, that cause Dallas hosts like eight or nine events. So I think this is going to be in and out, you know, before they have to shut that down. So we're taking all of that into account. Um, and I will, I, I would have to imagine you going to 26, you go into 27, the schedule is just going to keep getting better every year. The longer that we have to plan plan for it.

BRUCE:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

JOSEF:

Hey everyone, this is two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental. We want to thank our guest, Fox Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Schenks, for joining us on another jam-packed episode of Pit Pass Indy. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests helped make Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, your path to victory lane in IndyCar. On the highways, the raceways, and every pit stop in between, Penske Truck Rental keeps you moving forward. Gain ground with Penske. For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at X, previously known as Twitter, at BruceMartin, one word, uppercase B, uppercase M, underscore 500. This has been a production of Evergreen Podcast. A special thanks to our production team, executive producers are Bridget Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin, and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcast.com. Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.