Jacob Musselman/For Indystar/USA TODAY NETWORK

Fox Sports Makes Historic Indianapolis 500 Announcement on Monday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ryan White | Last updated May 26, 2025 6:14 PM ET

The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday proved to be a historic one by the end of it.

Alex Palou won his first Indianapolis 500, continuing his remarkably successful season in the IndyCar Series. With 14 laps to go, Palou passed Marcus Ericsson and held off Pato O'Ward, David Malukas, and Ericsson for the remainder of the race.

As for Fox’s broadcast, they drew a staggering 7.05 million viewers, marking the most-watched Indy 500 since 2008 and a 17-year high, per FOX Sports. From 4:15 to 4:30 PM ET, the program reached its highest viewership of 8.44 million as Alex Palou defeated Marcus Ericsson in a thrilling closing lap to finally win the Indianapolis 500.

Whoa…Indy 500 just got some colossal ratings. Via Fox Sports: pic.twitter.com/kU2T0BKwNl
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) May 26, 2025

Palou, a native of Barcelona, is the first Spanish driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the victory marks his fifth in six races in 2025.

Palou is even better this season after taking home the IndyCar championship in 2023 and 2024. The Long Beach Grand Prix was the only race of the season that he did not win, in which he finished second to Kyle Kirkwood.

Several key moments electrified fans watching: Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon both cautioned during the pace laps of the race and McLaughlin was sidelined for the remainder of the race.

Kyle Larson’s Indy-Charlotte double attempt ended at about the halfway mark when he crashed, taking out Kyffin Simpson and Sting Ray Robb along with.

"We were just bunched up on the restart and I was really close to Takuma in front of me and got kind of aero-tight behind him and as I peeked left, the nose grabbed [toward the surface] and I spun," Larson said after the race.

After starting tenth, Palou led 48 laps with 16 different lead changes among 10 drivers en route to his huge achievement. The Indy 500's 2025 surge, combined with Palou's victory and FOX's historic broadcast, sets an exciting tone for IndyCar's future.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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