Tom Brady. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Watch: Tom Brady takes a joyride at Indianapolis 500

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 25, 2025 2:10 PM ET

Former New England Patriots/Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady wasn't known for his speed throughout his career, but he flew at the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

Before the start of the race, NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson took Brady for a lap around the 2.5-mile track. Like Brady, Johnson is a seven-time champion in his sport.

The fastest GOATs on the planet. @TomBrady gets a ride from @JimmieJohnson before the #Indy500! pic.twitter.com/wuHC9qnszh
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 25, 2025

"This is incredible," the Fox Sports analyst said. "Jimmie driving, all the fans here, I can't believe this is the first time I've ever been here."

This year, IndyCar moved from NBC to Fox as its primary broadcast partner, and it's clearly including Brady in its coverage to increase interest in the sport.

On May 6, Nathan Brown of The Indianapolis Star reported that the network had averaged 899,000 viewers in its first four IndyCar races, a slight improvement. Last year, NBC averaged 869,000 viewers through its first four races.

Throwing Brady into a car should capture the attention of fans. IndyCars can reach a top speed of over 240 mph. While the future Hall of Famer probably wasn't going that fast, he was certainly speeding, which he rarely did on the gridiron. In 23 seasons, he rushed for only 28 touchdowns.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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