Christian Lundgaard’s Road America win has landed a result IndyCar could feel far beyond the pit wall.
The series confirmed FOX averaged 1.803 million viewers for the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America, making it the largest non-Indianapolis 500 IndyCar audience since 2011. The broadcast was up 131% on last year’s Road America race and peaked at 2.943 million viewers.
Lundgaard drama turns into broadcast leverage
The timing matters. IndyCar has been chasing proof that network exposure can turn dramatic race weekends into wider audience growth, and Lundgaard’s last-to-first Arrow McLaren drive gave FOX exactly the kind of live sporting chaos that sells the next event.
The Dane had dropped to the back after opening-lap contact, then used strategy and pace to win after Marcus Armstrong’s late mechanical failure, as detailed in IndyCar’s official race report. ReadMotorSport previously covered the on-track swing in Lundgaard’s Road America victory.
For IndyCar, the bigger story is commercial. Through 10 races, FOX broadcasts are averaging 2.033 million viewers, up 14% on 2025. With Mid-Ohio next on July 5 and Alex Palou still the points benchmark, Lundgaard has given the championship a rare asset: a title contender, a viral recovery drive and a ratings spike arriving in the same week.
That gives Arrow McLaren a second victory lane: not only competitive momentum, but a clearer argument that its front-running form is helping IndyCar reach viewers outside its usual base.
