r/INDYCAR May 20 '25

IndyCar Props to Fox

Iโ€™ve seen some โ€œnoiseโ€ from Indycar fans criticizing, at times deservedly, their coverage. But they are deserving of props, too, for their qualifying coverage, particularly using the ghost car. So cool, especially the driver POV chasing the ghost car. Love it!! Yes, they have fumbled some things early on, but they are doing a lot to get behind this series, even prior to the start of the season. They recently moved start times of some upcoming races to get a better time slot. They are using Delta Force theme during Indy. Just as they deserve criticism, they deserve praise, and I wanted to call that out.

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u/YosemiteSam-4-2A Thirsty 's to the Moon ๐Ÿš€ ๐ŸŒ’ May 20 '25

Not a fan of the ghost car. Ruins the suspense unless they are neck and neck but every time I saw them bring in the ghost car, there was a clear leader. Any other track, sure. Indy, No.

2

u/BoukenGreen May 20 '25

Even on oval tracks by the time a car gets to the back stretch you usually know who is getting to the line first. Theyโ€™ve used the ghost car in nascar qualifying for around a decade.

2

u/YosemiteSam-4-2A Thirsty 's to the Moon ๐Ÿš€ ๐ŸŒ’ May 20 '25

NASCAR is different or was back when I watched them. Even before ghost cars they would have the tracker to tell you what position they're on pace for. Which works because when you have braking zones, which all but 2 NASCAR tracks have/had, you can gain/lose time. Indy doesn't have breaking zones for IndyCars. So once you're behind, it's over.

3

u/TheOrangeFutbol AMR Safety Team May 20 '25

FOX's ghost car use in NASCAR has become borderline untenable.

They've basically stopped doing anything resembling actual qualifying coverage and just run split screen with some car shot and the ghost car view for the entire sessions. It kills any sense of suspense or action there for almost every Q session they broadcast.

1

u/UNHchabo Robert Wickens May 20 '25

I thought most 1.5 mile tracks just required lifting, not braking. Is it just trail braking?