More than 7 million viewers tuned in to watch Alex Palou win the first Indianapolis 500 of his career over the weekend, FOX Sports announced on Monday.
The race garnered 7.05 million viewers, FOX Sports said, citing Nielsen fast national ratings. The company added that it had 8.4 million viewers at its peak between 4 p.m. ET and 4:15 p.m. ET.
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It was the most-watched Indianapolis 500 in 17 years, according to FOX Sports. The last Indy 500 to draw comparable viewership was the 2008 race, which garnered an audience of 7.245 million. FOX Sports said viewership was up 40% from last year's race.
It was the first year FOX broadcast the Indianapolis 500.
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Palou passed Marcus Ericsson with 14 laps to go in the race and held him and the rest of the pack at bay to win the race. It was the fifth win of the 2025 season for Palou and the first time a Spaniard had won the Indy 500.
Palou started the race in sixth position on the second row on the outside of Scott Dixon and next to Felix Rosenqvist. He needed to work hard to get to the front as persistent droplets of rain and several caution flags came out, which could have halted his momentum at any time.
As the race came down to the end, he got his opportunity to move around Ericsson. He had some lap traffic in front of him, but they didn't appear to hinder Palou's ability to win at all. For Palou, it was jubilation down the frontstretch with the anticipation of kissing the bricks and some ice-cold milk to cool him off after the grueling event.
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