NASCAR has come under plenty of criticism lately. The sanctioning body is currently embroiled in an anti-trust lawsuit filed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, who have taken them to court for ‘monopolistic practices’. The sport’s hierarchy has refuted such accusations repeatedly, going on to claim that there are multiple motorsports disciplines that NASCAR competes with for viewership, sponsorships, and talent, thereby proving that the allegations are baseless.
However, NASCAR president Steve Phelps’ latest response about FOX Sports’ commercials for IndyCar has left fans enraged. Many motorsports enthusiasts have accused the organization of hypocrisy, especially because the comment goes against everything the sanctioning body has been saying in court.
Are NASCAR’s hierarchy contradicting themselves?
It’s no secret that FOX Sports has left no stone unturned to promote the 2025 IndyCar season. The broadcaster will be airing the open-wheel racing series for the first time in its history and has heavily invested in marketing, featuring ads starring Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou, and Pato O’Ward to create hype. According to many NASCAR fans, the stock car racing series has been sidelined by the media corporation, who have released just one ad featuring a 30-second video comprising old highlights for the Daytona 500.
Despite falling down the priority list, the sport’s hierarchy has been surprisingly supportive of FOX’s preference towards IndyCar. NASCAR President Steve Phelps even went on to say, “I think FOX did a good job with the IndyCar commercials. We want to root for IndyCar. Having motorsports rise, helps everybody. With NASCAR being the ‘King of the Hill’ here in the United States, it’s especially good for IndyCar.”
Phelps’ comments are contradictory to what NASCAR’s official stance on their competitors is, as per the lawsuit filing. To prove that the sport isn’t a ‘monopoly’, the sanctioning body wrote, “NASCAR has consistently faced competition from these other circuits for fan attention, talent, and sponsors.” If IndyCar is indeed a ‘competitor’, Steve Phelps’ comments need to reflect that standing, rather than seeing the motorsports executive “root” for the open-wheel racing series, especially when it is coming at the expense of the stock car racing series’ promotions.
.@StevePhelps: “I think FOX did a good job with the IndyCar commercials. We want to root for IndyCar. … Having motorsports rise, helps everybody. With NASCAR being the ‘King of the Hill’ here in the United States, it’s especially good for IndyCar.”https://t.co/NJSZt02WxT
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) February 16, 2025
Steve Phelps isn’t the only one to appear nonchalant about FOX’s favoritism towards IndyCar. Brian Herbst, NASCAR’s executive vice president also went on to tell the Sports Business Journal, “I do not [have any concerns]. Anytime there’s a new property launch with FOX, they get behind it in a major way.” Naturally, the inconsistency surrounding NASCAR’s official stance toward its competitors hasn’t gone down well with fans, especially because the sport’s hierarchy has failed to call out the broadcasters for their poor services.
Phelps’ politically correct stance doesn’t go down well with fans
As expected, it didn’t take long for fans to express their anger towards the NASCAR president for his comments regarding IndyCar. Many motorsports fans are disillusioned by FOX Sports’ broadcast quality of the races, which may be a contributing factor to their disappointment in the media corporation. Considering the love and attention IndyCar has received, one fan wrote on X, “And this is the problem, @stevephelps should be insulted that not only does Fox not put anywhere close to this amount of effort into our promotion but our coverage for years on Fox has been an insult to the industry and they don’t do anything to change it.”
Another motorsports enthusiast felt that Steve Phelps’ contradiction from NASCAR’s official stance in the lawsuit would prove to be the sanctioning body’s undoing, and went on to question the executive’s capability of managing the sport. The fan didn’t hold back while saying, “Enjoy bankruptcy before the next season, Steve. Your incompetence is staggering.” True to say, Ben Kennedy as the next President of NASCAR might just be the best pick ever. He is involved, intelligent, and a racer himself. And, this is a sentiment shared by Dale Jr. too!
Echoing the same sentiment as the previous fan, another X user found Phelps’ comments bizarre, given that both the motorsports disciplines are often fighting for the same resources. The fan wrote, “We want to root for IndyCar” Yeah, root for your competition .”
A NASCAR fan criticized Phelps’ inability to communicate effectively, blaming the motorsports executive for being politically correct at the expense of the sport he represents. The fan wrote, “Wrong answer. He should praise the commercials but want better for NASCAR.” With the new stock car racing series kicking off at Daytona International Speedway, an X-user blamed FOX for not paying any attention to NASCAR’s second tier, even though other broadcasters didn’t follow similar practices. The fan wrote, “It’d be nice if fox didn’t completely ignore the xfinity series as well. They didn’t mention the race once. What’s it hurt to mention the xfinity race will be on CW? I know NBC did it for the trucks on fox plenty. Rising tides, right? Get rid of fox if they are gonna be petty.”
The post NASCAR’s Hypocrisy in Court Exposed as Enraged Fans Hammer President’s Response to FOX’s IndyCar Favoritism appeared first on EssentiallySports.