FOX Sports Waves Green Flag on 2026 IndyCar Season With Driver's Eye, Heads Up Display, Live Drones

With two features seen in Formula 1 coverage, the broadcaster aims to bring viewers closer to the racing surface

A true indicator that spring is slowly approaching, the first race in the NTT IndyCar Series is this weekend in St. Petersburg, FL. FOX Sports is back in the production and operations cockpit as exclusive broadcaster, and the crew is rolling with technologies that have created engaging viewing experiences, including both the Driver's Eye camera system and Heads Up Displays (HUDs) close to the grid.

To say that we wanted to remake the sport on television would be an accurate statement, and tech is a part of that story, says Mike Davies, EVP, technical and field operations, FOX Sports. But the biggest factors are the people working in the truck, our FOX ethos of servicing the fan, and, more so, the fact that everybody watching and covering the race are race fans as well. We like to think we approach our coverage as fans first.

This weekend kicks off FOX's second season of IndyCar coverage and follows the company's acquisition of a one-third stake in the circuit last summer. There is plenty of investment happening on the live-production side as well with FOX continuing to iterate its philosophy and enhance its technology in Year 2.

Will Buxton, Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe will call the Fox Sports broadcast of the NTT Indycar Series in St. Petersburg, FL (Photo by Mark Taylor/PictureGroup for Fox Sports) This year, says Davies, I think what you'll see is a continuation of what we did in 2025, where different pieces of tech - and how our producers and directors use them - will become more apparent, more inextricable from the story, and more utilized over time.

Back in Business: Driver's Eye Gives Fans a Unique Perspective

One major enhancement that will keep fans entertained every week was prominently featured during FOX Sports' IndyCar coverage in 2025: the Driver's Eye micro-camera system. Aside from making a noticeable impact on F1 races throughout the season, the technology was introduced into FOX Sports coverage during the Daytona 500 in 2023.

Similar to many in-car cameras that the network deploys, the POV camera is installed at the driver's eye level to transmit a real-time video feed of what they're currently seeing on the track.

Driver's Eye technology is provided by Racing Force Group, which recently inked a new multi-year agreement with the broadcaster. Given the success of its introduction at selected rounds in 2025, starting this season, the system will be integrated into the broadcast coverage of every event.

The Driver's Eye camera is one of the most exciting cameras in all of sports, says Davies. If anybody ever doubted that race-car drivers are athletes, they have only to see the dynamic and violent nature of what actually goes on in the seat of a race car. And being in an open cockpit only enhances what we're looking at. The shot is not meant to look pretty; it's meant to look shaky, off-angle, and exactly like what the driver sees.

Racing Force Group provides FOX Sports with the Driver's Eye technology for IndyCar coverage.Racing Force Group calls the system the world's smallest micro camera designed for live broadcasting. Prior to its use at the Indy 500, it was deployed for IndyCar's 2025 Grand Prix of Long Beach. Fitted into the helmet of Kyle Kirkwood, it delivered a live, first-person view from the cockpit of the race winner. The FIA-homologated system is installed inside the race helmets to offer TV viewers a fully immersive experience from the driver's exact point of view during the race. The micro camera measures just 9 x 9 mm and weighs only 1.43 grams.

The camera angle has brought a true representation of what it's like inside the cars flying around the course. From a fan's point of view, Davies believes, the tech is a major game-changer in the overall story of IndyCar. We think Driver's Eye serves as a differentiator, he notes. It passes the bar test' - which is, can you tell what we're trying to do sitting sound-off at a bar?

Under the HUD: Heads Up Display Adds New Features

In addition to Driver's Eye, Fox is expanding its HUD system for in-car cameras. A ton of pertinent information is needed to understand racing strategies or the pressures placed on the shoulders of every driver, including speed, G-force, and throttle management. This digital display, placed virtually via graphics on the car and one of the in-car cameras, updates fans on each driver's critical statistic during the action.

Inspired by the HUD system used in F1 coverage, the graphic debuted in FOX's first season of IndyCar coverage and continues to evolve in Year 2. This year, Mobii is taking in all in-car cameras and applying graphics to the video.

According to Zac Fields, SVP, graphic tech/innovation, FOX Sports, FOX has also added tracking to it, which allows the camera to pan around while keeping the HUD in its correct location. Mobii will also be taking in all six Driver's Eye cameras and applying FOX's new graphic overlay.

We spent last year getting it right and figuring out ways to make sure we could get most cars equipped with the HUD, says Davies. This year, we're able to work on enhancing it: namely, how to incorporate it into Driver's Eye, how to make the conventional HUD dynamic and able to track elements on-screen, and many other features. I think this will be one of those enhancements we keep improving year after year.

In addition, FOX will bring back the Ghost Car full-screen CG system, a fan favorite last season, to show any car comparisons that production desires. Also returning is the Mario Kart-style in-car Ghost Car setup, which composites a ghosted car within the in-car camera - all provided by SMT.

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LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/02/27/back-on-the-grid-fox-sports-wav...
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