IndyCar fans will once again get to mark the official start of summer by watching The Greatest Spectacle in Racing and we have all the details on how you can watch the 105th running of the Indy 500 on TV or online.
The Indianapolis 500 takes its name from the 500 miles of track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana that 33 Indy Cars will cover over the course of 200, 2.5-mile laps. The Indy 500 is one of the most famous auto races in the world and is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport alongside the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Unlike last year where the iconic race was held at the end of August and no fans were in attendance, this year’s Indy 500 will take place as it normally does over Memorial Day Weekend in the U.S. and 135,000 fans will get to see it in person.
The 43-year-old IndyCar Series veteran from Tokyo Japan, Takuma Sato won last year’s race when he overcame race favorite Scott Dixon for the lead. This year though, Dixon will be on the pole and will start alongside Colton Herta and Rinus VeeKay in Row 1. While Dixon has four Indy 500 poles under his belt, he hasn’t won the race since 2008. However, he is the favorite to win this year at 7/2.
Whether you’re a die-hard IndyCar fan or just want to tune in to see the 105th running of the race, we’ll show you how to watch this year’s Indy 500 from anywhere in the world.
Indy 500: When and where?
The 105th running of the Indy 500 will be held on Sunday, May 30 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana. NBC will begin its coverage of the event at 9am ET / 6am PT on Sunday and the race will start at 12:45pm ET / 9:45am PT. You’ll want to prepare accordingly though as the Indy 500 can last anywhere from three to five hours.
How to watch the Indy 500 in the U.S.
If you live in the U.S. and have a cable subscription, you’ll be able to watch this year’s Indy 500 on NBC. Prerace coverage will begin at 9am ET / 6am PT on NBCSN before moving to NBC at 11am ET / 8am PT though the actual race will start at 12:45pm ET / 9:45am PT.
Not interested in signing up for cable to watch this year’s Indy 500? Don’t worry as there are now a number of streaming services, all at different price points, which will give you access to NBC so you can stream the race online. We’ve listed a few of our favorites below to make things easier for you.
- Hulu with Live TV – $64.99 per month – As well as giving you access to NBC, the service also includes its own Hulu Originals and supports a wide variety of streaming devices.
- Sling TV – $35 per month – In order to get access to NBC, you’ll have to sign up for Sling TV’s Sling Blue package. The service also lets you watch on three screens simultaneously and record live TV with its Cloud DVR.
- YouTube TV – $65 per month – YouTube TV gives you access to NBC as well as over 70 other TV channels and a free 14-day trial available.
- AT&T TV Now – $69.99 per month – AT&T TV Now’s Entertainment package will give you access to NBC and the service allows you to watch over 45 live TV channels. You can also record up to 20 hours of content using its cloud DVR.
- FuboTV – starting at $64.99 per month. FuboTV gives you access to NBC as well as over 80 other channels. The service also includes a 7-day free trial so you can test it out for yourself.
Livestream the Indy 500 in Canada
Canadian IndyCar fans will be able to watch this year’s Indy 500 on Sportsnet and the network will begin its coverage of the race at 11am ET / 8am PT. You can also stream the race online on SportsNet’s website but you will need to login with the details from your cable provider to do so.
If you’ve already cut the cord and still want to watch the Indy 500 on SportsNet, don’t worry as you can sign up for the network’s streaming service Sportsnet NOW. The service costs $9.99 a week or either $19.99 or $27.99 per month depending on whether you sign up for SN Now or SN Now+.
Watch the Indy 500 in the UK
IndyCar fans in the UK will be able to watch this year’s Indy 500 on Sky Sports beginning at 5:30pm BST. The network will show the race in its entirety on Sky Sports Main Event but Sky subscribers can also stream the event on its website or with the Sky Go app.
Don’t want to sign up for Sky Sports just to watch the Indy 500, don’t worry as you can watch the whole event live on NOW with a Sky Sports Day Pass for £9.98 or a Sky Sports Month Membership for £33.99. NOW TV will also let you stream the race on your computer, smartphone, smart TV, or other streaming devices.
NOW Sports Membership
From £10 at NOW
Watch Sky Sports’ coverage of the Indy 500 online with a NOW Sports Membership. Watch today’s coverage for £10 or snag a monthly pass for £34.
Get an Indy 500 live stream in Australia
If you live in Australia and are a Foxtel subscriber, you’ll be able to watch the Indy 500 on Fox Sports beginning at 3am AEST / 1am AWST on Monday, May 31. If this is a little late for you, don’t worry as Fox Sports will also show a replay of the entire race in the afternoon at 12:30pm AEST / 10:30am AWST as well as at 1:30pm AEST / 11:30am AWST.
If you’re not a Foxtel subscriber and still want to catch all the action, you can also watch the entire event on Kayo Sports. The service costs between $25 and $35 per month depending on the package you choose but new customers can take advantage of Kayo Sports’ 14-day free trial to watch this year’s Indy 500 online.
Kayo Sports
From $25 at Kayo Sports
Kayo Sports is an easy way to get streaming access to Fox Sports’ coverage of the Indy 500. You can even make the most of a free trial if you’ve never signed up before.
Watch the Indy 500 from anywhere
We have all the details on how you can watch the Indy 500 in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia further up in this guide. However, if you want to watch the race when you’re away from home, then you’ll run into problems as your domestic coverage online from abroad will likely be geo-blocked.
That’s where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. They allow you to virtually change the IP address of your laptop, tablet, or mobile to one that’s back in your home country which will let you watch as if you were back there.
VPNs are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of providing you with an additional layer of security when surfing the web. There are also a lot of options but we recommend ExpressVPN as our top pick due to its speed, security, and ease of use. The service can even be used on a wide array of operating systems and devices (e.g. iOS, Android, Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, Roku, game consoles, etc). Sign up for ExpressVPN now and enjoy a 49% discount and 3 months FREE with an annual subscription. You can even test it out for yourself thanks to the service’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Looking for more options?
Here are some other VPNs that are on sale right now.
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No matter where in the world you may be, a VPN is one of the easiest ways to watch IndyCar racing. Get in on this deal now!
Indy 500 Full Schedule
Garage Opens – 5am ET
Gates Open – 6am ET
Tech Inspection – 6:30am ET
Cars pushed to pit lane – 8:15am ET
Cars on the starting grid – 10:30am ET
Driver introductions – 11:47am ET
Command to start engines – 12:38pm ET
Green flag for the 105th Indy 500 – 12:45pm ET
