GHOSTCARLIVE 2.0 for IndyCar
- IndyCar on FOX
- Tracking and Broadcast Solution
Challenge
For decades, the Indianapolis 500 has been a proving ground for both drivers and technology. With FOX Sports taking over as the exclusive broadcast partner of IndyCar in 2025, the network wanted to set a bold new standard for race coverage. FOX challenged SMT to expand its signature GhostCar technology—originally adopted by NASCAR in 2019—by making it more immersive, more immediate and more impactful for fans during the sport’s most iconic events.
Solution
SMT responded with GhostCarLive 2.0, a first-of-its-kind enhancement that virtually inserted the pole-sitter’s car into another driver’s live in-car camera feed during qualifying. This innovation allows fans to see, in real time, the exact distance between competitors as if they were racing side-by-side. During the final six qualifying runs of the Indy 500, FOX viewers watched Scott Dixon’s lap unfold against Takuma Sato’s pole-setting performance—an unprecedented video-game-like experience in live motorsports coverage.
In addition to GhostCarLive 2.0, SMT delivered a comprehensive suite of enhancements for FOX Sports and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including:
- GhostCar: A staple of SMT’s Broadcast Analytics platform, GhostCar provided lap comparisons throughout all qualifying sessions, using SMT’s “Sync Point” technology to maintain data alignment across four-lap runs.
- HUD (Heads-Up Display) Dashboards: Overlays on the car’s Halo including live data such as battery power, throttle, speed, gear shifting, turn degrees and distance, giving viewers real-time telemetry insights.
- Redesigned Lower Telemetry Graphics: Optimized for FOX’s pylon poster graphics, showing RPM, throttle, gear data and battery power in a compact format.
- Wind & Track Map Overlays: Live wind speed and directional overlays for each track corner, with real-time car position badges.
- CARf/x 3D Pointer Graphics: 3D pointers and aerial ISO Track pointers to emphasize key race moments.
- Custom Data Provisioning: Tailored specifically to the complex Indy 500 qualifying format.
On-site, SMT elevates the fan experience with real-time scoring across venue screens, including the iconic Pagoda board at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which features dashboards mirroring a driver’s cockpit view. Stats prompters provide announcers with seamless storytelling support, ensuring consistent and engaging coverage from start to finish.
Results
The debut of GhostCarLive 2.0 marked a transformative moment in motorsports broadcasting. By merging live video with real-time data in a visually intuitive way, SMT helps FOX Sports deliver a broadcast experience unlike anything fans have seen before. Beyond captivating television audiences, SMT’s venue integrations create a parallel layer of storytelling for fans at the track, aligning broadcast and in-person experiences.
IndyCar viewership is also experiencing a significant surge in 2025, particularly with the move to FOX Sports. According to INDYCAR.com, through the first nine races, the average per-race audience is up 33% year-over-year. The Indianapolis 500, which aired on FOX for the first time, saw a 40% increase in viewership compared to 2024, according to FOX Sports. This partnership has also fueled growth in younger demographics, with 66% more viewers aged 18–34 and an 89% increase in women aged 18–34, according to RACER Magazine. Overall, the first nine races of 2025 averaged 1,882,000 viewers, up from 1,420,000 in 2024, according to Forbes.
SMT continues to expand the use of GhostCar and immersive data visualizations across other series and platforms, redefining how fans connect with the speed, strategy and spectacle of motorsports.