IndyCar viewership for the 2025 Grand Prix of Portland paints a bittersweet picture for broadcasting partner FOX and the series. The race was a thriller and saw a new winner in Will Power, who ended Team Penske's rough drought this season.Moreover, the race also witnessed Alex Palou's dominance culminate in a third consecutive championship and his fourth in five years. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver was already 121 points ahead of his only title rival, Pato O'Ward, going into the Portland race weekend. All he had to do was finish ahead of the Arrow McLaren driver or even on his tail.To Palou's surprise, O'Ward had a mechanical issue on lap 21 of 110, effectively handing the 2025 IndyCar championship to the Spaniard. Nonetheless, the reigning champion wanted to cement his authority by winning the race. However, he couldn't get past Christian Lundgaard in P2, let alone challenge race leader Will Power, who kept Lundgaard behind him the entire time.Despite the rollercoaster it provided, the 2025 Portland GP averaged only 708,000 viewers. It was a slight drop from the previous two races, which averaged 734,000 viewers each. Unfortunately, FOX was seemingly to blame for the drop in Portland.The American media giant prioritized the LIV Golf broadcast, which irked IndyCar fans. It postponed the race start by 15 minutes and then broadcast the first half hour between 3:15 to 3:46 pm ET on FS1, which averaged 151,000 viewers. The race peaked towards its end, with 945,000 viewers from 5:30 to 5:44 pm ET.Nonetheless, the average viewership of 708,000 was an 86% increase over the 2024 Portland GP, which averaged 380,000 viewers. Though the race was around the same time in August, it wouldn't be fair to compare the numbers because NBC broadcast the 2024 race on its OTT platform, Peacock, which required a paid subscription.After 15 of 17 races in the 2025 season, IndyCar is up 28% on viewership compared to the same time last year. FOX had promised a 30% increase in Total Audience Delivery (TAD) YoY, which it has now fallen under.Four races this season have crossed the 1 million mark. One of those was the biggest race of the year, the 109th Indy 500, which averaged 7.05 million viewers.Why Roger Penske decided to sell a 33% stake in IndyCar to FOXWill Power at the 2025 IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland - Source: GettyRoger Penske sold a 33% stake in Penske Entertainment, which owns IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to FOX. It was a one-of-a-kind deal with the series' broadcasting partner becoming a co-owner.The 88-year-old revealed that Penske Entertainment wasn't looking for any investment when FOX approached him. However, looking at the growth that it provided the racing series with, it was an easy decision to make to have FOX as a co-owner."It was a pretty easy question to say yes to," Penske said about FOX's intention to buy a stake in his company.The remaining two races of 2025 will have less at stake from the championship perspective, with Alex Palou already having secured the title. However, a significant viewership drop might be unlikely, considering that the ovals in Milwaukee and Nashville have produced phenomenal races in the past.