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Watch Indy 500 on NBC Without Cable: Best Streaming Options With Free Trials

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I won’t miss a minute of the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500, where Joseph Newgarden took the checkered flag. Looking ahead to May 25, 2025, I’m already planning how to catch all the action of the next race. The great news is I don’t need a cable subscription to watch the Indy 500 live stream. Let me share everything I’ve learned about catching this iconic race.

In a hurry? The Indy 500 will be on NBC so you could likely set up an antenna and watch it for free. If not, these streaming services will allow you to watch it and much more:

  • Fubo: The best streaming service for international sports also provides 150+ well-selected channels. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
  • DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great channel lineup with the best selection of RSNs in the industry. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
  • Sling TV: This low-cost service allows you to select just the channel lineup you want. Save 50% on Sling TV now.

If you can’t watch your favorite sports because of your location, get ExpressVPN to access the content you deserve.

Why You Need a VPN Today

However, first you need a VPN to unblock US streaming services from . Our favourite is ExpressVPN. It’s definitely not the cheapest option at $4.99/month, but it just works – and across all your devices.

They have servers in 25+ US cities/states and 105 countries, which unblock access to premium streaming platforms available only in the US, as well as free “on demand” TV services worldwide.

You’ll have access to local platforms as if you were in the country, meaning you can watch BBC iPlayer as if you were in the UK, CBC Gem as if you were in Canada, plus hundreds more worldwide.

Sign Up for ExpressVPN

Hotdog users get three months free at ExpressVPN, so it’s a “no-brainer” for us. Decide for yourself with their 30 day money-back guarantee.

ExpressVPN

IMPORTANT: Once you’ve installed your VPN and connected to a US server, you’ll still need to subscribe separately to access premium streaming services.

Even if you aren’t a diehard racing fan, there is a good chance that you are a fan of the Indianapolis 500 or as it is more commonly known Indy 500. It is one of the most popular motorsports events in the world, and it rivals the Daytona 500 in terms of overall viewership in the United States.

Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know about this event and what makes it so popular among racing fans.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

Channels for the Indy 500 and Other IndyCar Races

IndyCar races appear exclusively on NBCUniversal channels. In the past, they have been broadcast on NBC, NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), and USA Network. However, as NBCSN ceased to exist from 2022 and races now only appear on NBC and USA.

If you have Peacock’s premium service tier, you can use it to stream races. You can also stream on any live TV streaming service that offers NBC channels.

How to Watch the Indy 500 Without Cable

Cord-cutters have lots of options for watching the Indy 500.

FuboTV NBC Channels
Fubo Guide with NBC channels highlighted.

Live TV Streaming Services

Most of the major live streaming services provide NBC to their customers. The main exception is Philo. All of these will work in most locations:

  • Fubo (formerly FuboTV) ($79.99/month): Provides over 150+ channels including 35+ that are sports oriented. Comes with unlimited cloud DVR storage and the ability to stream on up to ten devices. Our Fubo review has all the details.
  • DIRECTV STREAM ($86.99/month): Offers roughly 90+ channels with many upgrade options. Comes with unlimited cloud DVR (only if you sign up online) and the ability to stream on unlimited devices at once. Check out our DIRECTV STREAM review.
  • Sling TV ($40.00/month): The Sling Blue plan comes with 40+ channels including NBC in a lot of areas. You also get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage and streaming on three simultaneous screens. See our Sling TV review for more information, as well as our guide to watching the Indy 500, Monaco GP, and 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sling.
  • Hulu + Live TV ($82.99/month): Comes with an outstanding on-demand library as well as 95+ live TV channels, ESPN+, and Disney+. Also includes unlimited cloud DVR with 9 months of storage and streaming on up to two screens at once. See our Hulu + Live TV review.
  • YouTube TV ($72.99/month): Get 100+ channels including NBC and a good overall selection.

Antenna

If you live close enough to an NBC broadcasting tower, you will be able to watch the Indy 500 in high definition. See our guide on using an indoor HD antenna. It’ easy to do and costs little money. And once it is set up, it’s free.

Other Ways to Stream the Indy 500

  • Peacock TV: NBC’s streaming service will allow you to watch the Indy 500 if you get a subscription for $7.99/month. It’s a great addition to other plans that don’t include the network.
  • NBC Sports App: You can watch the Indy 500 using this app but you will need credentials from a TV provider that allows you to watch NBC like FuboTV or Hulu + Live TV. You can do the same with NBCSports.com.

TVs and Mobile Devices for NBC

Sling TV NBC Android
Sling TV offers NBC in many areas.

Most of the smart TVs and other streaming devices are supported by the services we’ve highlighted.

They all support Samsung smart TVs. And other than DIRECTV STREAM, they all support LG, Vizio, and Android-TV-based smart TVs.

Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku devices are supported by all of the streaming services. And so are mobile devices running Android and iOS. Finally, Chromecast can be used.

The Xbox One gaming system is supported by everyone except for DIRECTV STREAM. Sling supports the Oculus. And Hulu supports the PlayStation.

Other devices are supported. Check our reviews for complete lists.

What Is the Indy 500?

The Indy 500 is one of the most important races on the IndyCar circuit each year, and since 1974, it has taken place the day before Memorial Day. So this year, the race was held on Sunday, May 26, 2024.

The event is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is often referred to as the Brickyard because the racing surface used to be covered in brick. Today, only the starting and finish lines are covered in brick with the rest of the track being coated in asphalt.

As the name suggests, the event lasts for 500 miles, which is about 200 laps around the track. There are traditionally 33 drivers in the starting field, and of those drivers, roughly a dozen are part-time competitors who only compete at the Indy 500.

The Double

The Indy 500 takes place the same day as the Coca-Cola 600 and the Monaco Grand Prix. Because the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 aren’t too far away from each other, some drivers have driven both races.

  • John Andretti was the first to try it in 1994. He finished 10th at Indy but failed to finish in Charlotte.
  • Robby Gordon has done The Double five times in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004. In 2002, he came just one lap from completing both races.
  • Tony Stewart is the only person to have completed both races coming in 6th at Indy and 3rd at Charlotte in 2001.
  • Kurt Busch is the last driver to attempt The Double in 2014. He came in 6th at Indy but failed to finish the Coca-Cola 600.

Qualifying

Qualifying takes place over two days the weekend before the race. The process is convoluted.

On Saturday, all the competitors get at least one shot at qualifying over four laps. At the end of the day, all the drivers in sports 10 through 30 are set. All the other drivers compete in one of two “shootouts” on Sunday.

The top nine drivers are given one qualifying round and their positions are determined based on these runs alone. The top finisher gets pole position.

Similarly, all the drivers placing 31 and below on Saturday compete with only the top 3 finishers making it into the Indy 500 the following Sunday.

Dan Wheldon drove the William Rast sponsored Bryan Herta Autosport entry - 2011 Indianapolis 500
Dan Wheldon drove the William Rast sponsored Bryan Herta Autosport entry by Greg Hildebrand under CC BY 2.0.

2024 Indy 500

The 2024 Indy 500 was held on Sunday, May 26th at on NBC. However, pre-race coverage started at .

Timed trials took place the weekend before, May 18th and 19th. Note that the race starts with rows of 3 cars. We’ve highlighted the inside car in each row.

Here is the complete schedule:

  • Tue May 14 -: Practice 1 (Peacock)
  • Tue May 14 -: Practice 2 (Peacock)
  • Wed May 15 -: Practice 3 (Peacock)
  • Thu May 16 -: Practice 4 (Peacock)
  • Fri May 17 -: Practice 5 (Peacock)
  • Sat May 18 -: Practice 6 (Peacock)
  • Sat May 18 -: Qualifications – Day 1 (Peacock)
  • Sun May 19 -: Practice 7 (Peacock)
  • Sun May 19 -: Qualifications – Top-12 – Pole day (NBC)
  • Sun May 19 -: Qualifications – Last Chance (NBC)
  • Sun May 19 -: Qualifications – Firestone Fast 6 (NBC)
  • Mon May 20 -: Practice 8 (Peacock)
  • Fri May 24 - : Final Practice (Carb Day) (Peacock)
  • Sun May 26 -: Race (NBC)

2024 Indy 500 Results

Josef Newgarden won the Indy 500 this year. Here are the rest of the 2024 results:

  1. Josef Newgarden
  2. Patricio O’Ward
  3. Scott Dixon
  4. Alexander Rossi
  5. Alex Palou
  6. Scott McLaughlin
  7. Kyle Kirkwood
  8. Santino Ferrucci
  9. Rinus VeeKay
  10. Conor Daly
  11. Callum Ilott
  1. Christian Rasmussen
  2. Christian Lundgaard
  3. Takuma Sato
  4. Graham Rahal
  5. Sting Ray Robb
  6. Ed Carpenter
  7. Kyle Larson
  8. Romain Grosjean
  9. Helio Castroneves
  10. Kyffin Simpson
  11. Agustin Canapino†
  1. Colton Herta†
  2. Will Power†
  3. Marco Andretti†
  4. Ryan Hunter-Reay†
  5. Felix Rosenqvist†
  6. Linus Lundqvist†
  7. Katherine Legge†
  8. Marcus Armstrong†
  9. Tom Blomqvist†
  10. Pietro Fittipaldi†
  11. Marcus Ericsson†

† Did not finish.

Wrapping Up

The Indy 500 is one of the oldest and most famous racing events in the world. If you can’t schedule a trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next May, you can still see all the action on NBC.

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