Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Live From Daytona 500: Fox Sports Headlines 20th Consecutive Year With FPV Racing Drone, 80-Ft. Strada Crane

16/02/2020

Live From Daytona 500: Fox Sports Headlines 20th Consecutive Year With FPV Racing Drone, 80-Ft. Strada Crane The broadcaster will have help from offsite in Charlotte and Los Angeles By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor

Saturday, February 15, 2020 - 6:44 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Imagine being the host broadcaster for Super Bowl LIV. Now add the task of relaunching football's newest property, the XFL. To top it off, mix in NASCAR's storied tradition in Daytona Beach, FL. For Fox Sports, the past 14 days have been a whirlwind, to say the least. In its 20th season at the Daytona 500, the broadcaster is flaunting new technologies in the infield, such as an FPV racing drone and Strada crane, relying on SMT's data-tracking for virtual applications, and integrating with locations in Charlotte, NC, and Los Angeles.

Fox Sports recruited Beverly Hills Aerials, a Los Angeles-based company, for this year's FPV racing drone.

This will be the third or fourth year in a row that we've used a drone of some kind, notes Mike Davies, SVP, technical and field operations, Fox Sports. We started off with a tethered drone, then an untethered [one]. This drone is a lot smaller, a lot faster, and super promising.

MORE FROM DAYTONA 500

BSI Prioritizes Consistent Testing, Driver Safety With Visor Cam

SMT Digitizes 62-Year-Old Race With Broadcast, Team Data-Tracking

Fox Sports' Mike Davies and Dave Hill Preview Network's 20th Consecutive Season

NASCAR Productions Embraces At-Home-Production Model for Super Bowl of Racing

Game Creek Video Provides Total Structural Backbone in the Compound

Fox Sports Stresses Audio From the Loudest Sport on Earth

Photo Gallery: A Weekend at the Daytona 500

The Need for Speed: FPV Racing Drone Puts the Pedal to the Metal

When the Fox production team returned to its war room after last year's Daytona 500, it was looking for something more out of the aerial coverage. Although previous iterations of the drone had ushered in a new way of capturing NASCAR races from high above, a certain element was missing.

Every year, I think, we've moved the bar a little bit higher, but we never really got what we wanted to get, says Davies. In fact, what we found with drones was that, even though there's a fair amount of effort and expense, the camera itself looks like any other camera. We started looking for a drone that matched a sport that's all about speed and action.

To scratch this production itch, Beverly Hills Aerials, a company specializing in film production and headquartered near Fox Sports' studio in Los Angeles, came to the rescue. A kinship developed, derived from part necessity and part happenstance.

Michael Izquierdo pilots the drone near Daytona International Speedway's Turn 1.

We were introduced, and in fact, we received their regular email blasts, so we started talking to them about putting together a live package, he explains. We've been doing some testing out of Van Nuys Airport with these guys. They'll be in, and there's always a learning curve for a company that hasn't really done racing before.

The FPV drone, typically seen on broadcasts of drone racing, can reach 85 mph at top speed and is navigated with a headset that mirrors the drone's first-person camera. At the Daytona 500, it is manned by Michael Izquierdo, drone pilot, Beverly Hills Aerials, and viewers who tune into the broadcast can expect to see cinematic shots from man-made Lake Lloyd in the infield and even shots that run parallel along the cars on the asphalt. Given the drone's work rate, battery levels tend to drain quickly when operating at these high speeds. Despite the 24 extra sets of batteries that Izquierdo's packing, Fox Sports' planned role for this device does not include prolonged use throughout the long race.

The drone is less about covering the race than it is about providing cool, beauty shots, says Davies. I've got 50 other cameras that are shooting the race, and they do a great job, but this will really enhance our coverage.

Click HERE to watch the drone in flight

An Outstretched Hand: Strada Crane Covers 2 Miles of Real Estate

Along with the FPV drone high in the sky will be the network's Strada crane, reaching new heights. Stationed on the infield between Turns 1 and 2, the 80-ft. extendible structure will shoot sweeping views of the race itself as well as shots of the massive crowd expected to pack Daytona International Speedway.

The 80-ft. Strada crane will also capture aerial shots of the race.

The duo of the drone and the Strada crane will traverse the same (if not more) ground previously covered by the Mega Trax Rail Cam. Although the Rail Cam did the job, Davies says, eliminating it came down to a budgetary decision.

The Rail Cam was cool, but it was very expensive, he explains. The distances that needed to be traveled to have an effective shot within a 2 -mile track is exceptional, and the price wasn't sustainable. I'm hoping with the Strada crane and the drone, we'll cover what the Rail Cam did last year.

200 Laps Strong: BSI Visor Cams Top 50-Camera Complement

An auto-racing production is not complete without BSI's technological handprint. As with the company's work at the Indy 500, fans will get a look into the cars of multiple drivers during the race. At Fox Sports' disposal is the returning Visor Cam, a POV camera that will be attached to the helmets of No. 48 Jimmie Johnson and No. 77 Ross Chastain.

Each one of these cars will be wired up, says Davies. There's between eight to 10 cameras.

The Visor Cams are only the tip of the iceberg. With a grand total of 50 cameras, Artie Kempner, coordinating director, Fox Sports, has a wide selection to choose from. The complement will include 2
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/02/15/live-from-daytona-500-fox-sport...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

24/09/2026

Broadcast Management Group Assists Virginia Public Media With Move to New HQ in Richmond

Broadcast Management Group (BMG) is supporting Virginia Public Media (VPM), the ...

24/09/2026

Two Red Digital Cinema Cameras Receive GhostFrame Pro Certification

RED Digital Cinema's RED V-RAPTOR [X] and RED V-RAPTOR XL [X] cameras with the Phantom Track feature are the first cameras to receive GhostFrame Pro Certifi...

24/09/2026

FOX Sports Adds 4K Live Stream on Tubi to List of Available Options for Cowboys-Eagles on Thanksgiving Day

Bringing together the full family of networks, FOX Sports is also adding Tubi, F...

24/09/2026

Virginia Techs Lane Stadium Invests in Gameday Experience with New Daktronics LED Display, Audio Solutions

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) has unveiled...

24/09/2026

SVG AI Innovation Lab Blog Tracks How AI Is Reshaping Live Sports Production

The blog collects SVG's reporting on AI across U.S. and European sports broadcasting Since SVG launched the AI Innovation Lab in April to advance the devel...

24/09/2026

SVG TranSPORT Keynote Conversation: How FOX Built a Transcontinental Transmission Backbone for the FIFA World Cup

SVG's annual TranSPORT conference, which will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in...

24/09/2026

FloSports is Using AI To Build a New Generation of Live Production Tools to Bolster the Streamer's Internal Operations

The self-built Master Control Room has cut streaming operations incident-respo...

24/09/2026

Ortana Links AudioShake, ScorePlay for Live and Archive Audio Cleanup

Ortana Media Group, the software systems integrator behind the Cubix workflow platform, has connected AudioShake's audio separation models to ScorePlay thro...

24/09/2026

AudioShake Debuts Multi-Speaker 2.0 for Separating Overlapping Voices

AudioShake has released Multi-Speaker 2.0, the company's newest Multi-Speaker model, which removes 75% more noise and offers 32% better separation of overla...

24/09/2026

Op-Ed: Planning Media Day When the Calendar Isn't Certain - How MLB Clubs Can Prepare for 2027 Now

By Jon Morgan, Founder and Executive Producer, Ryval Studios For Major League B...

24/09/2026

Spectrum SportsNet Reveals Los Angeles Lakers Broadcast, Programming Schedule for the 2026-27 Season

Spectrum SportsNet has revealed its comprehensive programming and live game broa...

24/09/2026

Charlotte Hornets Ink Broadcast Deals With Gray Media, Sinclair to Bring Games to More Fans Across the Carolinas

The Charlotte Hornets has unveiled new broadcast partnerships with Gray Media an...

24/09/2026

Detroit Pistons Name DAZN as Exclusive DTC Streaming Platform

DAZN will be the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming partner for the Detroit Pistons beginning with the 2026-27 season. Subscriptions are available at DAZN.c...

24/09/2026

Minnesota Wild Games Become Available to Spectrum Customers

The National Hockey League (NHL) has made an agreement with Spectrum that will allow Spectrum TV customers in the Minnesota Wild local broadcast territory to wa...

24/09/2026

Carolina Hurricanes, Spectrum Sign Multi-Year Agreement for Hurricanes Hockey Network Distribution

The Carolina Hurricanes has reached a multi-year distribution agreement to provi...

24/09/2026

Regional Games of the St. Louis Blues To Be Exclusively Broadcasted on Blue Note+

The St. Louis Blues has introduced Blue Note as the name of the new, exclusive ...

24/09/2026

Columbus Blue Jackets Games Head to Spectrum TV

Blue Jackets Hockey Network, the television home for Blue Jackets hockey, is coming to Spectrum TV under a new carriage agreement between the National Hockey Le...

24/09/2026

Waves introduce Tracks Live 2.0

The next generation of multitrack recording for live sound The latest version of Waves' dedicated live multitrack recording software delivers an array ...

24/09/2026

Polyend introduce the Loop

An idea machine for musicians Described as an idea machine for musicians , the latest addition to Polyend's growing collection of guitar pedals combin...

24/09/2026

Synchro Arts unveil VocAlign 7

Alignment tool gains multitrack layout Synchro Arts have just launched the latest version of their renowned time-alignment plug-in, and it's said to be ...

24/09/2026

Expressive E update the Osmose

Synth gains DAW Control & Ctrl-e integration Expressive E have just released a major firmware update that brings some interesting new features to the Osmose...

24/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz expands its system amplifier portfolio with the R&SSAM200 for applications up to 53 GHz

Rohde & Schwarz expands its system amplifier portfolio with the R&S SAM200 for a...

24/09/2026

Hitachi Launches Startup Challenge, Calling on Innovators Worldwide to Shape the Future of Mobility and Manufacturing Solutions

September 24, 2026 The Hitachi Startup Challenge FY26 invites innovative startu...

24/09/2026

NHK Technologies, Inc. Chooses Calrec for Sports Production

Download Now! To receive a short case study showcasing NHK Technologies, Inc. (NT) s audio setup, please enter the following details: -- First Name* Fir...

24/09/2026

Manifold Technologies Appoints Ryhaan Williams as CCO for North America

Manifold Technologies Appoints Ryhaan Williams as CCO for North America Brie Clayton September 24, 2026 0 Comments Brings three decades of broadcast e...

24/09/2026

UNIFACHA Expands Educational Program with DaVinci Resolve Studio

UNIFACHA Expands Educational Program with DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton September 24, 2026 0 Comments Brazilian university empowers next generat...

24/09/2026

NABA To Convene Cyber University 2.0 To Address Cybersecurity Strategies

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

Big Blue Marble Makes the Origin of Austrian Parliament V...

Viewers watching videos from the Austrian Parliament online will soon find it easier to verify the authenticity of the content. Big Blue Marble, an internationa...

24/09/2026

nsign and Sony collaborate to simplify digital signage de...

nsign, the digital signage SaaS platform built around its Simplify Complexity principle, is now officially certified for BRAVIA Professional Displays from Son...

24/09/2026

Viaplay Selects Encompass Altitude Scheduling to Transfor...

Encompass Digital Media today announced the successful migration of multiple Viaplay free-to-air channels, including TV3, TV6, TV8 and TV10, to its Altitude Sch...

24/09/2026

Standalone Streaming Services Continue to Decline in the U.S.

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

Hollyland Unveils LARK M3 Wireless Audio System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

Adobe Completes Purchase Of Topaz Labs

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

FCC to Vote on Satellite Spectrum, Unlicensed Ultra-Wideband Devices

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

LYNX Technik Launches New Series 5000 Card

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/09/2026

KRK V SERIES MONITORS HELP INDUSTRY VETERAN SANTIAGO URI...

Music Supervisor, Composer, and Mixing Engineer Santiago Uribe has built a career around producing music for film and television, contributing to more than 40 p...

24/09/2026

NABA Cyber University to Convene Broadcast Industry Leade...

The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) will hold a full-day cybersecurity summit focused on defending against growing cyber threats facing the broad...

24/09/2026

UKTV COMMISSIONS EIGHTH SERIES OF CANAL BOAT DIARIES

London, 24th September 2026: UKTV has commissioned an eighth series of Canal Boat Diaries (8x60') for U (u.co.uk) and U&YESTERDAY, with waterways explorer R...

24/09/2026

Tribeca Festival And AT&T Open Submissions For 10th Anniversary AT&T Untold Stories Program, Featuring $1.2 Million Production Prize

September 24th, 2026 TRIBECA FESTIVAL AND AT&T OPEN SUBMISSIONS FOR 10TH ANNIVE...

24/09/2026

Why touch matters in the digital age

From the buzz of your phone when a message arrives to surgeons being able to feel' the patients they are examining from hundreds of kilometres away, these ...

24/09/2026

Maximising the golden quarter for retail

As Q4 approaches, retailers enter the most critical sales window of the year the golden quarter. Stretching from October through December, this period encomp...

24/09/2026

Lightcurve Teams Up with Harmonic to Deliver Multi-Gigabit Broadband Services to MDUs over Coax

Key Takeaways Harmonic's cOS virtualized platform enables Lightcurve to de...

24/09/2026

HARRY CORRY RENEWS LIVELINE SPONSORSHIP ON RT RADIO 1

The home interiors retailer signs up for third year as sponsor RT Commercial today announced that Harry Corry has signed up to a third year as sponsor of Live...

24/09/2026

How Open Science Can Help Researchers Prepare for the Next Pandemic

When COVID-19 emerged, scientists had a crucial advantage: Decades of prior research on coronaviruses meant they understood the virus' key proteins well eno...

24/09/2026

RT Radio 1 Folk Awards Tickets on Sale | Dolores Keane inducted into Hall of Fame

RT Radio 1 Folk Awards Tickets on Sale Dolores Keane to be inducted into the...