2024 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Resurrects Gyrocam; Rolls Out Live Drone, Fingerworks Telestrator, Hawkeye 4K Extraction Despite heavy rain in Sunday's forecast, the broadcaster is ready to roll at Daytona By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Friday, February 16, 2024 - 4:02 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Coming off an unprecedented Clash at the Coliseum, FOX Sports looks to be headed for another wet and wild adventure this weekend when it officially kicks off the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway. But regardless of what day the Great American Race takes place, one thing is for sure: this year's Daytona 500 broadcast will have no shortage of cutting-edge production technology.
After nearly a decade, Fox Sports has brought the Gyrocam back to Daytona this week.
Some years at Daytona are massive innovation years, and some are refinement years, says Mike Davies, EVP, field and technical management and operations, Fox Sports. I think this is a refinement year. That said, we have a lot of very cool new and returning [technology] that we're excited about. Starting [the season] with the biggest show of the year is always hard because everything needs to be ready for primetime by that first event. But it's also exciting because we get to see all these new tools in action right away.
Among the key tech toys on hand for the 1080p HDR production at Daytona will be the in-car GyroCam from BSI, an enhanced 3D telestrator from Fingerworks, live drones from Beverly Hills Aerials, and Sony Hawkeye extraction capabilities from an HDC-5500 4K camera.
FOX's assortment of cameras distributed throughout the track include a large complement of Sony HDC-4300, -4800, and -5500 broadcast cameras, a bevy of Fletcher robotics (mostly outfitted with Sony HDC-P31 camera heads), and several speciality cameras.
The Prodigal Camera Returns: Gyrocam Is Back in Action for FOX Most notable is the return of the Gyrocam, a gyro-stabilized, in-car robotic camera mounted in the center of the cockpit. The BSI system rotates as cars enter Daytona International Speedway's extreme 31-degree banked turns, keeping its view level with the horizon at all times. The resulting look demonstrates to viewers just how dramatic Daytona's turn angles are at race speed. This marks the first appearance of the Gyrocam in a Daytona broadcast since 2015.
The Gyrocam is an in-car robotic camera mounted in the center of the cockpit.
The car they use today is a little different from the old car that we used to have [the Gyrocam] in, says Matt Battaglia, director, remote engineering, FOX Sports, but BSI was able to design a mount that is perfect for it. As you're going around these awesome banks at Daytona, it will keep that horizon level to give viewers at home that feeling of just how sideways these deep corners are. If you've ever been here and tried to walk up those banks, you can't even walk up those banks [because they're so steep].
A Game-Changer': Revving Up Telestration, Virtual Graphics
We're also doing a lot with 3D Telestration that we've been doing on football, Battaglia adds. We're applying it to NASCAR and looking at the product ahead of time. It's going to be a game-changer. Just being able for our talent to track the cars with our new talent, I think, is going to be pretty cool for the viewer.
Davies believes that one of the most important innovations this year will be the addition of the enhanced Fingerworks telestration system that has become popular on NFL and college-football coverage: We've been working with Fingerworks and tasked them to do the same thing for NASCAR that they have done for football. While Telestration has never been a huge thing for NASCAR or car racing in general, we think that being able to highlight specific cars with that glow and give our announcers some tools to illustrate the point they are making is going to be extremely helpful. I think it's going to be a game-changer and something the average fan is going to respond to.
Enhanced optical car pointers will be among the virtual graphics deployed for race coverage.
FOX also continues to escalate its use of virtual graphics within the broadcast, including optical car pointers and AR elements. Besides delivering real-time data, up-to-the-second tracking and telemetry, and team analytics at Daytona, SMT is once again providing enhanced optical tracking pointers for FOX Sports' aerial camera coverage. Telemetry data is also integrated directly into the FoxBox clock-and-score graphic, helping streamline the way information is presented to the viewer.
More than Just Beauty Shots: Live Drones Are Integral to Race Coverage Coming off its historic effort at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas last week, Beverly Hills Aerials is providing a pair of live drones at Daytona. First is BHA's custom high-speed FPV drone, dubbed Spicy, which was developed specifically to capture the eye-melting speed of NASCAR racing. In addition, BHA has deployed a gimbal drone outfitted with a Sony broadcast camera for the more stabilized shots. Both drones are delivering 4K video, which is converted to 1080p when it is sent to FOX Sports' production truck.
Beverly Hills Aerials is on hand at Daytona to help provide live drone coverage for FOX Sports.
What's different about drones on NASCAR versus drones on regular stick-and-ball sports - with the notable exception of the UFL - is that we get to use them as a primary-coverage cameras, says Davies. They function as part of the coverage instead of [just for] beauty shots or wraparound [content]. And the shots they are able to capture not only are stunning but actually help [viewers understand] what's going on in the race.
FOX Sports Director Artie Kempner and Produ
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
2024 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Resurrects Gyrocam; Rolls Out Live Drone, Fingerworks Telestrator, Hawkeye 4K Extraction Despite heavy rain in Sunday's forecast, the broadcaster is ready to roll at Daytona By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. 
