
CBS Sports Hits the Road With F&F for Superstar Racing Experience Production Short tracks are the focus of attention in the six-week series By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Friday, June 11, 2021 - 11:32 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The roots of auto racing invariably filter down from massive multimillion-dollar speedways to asphalt and dirt short tracks across America. For the next six weeks, some of those tracks will be front and center as the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) brings 12 racing legends to small-town USA, bringing world-class drivers to world-class short tracks.
CBS coverage of SRX races will bring dirt tracks to primetime network TV this summer.
Grassroots tracks on a Saturday night is something I think people will enjoy seeing because that is a really fun time, with tailgating and an electricity at the night races, says Pam Miller, SRX producer, CBS Sports. And each track has its little traditions. So having all of these guys who are icons and legends on the track with the families is pretty cool and a really great thing.
An interesting aspect of the production is that the entire production team (about 70) will be onsite because many of the tracks simply don't have the fiber and other connectivity required to transport signals to remote production teams, according to Jim Cornell, SRX director, CBS Sports. F&F Productions will provide production facilities, with GTX 20 A and B and GTX 12A onsite to provide ample space for the team. BSI will also be on hand with its truck for in-car-camera support.
For the two hours we're on the air, says Cornell, everything will be onsite. When people complain about not having internet service in certain places, it's a reality that needs to be addressed and something we've experienced first-hand.
SRX drivers include legends Tony Stewart, Bill Elliott, Tony Kanaan, Paul Tracy, Bobby Labonte, and 2021 Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves. Seeing well-established superstars with well-established rivalries racing in identical cars is something both Miller and Cornell are looking forward to. Local stars on each track will also be in the race, giving it a dimension unique to the event.
The 12 guys are true characters, says Miller, and they will get into equal cars to try to see who's the better driver and who has the most courage on that night. They may come across as friends, but, once they put that helmet on, they want to beat each other.
F&F's FTX20 will be on site for all six SRX races.
Cornell is looking forward to the level of access to the drivers the production team will have. Not only are there only 12 of them, but they are not part of larger racing teams or league.
We're used having to deal with organizations that like to say no, he says, but everything so far has been yes, yes, yes. I think the guys at SRX realized that there's also an entertainment part. Access, he notes, ranges from being able to listen in to in-car communications live during the race to the different camera angles of the in-car cameras and the use of drones.
We're going to have access with the drones that is going to open up some eyes as to what other sports can do with them, he says. There's a heavy drone and a lighter, high-speed drone, which I believe can go 50-70 mph. We're not going to be able to keep up with the cars, but I don't think we're going to be blimp-distance away.
Beverly Hills Aerials will provide the drone coverage, and Cornell hopes to get some unique angles on the action given how small the tracks are. The drivers won't be afraid to bump each other well, and I'll be able to get a drone over the top and close enough to see the cars bumping each other, which will be interesting.
Along with the personalities of the drivers are the features and differences of the tracks, beginning with that some are dirt tracks. The opening race will be held at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, CT, and SRX co-founder Ray Evernham says the open-wheel-modified division there has been a breeding ground for racing families.
What we wanted to do was find historic tracks that have not just a difficulty factor but a great following, a great DNA in motorsports, he explains. [Stafford Motor Speedway] has sent many people up the ladder to stock-car racing, like the Bodines, the Bouchards, Richie Evans, and people like the Andrettis and Gordon Johncock, who have gone off to Indy.
Miller says dirt tracks will also give viewers something brand new, especially since the races are in primetime. All six Camping World SRX Series races will be broadcast live on CBS, with broadcast coverage streaming live on Paramount+ Premium.
There is a different feeling at a race on a dirt track, says Miller, and I don't recall every having seen a dirt track in primetime on a network. That is going to be unique for people. The way these guys race on dirt is fascinating because it's different. They have to go into the corners different, they have to have a cushion as they get closer to the wall, and they have to find grip and the places they can find an advantage.
Each race will begin with two 15-minute heats that set up the main event, which will be 100 laps (Slinger Speedway in Wisconsin, because it is so short, will have 150 laps).
You can't breathe on a lap at Slinger as it's a 10- to 12-second lap, notes Miller. Stafford is just really cool and feels like you're at the old Fenway Park as you walk to the track through a neighborhood. There's a great mix of heritage, and all the asphalt tracks even have different corners, different banking, and different challenges that I think will be just as exciting as the dirt tracks.
CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus is already looking forward to the SRX finale at th
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Interra Systems, a provider of end-to-end quality assurance solutions for the digital media industry, is proud to announce its central role in the digital trans...
15/04/2026
VO Integrates Client-Side and Server-Side Ad Technologies with its Secure Video Player and Segmentation Tools, Leveraging Broadpeak's SSAI and BPK SmartLib ...
15/04/2026
TMT Insights, a leader in professional services and software development for the media and entertainment (M&E) industry, today announced the launch of TMT AI at...
15/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media, a global leader in managed broadcast and cloud-based media services, today announced an expanded partnership with Oracle Cloud Infrastr...
15/04/2026
Middleman Software, a leading provider of signaling and synchronization solutions for broadcast and streaming workflows, today announced it will unveil PhaseLoc...
15/04/2026
Deity Microphones today announced the PR-4, a compact six-track field recorder featuring four inputs, 32-bit float recording, advanced routing, and a workflow-f...
15/04/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Fairlight Live
Brie Clayton April 15, 2026
0 Comments
Powerful software-based live audio mixer with support for SMPTE-2110...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Strategic Alignment With the Riedel Group for Innovation and Growth
Thomas Riedel, founder and owner of Riedel Communications and the Riedel Group, has acqui...
15/04/2026
SDVI, the leading platform provider for cloud-native media supply chains, today announced that the company's Rally platform has been deployed by Iyuno Media...
15/04/2026
Frequency, the engine behind many of the worlds leading streaming television channels, has become the platform of choice for leading U.S. broadcasters bringing ...
15/04/2026
New Service Simplifies Integration of AI Applications with Exceptional Reliability and Security
SAN JOSE, Calif. April 14, 2026 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) t...
15/04/2026
During the 2025 off-season, VIDI completed a major upgrade of the broadcast infrastructure across all 36 stadiums in Germany's 1st and 2nd Bundesliga. The p...
15/04/2026
Clear-Com announced significant updates to its award-winning Arcadia Central Station as well as enhancements to the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System now runn...
15/04/2026
Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB SHOW 2026
Brie Clayton April 15, 2026
0 Comments
New system removes PTZ pan restric...
15/04/2026
LiveU Announces Expanded Collaboration with Sony at NAB Show, Adding Direct File...
15/04/2026
This 24-Hour Performance Art Piece Needs Your Participation Keefer Glenshaws latest project is about collaborating with the Berklee community and beyond.
Apr...
15/04/2026
Two Cities Television and Keeper Pictures to produce six-part series in association with Screen Ireland for RT and ITV Studios
RT has commissioned Two Citie...
15/04/2026
RT 100
RT unveils The Signal' a specially commissioned 60-second film
...
15/04/2026
The NAB Show 2026 trade show, running April 18-22 in Las Vegas, is set to showcase a wave of new features and optimizations for top video editing applications. ...
14/04/2026
ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...
14/04/2026
Haivision has announced the Falkon X4, a 5G mobile video transmitter for live broadcast and remote production. The device will be showcased at NAB Show 2026.
...
14/04/2026
Founded by veterans of the production-truck world, Stripe TV was born out of a d...
14/04/2026
Grass Valley has expanded its partnership with Studio Berlin, supplying 12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR camera systems and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm cinematic cameras, including...
14/04/2026
LTN has announced two senior appointments ahead of NAB Show 2026: Mark Romano as Vice President, Multichannel Platforms, and Edward Cox as Vice President, Sales...
14/04/2026
Sennheiser and Italian rental company Agor have begun preparations for their Eu...
14/04/2026
DAZN and ADI Predictstreet have announced a partnership to integrate ADI Predict...
14/04/2026
Deltatre has announced the completion of a direct-to-fan website and app for Leg...
14/04/2026
Daktronics, will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in partnership with Grass Valley at Booth C2408, Las Vegas Convention Center, April 19-22.
Daktronics will showcase a...
14/04/2026
Backblaze will host a series of partner presentations at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1259, North Hall), open to all exhibition hall badge holders. Showcase partners i...
14/04/2026
BRAHMA AI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2415, West Hall), demonstrating its Enterprise AI Content Platform for media, entertainment, sports, and technol...
14/04/2026
Bridge Technologies has announced that its VB440 production probe has been integrated into NEP Platform, NEP Group's software orchestration system. The inte...
14/04/2026
Clear-Com will introduce new products and demonstrate its communications ecosystem for broadcast and live production at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5807, April 19-22)...
14/04/2026
EZDRM will use NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2260) to introduce the Revenue Security Prism, a framework for combining multiple security technologies to protect streamin...
14/04/2026
Telos Alliance will introduce the following products at NAB Show 2026:
TV and Media
Telos Infinity MK2 Panels: A new generation of hardware control panels for...
14/04/2026
Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C3509), demonstrating IP- and IT-based production solutions for sports, bro...
14/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
14/04/2026
Blackmagic Design will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2502). CEO Grant Petty s product announcement livestream is available at youtube.com. The company announ...