SVG Sit-Down: Brad Cheney of Fox Sports Discusses the Evolution of Drone Coverage Heavier payloads, faster speeds allow more-versatile deployment By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Monday, February 22, 2021 - 1:51 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The 2021 NASCAR season on Fox Sports has been highlighted by the use of two drones, giving a new look and feel to the productions. The use of two drones is the culmination of a process that began in 2014 and has seen drones used at Supercross, golf events, NASCAR, and more. Sitting down with SVG, Brad Cheney, VP, Field Operations and Engineering, Fox Sports, discussed its evolution, key developments, and what's next for the use of drones in live sports production.
Fox Sports is using two drones for its NASCAR coverage.
Brad, let's go back to the beginning of your work with drones.
I think the amazing part is how fast everything evolves. Back in late 2014, we were launching our USGA efforts and getting ready for the next NASCAR season. And drones were on the scene because they were legalized [to fly], and that was the biggest thing for us because being able to legally fly was the biggest challenge.
What was your first use of drones?
It was at the Franklin Templeton Shootout in 2014, and it was a big, massive drone that could stay up for, like, eight minutes. It gave us beauty shots as it was really like a high camera. For a good period of time, that is how drones were used: as high-camera coverage with movement, which was still really cool.
What was that system like?
It was loud and noisy because there were more engines on that thing than on most airplanes. We took multiples of them to Supercross, and that was probably the biggest eye-opener because even the big drones were able to keep up with the bikes. The drones could do about 35 mph, and we could race along with the riders and get dynamic shots that showed the speed and agility of what those riders were doing.
That took things to the next level, where we said, How do we get the drones off the track and find places to use them? For us, NASCAR was the biggest opportunity.
https://www.sportsvideo.org/new/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/DRONE_SIZZLE_1.mp4
What was the challenge during the early days of NASCAR drones?
We still had very limited space to fly, because there are so many people and we had to have a safety zone of 200 ft. between the drone and people. But NASCAR and the racing community have always been great with us, and NASCAR and the drivers wanted to do it as much as we did.
The challenge was finding the spots at a track to fly when you have a quarter of a million people wanting to be as close to the track as possible. We managed to find some spots, flew, and it was beautiful.
What was next?
It wasn't able to get dynamic [shots], so we asked ourselves, How do we change that? We had only eight minutes to fly. How can you fly when you know it's going to matter and then come down and get back up again? You never know when somebody's going to wreck into the wall, so you're not necessarily there to catch it unless you can stay up longer. In 2018, we tethered a drone that could fly for long periods of time, but again, it was a high, wide shot as it couldn't hold a large zoom lens.
Heading into last year, there was a really big jump as racing drones started to be able to carry camera and transmitter payloads that were ready for broadcast. These pilots were flying them with goggles that gave them and us a first-person view. These pilots were amazing, using these FPV drones for promotional things like scaling a tall building, and, suddenly, we had the speed and dynamics in drones we needed for racing. We got together with Beverly Hills Aerials, who can fly the really big drones, but they also build their own FPVs. Now we had the speed and the video, so we knew it would be amazing to bring that to the Daytona 500.
What did those smaller drones bring to the show?
We had them whipping around and saw that they provided amazing shots as they were flying up to 90 mph. But they weren't able to get those beauty shots along the backstretch. And then, when the pandemic hit and everything shut down, we suddenly could fly literally everywhere but over the track itself.
That propelled this forward. We could have the access to do things like having the drone spin around the winner doing a burnout and keeping up at the same speed as the car. But we also still needed the bigger drone for the middle of the race.
How should people evaluate whether drones are good for their show?
There isn't just one type of drone, so you need to find the right one. They keep changing, and they do get twice as good each year. What you can do with them changes. At Daytona, we had a Sony P50 camera with a Canon 22X lens. That wouldn't be possible without the drone improving lift capabilities and run time.
We have massive and powerful drones and others that are very sleek and fast, so it's about being able to utilize all those pieces.
What else are you hoping to do with drones this year?
We can't wait to show you what we can do outside of racing again with the Westminster Dog Show and then later in the summer for MLB's Field of Dreams game being played in Iowa.
Where are we with respect to flight times?
It's getting a little bit better, about 10% better each year, and we're at about 14-15 minutes depending on the load and the speeds the drone flies. As for the smaller drones, they can do up to 20 minutes unless you start ripping it at 90 mph for the run.
What happens when fans get back?
Safety is the continuous conversation that exists; the laws and venue rules always change as time moves on. To that point, there are technically no laws limiting flying over people, which used to have a 200-ft.-plus buffer. It is all abo
Most recent headlines
02/01/2026
Freezing Florida: NHL's EVP, Entertainment Bob Chesterman on Taking the Wint...
02/01/2026
NHL Winter Classic 2026: TNT Sports Prepares for First NHL Outdoor Game in Sunsh...
02/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
02/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
02/01/2026
Any Given Day: Cork University Hospital premieres Wednesday 7 January on RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
RT will debut a powerful new six-part documentary se...
02/01/2026
Friday 2 January 2026
All episodes of Heated Rivalry will be landing on Sky and...
02/01/2026
Sequins, chat shows, live sporting action, ground-breaking docuseries and brand-new Irish drama to kick off 2026
New Year, New Content Coming Soon across RT
...
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
Your live countdown to 2026 with Inhaler, David Gray, Lyra, Garron Noone, Sharon...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
RT has unveiled an exclusive first look at the new Dancing with the Stars promo...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
SVG Sit-Down: Brad Cheney of Fox Sports Discusses the Evolution of Drone Coverage Heavier payloads, faster speeds allow more-versatile deployment By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
