
Live From Daytona 500: BSI Prioritizes Consistent Testing, Driver Safety With Visor Cam The company is using the iconic race to test improvements to picture quality By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Saturday, February 15, 2020 - 5:40 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Embracing a stock-car-racing lifestyle comes with risks. Reaching speeds upwards of 200 mph, drivers face danger at every turn. At the Daytona 500, Broadcast Sports International (BSI) will give fans a glimpse of what it's like behind the wheel with Visor Cams on the helmets of two participating drivers: No. 48 Jimmie Johnson and No. 77 Ross Chastain.
The helmet of both Jimmie Johnson (pictured here) and Ross Chastain will be equipped with a Visor Cam.
NASCAR has been great over the years about having this gear in the cars, says Peter Larsson, president, BSI. They've really gone a long way to make sure that the cars that aren't carrying a camera have the equivalent weights and aerodynamic shape.
MORE FROM DAYTONA 500
Fox Sports Headlines 20th Consecutive Year With FPV Racing Drone, 80-Ft. Strada Crane
SMT Digitizes 62-Year-Old Race With Broadcast, Team Data-Tracking
Fox Sports' Mike Davies and Dave Hill Preview the 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
Guess and Check: Testing Becomes a Crucial Step in the Process
In special cases like the Visor Cam, the BSI team did their due diligence in the research and development lab. Over the past six months, testing was done to ensure that Johnson and Chastain would be equipped with a reliable and durable product.
There were tests where they would put the helmet on a big steel block and drop these heavy weights on it, because one of the big things that you didn't want to happen was there be enough mass or solidness left in the camera that it could split the helmet open in a severe impact, says Larsson. There also was a lot of sled testing where they would put a dummy in a sled with weight and slide it down a 30-ft. path into a brick wall.
In the testing stages, the technical team wanted to make sure that, during a crash, the camera would essentially disintegrate and detach from the driver's helmet.
There's a certain range of motion that your neck can expand before it will sustain any permanent damage, he says. [NASCAR] wanted to see if there was going to be an increase in movement because of the extra weight. So they did an awful lot of work to make sure that there'd be no extra danger.
Some drivers may deem this application a bit intrusive, but BSI reassured them on the effort's intended purpose and gained their trust.
The biggest concern was an issue of liability because there's a big difference between a driver's choosing to put a GoPro-esque device on a helmet and our telling them to do it, Larsson explains. There are still some drivers that say no, and that's fine, but we tried to make [this device] as small, light, and non-intrusive as possible.
These helmet POV cameras will give fans a view from the driver's perspective.
Prepare for the Worst: Development for Possible Contingency Plans
As Johnson and Chastain fly down the track, the chance of these POV cameras going offline greatly increases. Despite all the testing that these cameras went through, a high-speed impact could potentially do severe damage. All Larsson and his team can do is hold their breath and hope for the best possible result.
It's in the lap of the TV gods at that point, says Larsson. In the old days at Daytona, the pit stops, albeit intense, were a little more leisurely. [NASCAR] would actually let us get in and get to the stuff in the car. [My team] does a good job at testing, but it's just going to be what it's going to be.
In case something actually breaks, BSI has a building in the infield near pit row that turns into a makeshift repair shop.
If it breaks, he explains, you can get two bad pieces and get enough to create substantial machining capabilities back in the office. The camera shop will fix anything that we send them. We lose very few [cameras], he adds. If there is a wreck or something like that, the only time we actually lose equipment is if there's a fire or when the cars [slide] into the wall.
Same Sport, Different Procedure: How Visor Cam Changes for Indy 500
NASCAR isn't the only motorsport where Visor Cams make an appearance. In 3 months, the Indianapolis 500 will deploy these cameras on certain drivers on the IndyCar circuit. Besides the car's being an entirely different structure, other challenges come with what would seem a similar camera deployment.
The basic concepts are the same, Larsson points out. Indy is a specific animal just because the speeds are so fast, and, with the catch fencing, the RF is more difficult.
RF implementation varies given the different capacities at each venue. Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for example, seats about 235,000 people and, with the area in the infield, can accommodate about 400,000. Daytona International Speedway, on the other hand, seats about 101,500 people, with a maximum of about 168,000 including the infield.
You go up there, set up, test, and you think everything's all right, but, when race day comes [at the Indy 500], everything is totally different because you start getting all these microwaves that are sitting in the stands, Larsson adds. Since Daytona is a much more open environment, the [team] has a lot more experience to know exactly where things need to be to get a better product out there.
Always Improving: BSI Uses Daytona T
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
22/01/2026
SVG Students To Watch: Chuck Luarasi, Curry CollegeThe Massachusetts native is cutting his teeth with Harvard Athletics, Cape Cod Baseball LeagueBy Brandon Cost...
22/01/2026
Follow the Money, Episode 4: Talking Tech, Sports, and Private Capital With Sam ...
22/01/2026
Fever pitch: WRC is back for the start of the 2026 season with Rallye Monte-Carl...
22/01/2026
FloSports Prepares To Broadcast Outdoor Hockey Game Amidst Brutally Cold Tempera...
22/01/2026
As Paramount Enters the Octagon, UFC's Craig Borsari Previews Production Pl...
22/01/2026
By Jordan Crucchiola
It's a desire you hear so often among those in filmmaking circles. I just want to make cool stuff with my friends. With the NEXT selec...
22/01/2026
Brittany Shyne attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Seeds at The Ray Theatre on January 25, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Sh...
22/01/2026
Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones appear in Train Dreams by Clint Bentley, an off...
22/01/2026
Last November, Ed Sheeran returned to his musical roots for an intimate, one-nig...
22/01/2026
A New Voice, New Places and the Real Australia as Brooke Blurton joins Ernie Din...
22/01/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., Jan 22, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has received a...
22/01/2026
Every delay costs. When a subtitle fails QC, even the smallest issue can mean missed deadlines, extra vendor costs, or frustrated teams. The new Accurate.Video ...
22/01/2026
Strategic hire marks latest milestone in Gracenote's continued expansion into CTV advertising & monetization
New York - January 21, 2026 - Nielsen's Gr...
22/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
22/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
22/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
22/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
22/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
22/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
22/01/2026
A Four-Time Emmy Award Winner on Defining His SoundCharles David Denler is a Composer and Pianist for film, television, and the Concert Stage. He is a 4 Time E...
22/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz, Qualcomm, and Motorola demonstrate successful 5G Broadcast comp...
22/01/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
22/01/2026
The wait is over, pilots. Flight control support - one of the most community-requested features for GeForce NOW - is live starting today, following its announce...
22/01/2026
AI has taken center stage in financial services, automating the research and exe...
22/01/2026
AI-powered content generation is now embedded in everyday tools like Adobe and Canva, with a slew of agencies and studios incorporating the technology into thei...
21/01/2026
Australia's Greatest Conman? premieres 24 February on SBS and SBS On Demand
Media releases
The $900 million dollar mystery that fooled our nation Austra...
21/01/2026
SBS ignites Lunar New Year with bold storytelling for The Year of the Fire Horse
21 January, 2026
Media releases
SBS is charging into Lunar New Year 2026 w...
21/01/2026
The Living Room Remains Central: Nielsen Highlights Growing TV Screen Dominance ...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Telestream , the industry's leading provider of content lifecycle management and media workflow orchestration, and Quantum Corporation (NASDAQ: QMCO) today ...
21/01/2026
Lightware s TPN ecosystem brings a new level of predictability and structure to 10G AV-over-IP deployments, offering professional AV integrators a deterministic...
21/01/2026
Wisycom, a global leader in advanced wireless RF solutions, launches its new wideband antenna matrix, MATF, which supports RF and fiber for demanding multi-zone...
21/01/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate how it is powering scalable, future-ready live production at FOMEX 2026, taking place February 2 4 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Exhibi...
21/01/2026
BCNEXXT, the developers of the advanced playout platform Vipe, today announced that OKAST, the monetization-first OTT platform provider, is using BCNEXXT's ...
21/01/2026
Revamped design enables advanced capabilities, leading with powerful IP to HDMI conversion
Magewell, developer of innovative, high-performance video I/O and I...
21/01/2026
Jan 20th 2026, Changsha Kiloview today announced the launch of two major additions to its AV-over-IP ecosystem: the AVX24-4 Media HUB and KiloLink Station, ma...
21/01/2026
Latest version of enterprise-class Buttons brings simple, coherent control to more than 700 professional devices and applications
Bitfocus, the specialist in ...
21/01/2026
Clear-Com is pleased to announce the appointment of Kari Eythorsson as the new Regional Sales Manager (RSM) for Southeast Asia & Australia, based in Singapore,...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
21/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Presents Our Italian 2026 Slate: The Year of the Stars
(Photo credit: Virginia Bettoja / Netflix)
Entertainment
21 January 2026
Gl...
21/01/2026
From skilled trades to startups, AI's rapid expansion is the beginning of th...