
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR Season FOX leverages NASCAR experience for newly added IndyCar Series next month By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Friday, February 14, 2025 - 4:18 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Although, technically, FOX Sports kicked off its 2025 NASCAR campaign with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium two weeks ago, the rubber truly hits the road this week in Daytona. The broadcaster heads into its 25th consecutive season of NASCAR coverage and its 22nd Daytona 500 broadcast (tied for the most by any broadcaster) with a new media-rights deal and plenty of production-technology firepower.
Four-time Indy 500 champion H lio Castroneves will make his first appearance in the Daytona 500 this weekend.
The Daytona 500 is a big race in every respect, says FOX Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations, Mike Davies. Not only is it an iconic race with so much history, but it's also very long track at 2 miles, it has one of the largest [entry lists], it has the most races throughout the week of any [NASCAR event], and it has a massive pregame show and concert. When we say big,' we're not talking only about the spectacle of the whole thing; we're talking about the size of the event itself. In terms of production enhancements, we [deploy] as many resources as possible to cover every angle of this race.
FOX Sports' weekends will look very different under the terms of the new NASCAR rights deals. The CW network is set to become exclusive home of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, freeing Saturdays for FOX to launch its newly acquired IndyCar Series package.
This is a very special year for FOX, says Davies, not only because we get to re-up our contract with NASCAR and do some of the more iconic races at the beginning of the season but also because we know that this runs right into our new contract with IndyCar. We are looking forward to seeing how these two racing series one right after the other can serve racing fans' appetite.
Drones Lead the Way FOX's 1080p HDR production of the race - and its sprawling two-hour pregame show (beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET) - will feature an arsenal of more than 50 cameras (plus in-car systems) and will rely more than ever on drones provided by Beverly Hills Aerials (with transmission handled by BSI). The broadcaster will deploy three types of drones: an FPV drone, a high-speed drone, and a heavy-duty cinema drone.
FOX will use three types of drones at Daytona: an FPV drone, a high-speed drone, and a heavy-duty cinema drone.
Among other key tools are BSI in-car GyroCam units and Sony Hawk-Eye extraction capabilities from a Sony HDC-5500 4K camera. FOX's assortment of cameras distributed throughout the track includes 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 specialty units.
FOX also continues to escalate its use of virtual graphics and AR within the broadcast, including optical car pointers. It is taking optical tracking data provided by NASCAR (via BOLT6) and giving that data to SMT to create enhanced optical tracking pointers for aerial coverage.
In the compound, FOX Sports' operation will be based in Game Creek Video Cleatus mobile units, which will serve as the broadcaster's NASCAR home all season.
FOX and Beverly Hills Aerials continue to ramp up use of drones for NASCAR coverage.
Cosm Comes Aboard FOX is also working with Cosm to produce and deliver this year's Daytona 500 to the tech company's immersive Shared Reality venues in Los Angeles and Dallas for the first time. Leveraging multiple vantage points throughout the Daytona International Speedway, Cosm's cameras will deliver real-time footage, and its spatial high-fidelity audio will deliver the roar of the race to its 12K+ LED domes, allowing guests to feel like they are right in the middle of NASCAR's biggest race.
Cosm has carried many different sports, but this weekend's Daytona 500 will mark a new chapter with motorsports.
It has been exciting to work with them on several events, including the Super Bowl, says Davies. The question is, how we can present a race over the course of 2 miles inside a dome? You can't do it the same way that you would do a basketball, soccer, or football game.
It's going to be learning process, he continues. Our production folks are working with Cosm to help guide them in terms of how to make motorsports successful in the dome. They understand that they are going to have to treat it a little differently, whether that means multiple windows [on the LED screen] or perhaps switching cameras less frequently. We're all working together to figure out some best practices.
The team is also looking to use Cosm's proprietary camera rigs to offer fans a panoramic view of the race within the FOX broadcast as well. We are working closely with Cosm to see if we can use any of their cameras for our coverage at Daytona, says Davies. I think we will make it happen. Those amazing cameras and lenses [provide some] panoramic views that can be useful in the traditional broadcast - not unlike what we did with them for the Super Bowl.
If the Audio Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It When you have a good thing going, you don't mess with it. That's essentially how Senior Audio Engineer Kevin McCloskey approaches the audio for the race. That's not surprising, given that the production has garnered the broadcaster and its audio crew several Emmy Awards for Outstanding Live Event Audio, most recently in 2023.
When you have a good product like the one we have here for the race's sound, he says, you want to keep it going.
Behind the scenes in Daytona at a FO
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
15/09/2025
Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller&...
15/09/2025
Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...
15/09/2025
Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...
15/09/2025
After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...
15/09/2025
A U.S. Marine launches a Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile during a training exercise. (Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps)...
15/09/2025
AMSTERDAM TV Tech has named its Best of Show Awards winners for IBC2025, which wraps up today. Entrants were judged by a panel of industry experts on the criter...
15/09/2025
Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
The Great Flood' Teaser Trailer Previews A Gripping Struggle for Survival
Entertainment
15 September 2025
GlobalSouth Korea
Link copi...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
From Hardship to Hope: Typhoon Family' Presents a Tale of...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
Gloom Goes Global as Wednesday's' The Doom Tour Hit...
15/09/2025
-- Opens door to growth in renewable energy New Delhi, India - 15th September -- Global business and industry leaders from around the world are joining technol...
14/09/2025
Partnership to address business and technical challenges of DMF adoption
he Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU...
14/09/2025
Back to All News
Mantis' Trailer Previews High-Stakes Rivalries to Be No. ...
13/09/2025
ATLANTA Cox Media Group has announced that the company's vice president of news, Misty Turnbull has been inducted into the National Academy of Television Ar...
13/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Shotoku Broadcast Systems, a major developer of robotic systems, has announced plans to take studio robotics to the next level at IBC2025 by debuting ...
13/09/2025
At IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero Mini, the company's lightest and flattest wireless intercom beltpack to date. Designed to del...
13/09/2025
Shotoku Broadcast Systems, the international developer of dependable, userfriendly robotic systems, is taking studio robotics to the next level at IBC 2025 with...
13/09/2025
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming solutions, today released the 9th annual Video Developer Report 2025/26, offering an in-depth look at the evolvi...
13/09/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with StreamShark, the trusted video platform for enterprise...
13/09/2025
Ikegami has chosen IBC 2025 in Amsterdam as the launch venue for a major addition to its range of viewfinders. The new VFE-P711AD is a 7-inch high resolution OL...
13/09/2025
Founder-led Merger to Fast Track R&D, Asset Library Upgrades, Tools and More; No Disruption to Pricing or Support for Users
Today, KitBash3D, a pioneer in 3D a...
13/09/2025
With NDI certification, Atomos integration, Grass Valley collaboration, and a new Monitor app, at this year's IBC, Mavis is showcasing a series of powerful...
13/09/2025
Creamsource, maker of artisan LED lighting for film and television, has unveiled the Vortex24 Soft (V24S), a 1950W native soft light and the largest soft source...
13/09/2025
When international sports streaming service DAZN secured the global rights to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup football tournament, it set out to deliver an unmatch...
13/09/2025
Riedel Communications today announced the acquisition of hi human interface from Broadcast Solutions, bringing a powerful, vendor-agnostic control system to it...
13/09/2025
Building on its long-term relationship with audio metering specialist RTW, Calrec has integrated the company's brand new TMxCore metering platform across it...
13/09/2025
Calrec is expanding its family of future-ready self-contained Argo M control surfaces at IBC2025, with the addition of a brand new powerful 48-fader console. Co...
13/09/2025
Celtic languages - including Cornish, Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh - are the U.K.'s oldest living languages. To empower their speakers, the UK-LLM sover...
13/09/2025
Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Provides Unparalleled Efficiency and Unlocks New Business Models SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 13, 2025 -...
13/09/2025
Researchers find brain region that fuels compulsive drinking Study by Scripps Research scientists shows how the brain learns to seek alcohol for relief, not jus...
12/09/2025
College Football Kickoff 2025: Fox Sports Ups Look as Canon, Sony Power Shallow ...
12/09/2025
ABC/ESPN Excited For WNBA Postseason Coverage In Revamped FormatThe Finals moves to a best-of-seven series in 2025By Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor
Friday, Sep...
12/09/2025
(L-R) Jade Croot, Rosy McEwen, and Bryn Chainey attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Rabbit Trap at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park ...
12/09/2025
For fans, we know how important it is to stay plugged into music culture and dis...
12/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden and Shipley, United Kingdom, September 12, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability and analytics for service quality and customer expe...
12/09/2025
IBC2025 began on Sept. 12, with exhibits and conferences running through Sept. 15 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center. Explore the full TV Tech coverage of t...
12/09/2025
The Best Fictional Bands (and the Artists Who Make Them Great) With Spinal Tap II: The End Continues hitting theaters and songs from KPop Demon Hunters ruling...
12/09/2025
Industry veteran Tom Baldassare has joined Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, as a Se...
12/09/2025
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, and more, today announced a...
12/09/2025
PlayBox Neo, a leading provider of media playout solutions, has partnered with AI-Media, pioneering developers of AI-powered captioning technology, to integrate...
12/09/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
12/09/2025
New alliance strengthens the IT channel in Germany and Switzerland in protecting business-critical SaaS data.
Keepit, the world s only independent, cloud-nativ...
12/09/2025
Fincons Group, an international IT business consultancy and systems integrator company with more than 40 years of experience in the market, is proud to announce...
12/09/2025
Following its acquisition of Telemetrics, EVS continues its push into robotics with an announcement at IBC2025 that it is acquiring XD motion....
12/09/2025
TORONTO The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) has announced the appointment of Eduardo Ruiz Sanchez, deputy director, broadcast operations at Telev...
12/09/2025
Ed Miller, a longtime broadcast engineer in Ohio and a former national president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, has died....
12/09/2025
AMSTERDAM At this year's IBC2025, the Advanced HDR by Technicolor initiative will be pushing broadcasters to adopt a more dynamic, frame-by-frame conversion...
12/09/2025
Feature-length retrospective from Studio Crook to air in 2026
Sir David Jason returns to the nation's favourite comedy channel, U&GOLD, for Open All Hours:...