NBC Sports Accelerates Into 2017 NASCAR Season With Batcam Debut

BatCam, new to the NASCAR circuit, will make an appearance at five tracks this season.

With the first half of the 2017 NASCAR season in the books, NBC Sports will take over broadcasting responsibilities for the second half of the season and see it through to the finish line at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. The Peacock has plenty planned before that checkered flag waves this fall, however, including the debut of a new BatCam camera system this weekend in Daytona.

“I’d like to congratulate Fox on a great first half of the season, [and] we’re excited to carry the race to the finish line here in Miami,” says NBC Sports Group Executive Producer Sam Flood. “Should be a great season with all the story lines that have evolved – the young stars, the last ride for Dale Jr. – [there’s] a lot to play with, a lot to talk about… We’re playing around with new cameras, and these new cameras should add a new dimension to the speed of the sport and the visuals that everyone gets to enjoy at home.”

NBC Sports’ NASCAR Cup Series slate gets underway this Saturday at 7 p.m. ET with the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Beginning on Tuesday, NBC Sports has compiled 32 hours of programming leading up to and following the race, including the NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green, Race, and Post-Race Show tonight on NBCSN, and the NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green and Coke Zero 400 on NBC tomorrow (the Post-Race Show will appear on NBCSN).

NBC Sports will unveil BatCam during Saturday’s Coke Zero 400, with plans to use the camera at five tracks throughout the season. The BatCam system, which houses a Panasonic AK-HC1500G HD box camera, can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 1.5 seconds and reach speeds exceeding 100 mph. It will run along the backstretch at each track. And while BatCam has been used in a number of films and the X Games, the Coke Zero 400 marks its first NASCAR race.

“It’s just going to add a different dynamic,” says Flood. “It’s over the grass, away from the grandstand. We think it’s a great camera, a fast camera, and the speed in the camera is going to be pretty dynamic when it shows off.”

Flood says that the NBC Sports production team also plans to experiment with a helmet camera. In total, NBC Sports will have 60 cameras on site, including 23 Sony HDC-4300 cameras with 4K capabilities and 16 on-board cameras embedded within NASCAR Cup Series cars. Twelve production trucks will power NBC Sports’ NASCAR coverage throughout the weekend, and more than 230 crewmembers will be on site. A helicopter will provide aerial coverage throughout the weekend.

NBC Sports will broadcast the final 20 NASCAR Cup Series races and the final 19 NASCAR XFINITY Series events of the 2017 season, as well as select NASCAR Regional and Touring Series events. The network’s NASCAR programming also includes NBCSN’s daily motorsports show NASCAR America, coverage of NASCAR’s Awards Ceremonies, and the annual NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony, as well as original programming specials.