DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A cable-supported robotic camera will be used for a NASCAR race for the first time since 2013 when a cable snapped, the cables got hit by race cars and injured fans as they whipped through the frontstretch grandstand.
NBC will use a different system at Daytona this weekend than used by Fox in the May 2013 Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and will have it in use only on the backstretch where there are no grandstands. Several networks have used the BatCam system in other sports, but there has been a hesitation since the Charlotte incident for use in motorsports.
"The backstretch is a place that could use a little extra energy, and that's a good place to have it -- that's the primary reason," NBC Sports Group executive producer Sam Flood said. "But I'm not sure past history would make them as comfortable putting it over the frontstretch and the crowd."
The camera goes from 0 to 70 mph in 1.5 seconds and can move at 100 mph. It will be used at five to seven races this year, all on the backstretch and is not directly above the racetrack.
"It's away from the grandstand," Flood said. "It's over grass, not where it might have been in Charlotte years past."
A NASCAR spokesman said that the sanctioning body had not had any serious discussions about using a cable-supported camera since 2013 until NBC approached it about its use this season. NASCAR is comfortable with the system being used, the spokesman said.
During the 2013 race at Charlotte, Kyle Busch was leading when he hit the cable, damaging his car. Seven fans were treated at the track, and at least three fans went to the hospital for treatment. One victim has a pending lawsuit alleging permanent damage to his arm.