Fox Sports will have some new twists to its coverage of NASCAR's return race Sunday at Darlington, such as having its broadcasters based in Charlotte and using drone aerials more than usual. NASCAR and Fox Sports have been coordinating closely on the broadcast. Fox Sports Exec VP and Head of Productions & Operations Brad Zager told THE DAILY that there will still be some Fox crew on site, including camera men and one pit reporter (Regan Smith), but that the number of people will be considerably less than usual. Everyone on site will need to pass a health screening. Some people who would usually be at the track, including broadcasters Jeff Gordon and Mike Joy, will work from either Fox’ Charlotte or L.A. studio.
Zager said that he and Fox producer Artie Kempner have been eyeing how they can better leverage drones this weekend because they’ve worked with NASCAR to allow using the devices over the main grandstand, which cannot be done when fans are in attendance. Zager said of preparing for this event, “To say this was a 24-hour-a-day job the last couple weeks is an understatement.”
