During last night’s NASCAR race in Charlotte, the rope supporting Fox’s CableCam fell over Charlotte Motor Speedway injuring 10 fans and causing damage to several cars on the track. The collapse occurred during Lap 121 of the Coca-Cola 600.
The camera itself did not fall to the track, however, the snap from the rope caused the race to be delayed for almost a half-hour while medical teams treated the injured in the stands and debris had to be picked up.
Fox Sports issued a statement and says its suspended camera will not be used pending an internal investigation.
At this time, we do not have a cause for the failure of the camera drive line that interrupted tonight’s Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and our immediate concern is with the injured fans.
The camera system consists of three ropes — a drive rope which moves the camera back and forth, and two guide ropes on either side. The drive rope failed near the Turn 1 connection and fell to the track. The camera itself did not come down because guide ropes acted as designed. A full investigation is planned, and use of the camera is suspended indefinitely.
This camera system had been used successfully at this year’s Daytona 500, last week’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and other major events around the world. We certainly regret that the system failure affected tonight’s event, we apologize to the racers whose cars were damaged, and our immediate concern is for the race fans. We also offer a sincere ‘thank you to the staff at CMS for attending to the injuries and keeping us informed on this developing situation.
When we have more information on the cause of the equipment failure, we will share it with you immediately.
Charlotte Motor Speedway issued its own statement.
“Ten fans were injured when a nylon rope fell over the grandstands in Turn 4 on Lap 121 of tonight’s race. Seven fans were treated for minor cuts and scrapes at on-site care centers and released. Three people were transported to an area hospital for further evaluation. The rope was a guide for the network television CamCat overhead camera system.”
More details as they become available.
