As iconic as the cars, drivers, and paint schemes are in NASCAR, TV production is a major factor in the feeling of race day for fans at home. As NASCAR transitions to a new era in its media rights with new broadcasters, let’s take a look at some of the most iconic shots in NASCAR history.
The visuals at Watkins Glen International in New York are stunning. Whether it’s the trees, the placement of the grandstands, or the rise and fall of elevation in the track, there is always something to see at the Glen. One of the most stunning shots in all of NASCAR is the “Bus Stop” chicane that cuts down the back straightaway at the track.
This chicane is iconic for the rough entry and exit cars will take, with drivers such as Marcos Ambrose and Brad Keselowski finding their way into the grass. Recently, NBC utilized a continuous shot of the cars racing down the back straightaway and tracking the cars through the bus stop, better showing the speed that drivers carry through the iconic chicane.
The view of 40 brightly painted stock cars racing full throttle around the turns of NASCAR’s superspeedways is always a sight to behold. One camera shot that has been used for some time now is the iconic shot of cars, two, sometimes three wide, through the turns of Daytona.
This shot, set low in the infield, sets the sights for the Sunday glory of the Daytona 500 and the late-night heat of a summer race at Daytona. While NBC, Fox, and ESPN have used this shot at Talladega as well, the symbolic nature of NASCAR’s original superspeedway makes this shot all the more chilling.
Dover Motor Speedway is one of NASCAR’s most interesting tracks. Located in Delaware, the track is considered the home track for many central East Coast racers, such as the Truex brothers. However, the iconic high banks and white concrete make Dover a striking sight for those watching from home, something often lacking in a TV viewing experience.
This shot, looking from turn three down to turn two, highlights everything there is to love about Dover. The self-cleaning banking, the fast speeds, and the iconic footbridge all appear in this shot. Whether it’s an iconic battle or a disastrous wreck, many fans think of this angle when they picture DMS.
While some of these shots have different takes on them, such as different angles of the Bus Stop at the Glen, this one is very specific. While NASCAR production teams typically have a high-speed or slow-motion camera at the finish line, Talladega’s has become the most well-known, with many fans able to remember a specific moment captured from this view.
The close and chaotic racing of Talladega, combined with the oft-mentioned oddly placed start/finish line, make this camera view memorable yet important. The close finishes of recent races have led to this camera shot appearing on a fan’s TV screen often during race weekend. This shot, typically used as a replay following the finish of the race, is not going anywhere any time soon.
We end this list with a shot that is iconic yet absent in modern NASCAR. For many of the Daytona 500’s great finishes of the 1990s and 2000s, the network covering the race, CBS, would zoom out as the cars reached the finish line in order to catch the winning car crossing the line, alongside the reaction of the fans.
NBC, in their alternating coverage from 2002 to 2006, used this shot. However, since Fox took over exclusive Daytona 500 coverage in 2007, this angle is missing from the race finish. As iconic as this shot is, with CBS even capturing it as Dale Earnhardt took the yellow flag to win the 1998 race, it was limiting for iconic finishes. In 2007, the Fox looked like they would take the shot, but cut to Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin’s close finish, and, in doing so, made their own iconic NASCAR moment.
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