Ten fans were hurt Sunday after a FOX television camera cable broke and fell across the racetrack during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
One of the cars clipped the camera cable. The cable then became tangled underneath the vehicle. It happened in the 121st lap of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Race officials soon stopped the event. Medics took three of the 10 fans to the hospital.
Pit crews worked to repair several cars damage by debris.
Driver Kevin Harvick went on to win the race.
FOX sports released this statement following the accident:
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 immediately.
