Video: Falling camera cable injures 10 spectators at NASCAR race

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Safety, Videos

A failed cable used to maneuver a track-straddling “skycam,” caused injury to ten fans and a handful of racecars during Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Three of the injured spectators were taken to area hospitals for evaluation before being treated and released.

The fallen cable crossed the track as well, causing damage to three racecars, including that of then race-leader Kyle Busch. Footage from the event shows Busch colliding with the cable, with the resulting damage a clearly visible tear through the front right fender of his Toyota Camry. The race was stopped as a result of the skycam failure.

NASCAR officials, no doubt scrambling to do the equitable thing (as well as to get their race back on track) allowed crews of the damaged cars 15 minutes for repair before the restart. The move seems to have created a nugget of acrimony within some of the rest of the field, who noted that similar damage during freak on-track accidents has not been rewarded with a stoppage of racing and repair time in the past.

Fox Sports, which televised the NASCAR race and operates the skycam, said in an ESPN report that the it was the camera’s drive cable that failed during the race. The camera system has been used successfully at other events, including other NASCAR races, but has been placed on indefinite suspension (no pun intended) for the time being. Scroll below for a full video recap from ESPN.

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Falling camera cable injures 10 spectators at NASCAR race originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 May 2013 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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