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NASCAR Looks To Drive Innovation With Help From Microsoft
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On Friday, NASCAR unveiled a joint project with Microsoft that’s expected to revolutionize the sport.
The Race Management App will be rolled out this weekend Sonoma Raceway on Friday. The Microsoft-created program incorporates six different areas of competition from the inspection process to racing and consolidating everything on one screen to simplify officiating and transfer the information to teams—and eventually the fans.
“We’re really excited about working with NASCAR because they really have complicated problems to solve in really three areas: operations and logistics, in competition and performance and in fan engagement,” said Microsoft’s Mike Downey.
“As we looked at, over the last year working with NASCAR, all the things we could do, our major focus was how can we use technologies to create efficiencies in how NASCAR runs its races?”
Through the partnership, Microsoft took what was a “paper-based process and turned it into digital” to streamline NASCAR’s inspection system. That data can be accessed entering into the race and as other additional officiating comes into play. NASCAR officials can track cars during a run and on pit road in an effort to assess line ups and penalties in real time and eventually enhance competition.
Steve O’Donnell, EVP and Chief Racing Development Officer for NASCAR was impressed by the app’s ability to integrate everything onto one screen. With the frenetic pace of a race, officials won’t be distracted reviewing a number of screens. The data will be at their fingertips.
“For us, it’s really about helping the scoring of the race as well,” said Steve O’Donnell, EVP and Chief Racing Development Officer for NASCAR. “I think you’ve seen we’ve had some challenges just from a timing standpoint. NASCAR is the only sport where every second of every race…we don’t have time to call a time out or a TV time out and let the officials sit on the side for 15 minutes. We need to make a quick call. And this allows us to do that.
“It allows us to be quick, see the replays, make calls and be confident in what we’re seeing.”
O’Donnell sees the potential for anticipating accidents and improving the dispatch of safety vehicles during the race. As for reviewing the event, O’Donnell is encouraged by the ability to “almost recreate” the entire race and critique not only the product on the track but how the teams were policed throughout the weekend.
“This is not only about being more efficient and transparent at the race track but improving each week when we go back and building our team off of this platform and kind of learning together,” O’Donnell added.
While NASCAR offers its fanbase more realtime stats than stick and ball sports, the sanctioning body must be sensitive to private information that teams might not want released. But that won’t stop the organization from using telemetry and analytics to increase fan engagement with the sport.
“We’ve talked often about our fans being in the 41st car and experiencing everything,” O’Donnell added. “Ultimately, we still have work to do in terms of getting data out from the race track to the fans. But the great news for us is no other sport has more data to be able to compile and get out and especially with the younger generation and racing technology.
“For us, it’s about getting as much data out to the fans knowing that there are some things that the teams need to be proprietary. Those are the discussions we’re having right now with Microsoft and the race teams. What can we get out to the fans and what should we keep proprietary that would effect competition?”
The Race Management App will be rolled out this weekend Sonoma Raceway on Friday. The Microsoft-created program incorporates six different areas of competition from the inspection process to racing and consolidating everything on one screen to simplify officiating and transfer the information to teams—and eventually the fans.
“We’re really excited about working with NASCAR because they really have complicated problems to solve in really three areas: operations and logistics, in competition and performance and in fan engagement,” said Microsoft’s Mike Downey.
“As we looked at, over the last year working with NASCAR, all the things we could do, our major focus was how can we use technologies to create efficiencies in how NASCAR runs its races?”
Through the partnership, Microsoft took what was a “paper-based process and turned it into digital” to streamline NASCAR’s inspection system. That data can be accessed entering into the race and as other additional officiating comes into play. NASCAR officials can track cars during a run and on pit road in an effort to assess line ups and penalties in real time and eventually enhance competition.
Steve O’Donnell, EVP and Chief Racing Development Officer for NASCAR was impressed by the app’s ability to integrate everything onto one screen. With the frenetic pace of a race, officials won’t be distracted reviewing a number of screens. The data will be at their fingertips.
“For us, it’s really about helping the scoring of the race as well,” said Steve O’Donnell, EVP and Chief Racing Development Officer for NASCAR. “I think you’ve seen we’ve had some challenges just from a timing standpoint. NASCAR is the only sport where every second of every race…we don’t have time to call a time out or a TV time out and let the officials sit on the side for 15 minutes. We need to make a quick call. And this allows us to do that.
“It allows us to be quick, see the replays, make calls and be confident in what we’re seeing.”
O’Donnell sees the potential for anticipating accidents and improving the dispatch of safety vehicles during the race. As for reviewing the event, O’Donnell is encouraged by the ability to “almost recreate” the entire race and critique not only the product on the track but how the teams were policed throughout the weekend.
“This is not only about being more efficient and transparent at the race track but improving each week when we go back and building our team off of this platform and kind of learning together,” O’Donnell added.
While NASCAR offers its fanbase more realtime stats than stick and ball sports, the sanctioning body must be sensitive to private information that teams might not want released. But that won’t stop the organization from using telemetry and analytics to increase fan engagement with the sport.
“We’ve talked often about our fans being in the 41st car and experiencing everything,” O’Donnell added. “Ultimately, we still have work to do in terms of getting data out from the race track to the fans. But the great news for us is no other sport has more data to be able to compile and get out and especially with the younger generation and racing technology.
“For us, it’s about getting as much data out to the fans knowing that there are some things that the teams need to be proprietary. Those are the discussions we’re having right now with Microsoft and the race teams. What can we get out to the fans and what should we keep proprietary that would effect competition?”
