How NASCAR delivers realtime racing data to millions of fans around the world
The NASCAR Drive platform provides second-screen experiences to over 80 million global live racing fans. It offers a live 360 in-cockpit camera feed and access to the same car telematics as the driver and team.
Each NASCAR Cup Series race generates 1.3 TB of high-frequency data (120 updates/second), which is processed and broadcast in realtime to fans. Learn how NASCAR tackles this large-scale realtime data challenge in our interview with Chad Larter, Senior Director of Technical Operations for NASCAR!
What we'll cover
During the interview with Chad, we will discuss:
The technical solution used by NASCAR to collect live telemetry data (1.3 TB per race) and distribute it to millions of fans
How NASCAR improved data access, expanded features, and increased engagement by bringing the solution in-house
How NASCAR solved the data surge and streaming challenges
Key takeaways
If you've watched the video, you know there was a lot to take in, so here are some of the key points covered:
Scalability: Tens of thousands of users connect during major races like Daytona 500, with major traffic spikes occurring following in-race events.
Data processing: Over 100 data points are collected, filtered and downsampled to 2 updates/second for realtime fan consumption, across devices - 1.3 TB per race.
Platform efficiencies: Only changes in data are broadcasted to clients, using binary deltas, reducing bandwidth consumption.
Long polling vs Websockets: In comparison to their previous long-polling solution the use of a websockets platform proved much quicker and puts a lot less stress on networks.
Shared insights: Fans gain access to the same detailed data used by teams and OEMs, providing a deeper understanding of the race.
Fan engagement: Consumers spend significant time (30 minutes to 3 hours) consuming race data, highlighting the success of delivering an enhanced engagement experience.
Customization: Fans want to consume data their way, gaining insights on their favourite drivers/cars - not be limited by broadcasters focusing on the leading cars.
More to come: NASCAR are exploring the use of realtime data for leaderboards, chat and additional content - moving away from polling methods.
If you have any questions about how NASCAR is using Pub/Sub Channels, the applications it can power, or how it could work for your use case, please get in touch. We are happy to support you with realtime data streaming best practices, architecture advice, and more.