NASCAR Tightens No-Drone Policy: As drones have become commonplace at sports events, NASCAR has drawn a hard line against spectator drone use at its races. Federal law already bans drones in and around large crowds during NASCAR Cup events, and the sanctioning body’s official rules echo that prohibition.
NASCAR tracks explicitly forbid unmanned aerial vehicles; violators are removed and their drones confiscated. The strict ban reflects two priorities: safety for fans and drivers, and protection of NASCAR’s exclusive broadcast agreements. As Bob Pockrass might note, “Don’t fly your drone here” is a message NASCAR and its partners have been reinforcing in 2024–25.
FAA Rules and NASCAR’s No-Fly Zone
The groundwork for NASCAR’s drone policy is federal. The FAA prohibits flying drones within one hour before or after any NASCAR Sprint Cup race (at venues of 30,000 seats or more). In partnership with the Stadium Managers Association, the FAA even runs a public-safety campaign urging racegoers: “It’s Race Day – Put Your Drone Away”.
That campaign’s slogan (and its alternates like “We Are Not Playing – Leave Your Drone at Home”) appears in NASCAR venues’ outreach materials. In short, even before counting track rules, fans are on notice that federal law creates a temporary no-fly zone over NASCAR events.
For NASCAR officials, drones are simply “a significant challenge” to event security. A recent case study by counter-drone vendor Dedrone explains that “unauthorized drone activity can endanger spectators, staff and drivers, and disrupt races”.
NASCAR’s Director of Security, Lissette Deschamps, echoes that view: the league needs “reliable system(s) to detect, track, and identify drone threats quickly and effectively”. Deschamps later praised the new detection tools as “an invaluable partner in fortifying the safety of our events”, saying they give NASCAR “the tools to proactively address potential threats” from rogue drones.
Track Bans and Penalties
NASCAR’s no-drone rule is spelled out on every track’s policy page. Speedways uniformly list drones among prohibited items and warn that anyone caught flying a UAV will be ejected. For example, Charlotte Motor Speedway’s fan guide flatly states “UAS (drones) are prohibited on Charlotte Motor Speedway property”, and adds that track personnel “may remove anyone using a UAV on the premises and confiscate the UAV until the event is over”.
Atlanta Motor Speedway’s policy is even shorter: “No drones are allowed to be used on Speedway property.” Richmond Raceway, Phoenix Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway and virtually all NASCAR venues carry similar provisions.
These bans apply broadly: drones in grandstands, in parking lots, or even buzzing just offsite risk enforcement action. Track officials instruct guests that carrying any UAV — big or small, camera-equipped or not — violates safety rules.
In practice, security teams are on the lookout: a fan spotted about to launch a drone will be stopped before it leaves the ground, and any airborne drone can trigger a lockdown of the affected section or race pause for safety. According to one NASCAR policy document, even steel flagpoles near drone sites are banned for fans’ safety.
High-Tech Countermeasures
Beyond physical rules, NASCAR is deploying technology to police the skies. The series has worked with counter-drone firms to install radar and radio-frequency scanners at big races. These systems can alert officials the instant a remote-control signal appears.
In Phoenix, for instance, a Dedrone deployment “identifies drones the moment they are powered on, even before they take flight, and also locates the drone pilot”. When an unauthorized UAV is detected, texts go out to NASCAR security and local police so they can respond instantly. As a result, “unauthorized drones are promptly detected, operators are located, and necessary actions are taken to mitigate risks,” Dedrone’s report says.
In one prominent example, the 2018 NASCAR Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway saw law enforcement using DroneShield technology to patrol the skies. Texas Department of Public Safety, local sheriffs and park police all deployed DroneShield equipment (including tracking systems and a “DroneGun” jammer) to protect the crowd during that Fort Worth event.
(Ultimately that Texas race was deemed a high-security event and took place under a code-yellow alert.) Technologies like these underscore NASCAR’s approach: combining on-site rules with active detection and even signal-jamming when needed, all aimed at keeping spectator drones grounded.
Broadcast Rights and Fan Filming
Safety is only half the story. NASCAR’s other concern is its tightly controlled media rights. In November 2023 NASCAR unveiled a landmark seven-year TV/streaming deal (2025–2031) covering every Cup Series race with Fox, NBC, Amazon’s Prime Video and others. These exclusive agreements mean NASCAR (and its broadcast partners) must safeguard who captures and distributes race footage.
Unsanctioned fan videos could undermine those rights — especially if someone hovered a drone cam over the infield. As a result, tracks often prohibit even normal video cameras in the stands. Bristol Motor Speedway’s policy, for instance, forbids any video cameras at all. (Smartphone cameras are generally tolerated, but drones are treated as a different category of high-risk equipment.)
Put simply, NASCAR does not want fans competing with its broadcasters. During a race, all aerial shots come from approved sources (such as heavy-lift drones operated by television crews or fixed rig cameras). Pockrass has noted that drivers and sponsors pay for broadcast exposure, so an amateur livestream from a drone is anathema to that model.
Thus, a fan kneeled amidst the turns with a GoPro drone could face severe penalties: removal from the race and forfeiture of any tickets, under the spectating agreement each fan signs. (NASCAR’s ticket terms historically assert that any recorded race footage belongs to the company, although fans on social media still debate those clauses.) What’s clear is that pursuing a profit or publicity stunt with an illicit drone would instantly pit a fan against NASCAR’s legal and contractual firewall.
Congressional and Industry Support
NASCAR isn’t alone in its stance. In 2024, the sanctioning body joined the NFL, MLB and NCAA in backing a proposed federal law to tighten drone security at events. The so-called DEFENSE Act would let local police — not just federal agents — disable unauthorized drones over stadiums and racetracks. The bill explicitly covers venues with existing flight restrictions, including NASCAR Cup, IndyCar and Champ Car races.
Supporters argue that hobbyist drones around large crowds pose a potential danger, and observers note that in recent NFL games drones have even forced game suspensions. NASCAR’s endorsement of the legislation sends a message: league leaders view drone incursions as a national security and safety issue on par with any other major sport.
Communicating the Ban
NASCAR and its tracks make efforts to educate fans about the drone ban. Every event’s fan guide, mobile app and website includes bullet points banning UAVs. Pre-race communications often carry warnings: announcers may remind fans, PA systems might play the FAA’s “leave your drone at home” audio and on-track signage sometimes displays the campaign’s graphics.
For example, Phoenix Raceway’s official fan guide (and those of others) lists “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones” under forbidden items. NASCAR’s safety teams work with local venue staff to ensure gates have this policy posted. Any fan encountering a drone in their area is instructed to notify track security immediately, both for the safety of those nearby and to uphold the media rules.
Importantly, the messaging strikes a balance between firm enforcement and fan relations. NASCAR acknowledges that many fans love taking photos and videos – just not by flying drones. Spectators are still encouraged to share selfies and on-the-ground race views on social media, so long as the content is captured from grandstands or licensed media areas. But for above-the-action aerial shots, the answer is always no. “Be a good sport — leave your drone at home,” as the FAA’s campaign jingles go. That sums up NASCAR’s position: drones are out, official cameras are in.
NASCAR’s 2024–25 policy on spectator drones is unambiguous. As one track manual bluntly states, “The use of any unmanned aerial vehicles or personal drones is strictly prohibited”. This zero-tolerance approach is enforced by law, by high-tech sensors, and by the leverage of broadcast contracts.
The result is a clear message to fans: enjoy every twist of the race on the ground or on TV — but keep your drones grounded. In doing so, NASCAR aims to preserve the thrill of live racing for everyone, without risking injury or infringing on the sport’s carefully negotiated media rights.
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