NHRA Expands Use of SMT for Delivery of Full Graphics Insert Package

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series has expanded its use of SMT this season, as the company delivers a customized full graphics insert package for the lightning-fast racing series that airs on Fox Sports. Combined with the fan-favorite AR graphics package that virtually displays driver information, sponsor logos billboards, and other race-related content, SMT is now the exclusive graphics partner for the NHRA.  

NHRA has expanded its use of SMT for data-driven graphics that help viewers better understand the racing action.

“Since our partnership with SMT began in 2016, we’ve witnessed year-over-year enhancements to the sport of drag racing as SMT introduces cutting-edge virtual and broadcast graphics. This has helped support NHRA’s ratings growth as fans embrace new storytelling enhancements,” says Steve Reintjes, NHRA, Vice President of Broadcast. “Bringing our graphics production operation in-house with SMT at the helm has allowed us to further educate our growing fanbase about the sport and the drivers. From virtual driver cards and start and finish lines to the enhanced timing and scoring graphic with RT (reaction time), ET (elapsed time), and MPH, SMT consistently raises the bar year after year.” 

SMT Creative Studio, the in-house design division of SMT, in collaboration with NHRA and Fox Sports, conceptualized and crafted a statistics-driven insert graphics package to capture the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.  

The variety of info-rich graphics helps viewers gauge performances in a sport where races are measured in increments of thousandths of a second. The insert package made its debut on Labor Day weekend, coinciding with one of the NHRA’s most-watched broadcast in history, as nearly 2.1 million viewers tuned in to original airings for the world’s biggest drag race, the 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the world’s most renowned drag strip. 

In close collaboration with the NHRA, SMT Creative Studio and SMT engineers joined forces to develop data displays tailored specifically for drag racing. For example, the lower-third launch sequence graphic offers real-time insights into race timing, seamlessly synchronized with the broadcast to deliver immediate race results to viewers.  

The new design predominantly incorporates the red, white and blue color scheme synonymous with the NHRA, prominently featuring the oval-shaped NHRA logo throughout the look. Creative Studio introduced complementary colors to the mix to highlight winners, including a clean shade of green reminiscent of the NHRA’s “Christmas Tree” starting lights.  

“Our design strategy for NHRA revolved around crafting a distinctive visual identity uniquely their own,”  says Jon Kaczmarski, Director, Creative & Strategy, SMT Creative Studio. “Our approach embraced tactile elements by seamlessly integrating 3D shapes and components inspired by various automotive elements and textures.”

Kaczmarski says those elements, harmonized with a HUD-style design, enable viewers to absorb the data while keeping their eyes on the cars, allowing NHRA to highlight the depth of real-time data and performance metrics vital to the sport.

SMT’s patented video overlay system, NITRO, serves as the core technology behind the virtual graphics. SMT precisely calibrates camera panheads to capture every moment, from the cars inching up to the staging lines before launch to hole-shot views. Given the incredible speed of Top Fuel dragsters covering the 1,000-foot dragstrip in 3.7 seconds at 330 mph, virtual finish lines enable viewers to witness numerous photo finishes.  

“SMT and NHRA are continually exploring ways to enhance and expand our product offerings,” adds Rob McCarney, Special Projects Manager, SMT. “Last year, we embarked on a comprehensive upgrade, introducing a brand-new graphics package, statistical interface, and time-and-score insertion, all of which were all launched this season to great acclaim. We take pride in contributing to the success of NHRA and promoting this high-energy, fast-paced sport.”