Shooting a NASCAR event with a CELL PHONE? - Google Pixel 10 Pro XL at Talladega Superspeedway

Recently I purchased the Pixel 10 Pro XL as an upgrade to my Pixel 8 Pro with the intent of seeing how far I could push it, and I decided what better way to test it out than documenting several days and nights at the NASCAR Playoffs at Talladega Super Speedway near Lincoln, AL (only 8 miles from home!) from October 14th-19th, 2025. This isn’t a full review of the photography aspects of this phone, rather I simply wish to show my own experience of using it at such a large, intense event with wildly varying conditions. It’s also not specifically geared at actual photographers. It’s more geared toward regular people who have heard about the Pixel family of phones and wonder how well it would do at something like this, from someone who has experience as a professional photographer. My full thoughts on the capabilities will be toward the end of the post.

This was only my second time attending a NASCAR racing event, the first being in Atlanta in May of 2007 for a single race. Over the years I have have shot many types of different sporting events professionally, but the scale of this was much bigger than anything I’ve done in the past. I opted to tent camp in the infield of the track for 5 nights and 6 days, and I tried to get myself into anything and everything I could and use the Pixel 10 Pro XL in the various situations to see how it would fare. I will note that while I did apply for media credentials for the week, the application was declined primarily due to lack of experience with NASCAR event coverage. All photos were taken from locations accessible to holders of infield passes and Talladega Garage Experience passes, so none of these photos were taken from non-public areas. All the photos you’ll see in this blog are from the Pixel 10 Pro XL, and are photos that anyone with these passes could take. The photos here are also largely unedited, aside from resizing and slight exposure adjustments on a few photos. With that out of the way, we’re off to the races!

The first afternoon and evening was spent setting up camp. relaxing, and getting ready for the long days ahead. I didn’t take many photos, but I did take some photos around the campsites, and wandered around the infield a bit..

Selfie standing in front of the iconic Talladega Blvd sign.

A couple RV campers setting up at evening twilight.

The tower above the grandstands just after sunset.

I was surprisingly able to see quite a few stars on the first night.

The second day was spent exploring the infield. No official events were happening yet, and campers were still funneling in to the infield camping areas and setting up. Track employees began preparing the track for the next three days of racing action. The car haulers arrived at the track, and the racing teams began setting up in the garage area. At the end of the official itinerary, the nighttime party atmosphere began in the infield camping areas.

Converted school bus “schoolies” were a common sight.

The car hauler parade makes its way from the track to the infield garage area.

Many fans brought decorated vehicles to drive around the camping areas.

A whole fleet of track drying vehicles were staged near one of the track entrances.

Barricades are set up to organize the chaos and funnel the crowds to come.

An aging sign from an old concession stand still remains.

Flagpoles and inflatable characters were common sights throughout the infield campground areas.

Lots of furry little friends were hanging out too.

Workers prepare a stage for upcoming events.

By the second evening, the campgrounds were starting to fill up.

Many fans brought unique modes of transportation to the infield.

Stacks and stacks of tires were offloaded in the garage area and staged.

Fire barrels and fire pits were very popular spots to hang out in the evenings.

Friday was when things began to pick up in earnest. Most of those camping the infield we getting settled in, the Talladega Garage Experience by Coolray opened up, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race took place. After the race, the party moved to the Buckin’ DEGA Rodeo, followed by a fireworks show. Unfortunately due to the absolutely MASSIVE crowd at the rodeo, I was unable to get any photos of it with the Pixel. It would have been nice to see how well it did with that kind of action under stadium lighting at night.

The US flag and Alabama flag fly above the Talladega Garage Experience, looking toward the grandstands.

An obligatory selfie in the garages.

Big Bill’s covered concessions and viewing area with a large screen.

Stepping out onto pit road for the first time as part of the Garage Experience.

A race fan signs the start/finish line out on the track prior to opening ceremonies.

Members and guests of race teams view the Craftsman Truck Series race from the pit area.

The 66 truck of Luke Fenhaus comes down pit road.

The number 81 truck of Connor Mosack.

Nineteen year old number 17 Gio Ruggiero in Winner’s Circle after his first Craftsman Truck Series win.

Sunset over the Talladega Garage Experience presented by Coolray.

This was an interesting opportunity to see cars being prepped in the garages. up close.

Many groups of children from area school STEM programs attended.

Taking a break inside Big Bill’s with my main shooters, a Canon R7 and RP.

Looking down the pits along pit road before the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.

Members of JROTC prepare for opening ceremonies.

The number 98 of Ty Majeski and 71 of Rajah Caruth pass by the pit area.

The number 52 truck of Kaden Honeycutt.

Fans watch the finale of the race from Winners Circle.

Number 71 Rajah Caruth Speaks with a fan after the Craftsman Truck race.

Fireworks over the infield at Talladega Super Speedway.

The nights are filled with interesting characters.

Even sasquatch made an appearance.

Music, drinks, and karaoke were widespread.

Another one of the ubiquitous fire pits.

The night ended under stars and intermittent clouds.

After a very long Friday night, which bled deep into Saturday morning, things began shifting into a higher gear. The Talladega Garage Experience was open once again, the final infield camping stragglers rolled in, and qualifying laps for cars began. Later in the afternoon, the NASCAR Xfinity Series race was held, followed by a concert in the infield by Whiskey Myers. Following the concert, the nighttime festivities and debauchery went into full swing. The atmosphere was a combination of Halloween mixed with Mardi Gras along Talladega Boulevard, party central for infield campers. I opted to skip the Garage Experience for the day and focus on getting some different shots of the race from the infield camping areas.

A crescent moon rises in early morning twilight.

A camper sets up his flagpole display.

Some patchy billowing cumulus began building.

A Lucas Oil helicopter circles over the track.

A sneak peek at an image from my Canon R7.

Infield campers watch the race from the roof of their RV.

Crews remove debris from the track after a crash between turns 1 and 2.

A race fan at sunset.

Partygoers pose in front of the Talladega Blvd sign to take photos.

A man and his macaw waiting for the concert to begin.

Whiskey Meyers on stage at the Saturday night concert at the Talladega infield.

A concert goer records a clip for Snapchat at the Whiskey Meyers concert.

A mini concert after the concert.

Fans watch the cars race by in turn 1.

Cars approach turn 2 behind several infield flag displays.

A pack of cars race into turn 2 during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

Number 21 Austin Hill, number 7 Justin Allgaier, and number 19 Aric Almirola.

Another amazing vehicle driving around the infield.

This group relaxes on their outdoor seating area along Talladega Boulevard.

Race fans awaiting the start of the Whiskey Meyers concert at Talladega.

Whiskey Meyers on stage at the Saturday night concert at the Talladega infield.

A couple partygoers in interesting matched costumes stop for a photo.

Just sitting next to a random RV, relaxing and taking in the sights and sounds.

Saturday night was an absolute blast, even if it was extremely tiring after a long day. To make matters more interesting, at around 4:30 AM nasty line of strong storms with gusty winds and heavy rain passed through at the track. This led to uncertainty about Sunday’s events. Thankfully, after several starts and stops of drizzle and showers, the sun finally broke through and track teams got the track dried in time for the NASCAR Cup Series race early Sunday afternoon. One last day of the Talladega Garage Experience and some great racing and photo opportunities!

Sunday morning started off with intermittent rain after a stormy night.

Many pop up canopies were casualties of the previous night’s storms.

Another obligatory selfie, this time on pit road on the way to the opening ceremony.

A young NASCAR fan sits atop his dad’s shoulders to get a view of driver introductions on the start/finish line.

Miss Alabama served as the honorary pace car driver for the race. She stands next to the Corvette pace car on pit road.

The field of cars passes in front of the TALLADEGA USA marking in front of the grandstands early in the race.

Cars go three wide into turn 2 as spectators from infield camping areas look on.

A family of race fans awaits the conclusion of the race at Winner’s Circle.

The morning was filled with the high pitch whine of the track drying fleet.

The skeleton or a recently deceased pop up canopy sits near a fence.

Number 77 car driver Carson Hocevar stops to sign an autograph for a young fan before the NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega.

Number 19 driver Chase Briscoe steps on stage at driver introductions during the NASCAR Cup Series Opening Ceremonies.

The pit crew for the number 20 car of Christopher Bell awaits the start of the race along pit road.

Fans in the Garage Experience watch the race unfold on the giant jumbotron.

Infield fans at turn 1 enjoy three wide racing with a great unobstructed view.

Fans celebrate as driver Chase Briscoe and his team are showered with confetti after winning the NASCAR Cup Series race.

As you can see, it was a a long, exciting week at the Talladega Super Speedway. By the time the weekend was over, I was completely exhausted. Through the whole event, I’d walked dozens of miles and taken thousands of photos between my Canon RP, R7, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL. While this by no means is a full review of the Pixel 10 Pro XL, I feel like I got to put it through its paces in a multitude of different situations, many of them that not long ago would have been beyond the capabilities for a cell phone camera to return decent, usable images. Here are my thoughts on the Pixel 10 Pro XL for photography at an event like this.

If you’re looking to go light for a big (or small) event, it’s a great option. It won’t replace a DSLR or mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses if you’re planning to shoot something like this for a media outlet, but for an individual or family looking to take some amazingly good photos of their experience at a NASCAR race without having to lug a camera bag with you, this is an EXCELLENT option. I have the Pixel 10 Pro XL with 256 GB of storage, and after the weekend was done I had taken about over 1000 photos and videos with PLENTY of room to spare. I was shooting 50 MP photos and 4K video and have around 70 GB free on the phone still. Most people have no need to shoot at 50 MP. Hell, when I first started shooting wedding photography professionally in 2007, I had an 8 MP DSLR.

For the fast action, it does show some weaknesses, particularly noticeable when shooting cars as they zoom by. You can see some slight softness in the cars as the action is a bit faster than it can capture optimally. There is also a slight tilt effect created in the cars due to the rolling shutter of the camera. Both of these are nitpicks though, as it’s not really pronounced enough to matter to most people using a phone for photos in this situation. It has creative modes such as long exposure and panning shot ability as well to bring some creativity to the action. The last thing to note for the action is if you try to zoom in too much to bring in the action, especially when going beyond optical zoom, you’ll notice a lot more blur and reduced image quality. This is it’s biggest weakness for this type of photography in my opinion. It just can’t quite reach out there very well without significant tradeoffs at an event this large. It’s best to get as close as possible and limit digital zoom usage.

For the nighttime photography, the Pixel series of phones has always performed very well using computational photography to gather as much light as possible. It is absolutely wonderful for scenes with little fast motion. The colors and exposure turn out great. It does have limitations though, as too much movement in the scene or an unsteady hand cand introduce blur into an image. That isn’t always a bad thing depending on what you’re shooting, and can be minimized if you take the time to plan your shots. Taking a series of shots can also help ensure you get good shots at night .Additionally, using the 12 MP mode instead of the 50 MP mode will allow it to take advantage of pixel binning, which allows for much more light gathering given the same scene at the trade off of resolution.

For all the stuff in between, the cameras on this PIxel performed unbelievably well. It’s incredible to have this powerful of a tool for photography in your pocket. Through the course of the week, I also took some near identical shots with the phone and with my mirrorless camera Keep an eye out in the future for some side by side comparisons and see if you can guess which shot came from what!

The recent advancement of cell phone camera technology has been mind blowing to watch. I was absolutely blown away by the results I got using the Pixel 10 Pro XL. As the saying goes, I ain’t getting any younger. I don’t do photography professionally anymore because often carrying around a camera bag with multiple bodies, lenses, tripod, batteries, etc can get to be too painful and limiting because of my many orthopedic issues. The ability to be able to continue taking great photos using the phone that is already in my pocket is becoming more and more attractive. And great camera phones like the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL make that prospect seem even more within reach.

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