As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas and Texas Motor Speedway is taking that adage the extra mile. The track is unveiling a new video board display, which will be located in the center of the backstretch, will feature a staggering 20,634 square feet of HD display – nearly a half-acre – with dimensions of 218 feet wide and 94.6 feet tall. The entire structure will stand nearly 125 feet above ground level and weigh more than 108 tons.
The display size will allow Texas Motor Speedway to pass its fellow Speedway Motorsports, Inc. facility – Charlotte Motor Speedway (16,000 sf) – as the owner of the world’s largest sporting venue hi-definition screen as well as outpace the Houston Texans’ Reliant Stadium that recently upgraded its facility with 14,549 square feet of HD video displays. Locally, it will be 79 percent larger than the video board at AT&T Stadium (11,520 sf), home of the Dallas Cowboys.
“We are extremely proud to have the world’s largest video board coming to TexasMotor Speedway as well as now having the top two largest in the world at our facilities,” Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Bruton Smith said. “This continues to show our company’s commitment to our great race fans and our efforts to remain at the forefront of our industry. (Texas Motor Speedway President) Eddie (Gossage) always tells me everything is bigger in Texas, so I wanted to make this video board fit his motto.”
Construction will begin following the Texas 500 NASCAR triple-header weekend and the project is scheduled for completion by March 2014.
Panasonic is responsible for the installation of many of the most monumental video boards in sports and entertainment, including three of the world’s largest screens in professional sports and in college football.
“We pride ourselves on the quality of our LED solutions and are pleased to partner with Texas Motor Speedway to provide this record-breaking video display that’s a perfect fit to an already spectacular speedway,” said Richard Ballard, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Panasonic Eco Solutions North America. “We all know that things are always bigger in Texas, and Texas racing fans should get ready for an experience of a lifetime as their senses will be heightened by the amazing graphics and content that the board will provide.”
We are in the day and age of the extravagant scoreboards and this Texas Speedway Scoreboard fits this pattern. The high definition scoreboard will bring another dimension to the fan experience and certainly raise the stakes for the other tracks on the NASCAR circuit.
It will certainly be interesting to monitor their progress and see if the Texas Speedway Track becomes a trend throughout NASCAR.