Construction Begins on World’s Largest HD Video Board at CMS

Construction crews using dump trucks and excavators have begun preparations for the debut of the world's largest HD video board at Charlotte Motor Speedway's 2011 May race events. Crews from Granite Contracting, of Concord, N.C., are using the heavy earth-moving equipment this week for the initial grading on the backstretch near Gate 25 where the gigantic, nearly 16,000-square-foot board will be located.

Designed and created by Panasonic, the approximately 200-foot-wide and 80-foot-tall screen will be centered along the backstretch between Turns 2 and 3, across from the start/finish line. Fans seated throughout the frontstretch from Turn 4 to Turn 1 will have clear viewing angles of instant replays, leaderboard updates and interactive entertainment displayed in 720P high-definition visuals. The screen will be illuminated by more than nine million LED lamps during each NASCAR race event at Charlotte Motor Speedway this spring, including the May 21 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the May 29 Coca-Cola 600.

To prepare the base of the construction site, approximately 18,000 cubic yards of dirt and 3,000 cubic yards of concrete will be removed during the month of January to bring the current grade down to the track wall level. The concrete will be removed during demolition of bleachers that were part of the speedway's original construction in 1960. Later this month, site work will include drilling 12 holes more than 50 feet deep for the installation of concrete piers to support the massive 165,000-pound structure.(images and ticket info at the CMS site