Charlotte To Add World’s Largest HD Screen

Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday unveiled plans to install the world’s largest High Definition television screen at the track to be in place in time for next years' events in May.

In partnership with Panasonic, the track will begin work on the screen following next month's Bank of America 500. The screen, which will measure 200 feet wide by 80 feet tall and feature 720P visuals provided by nine million LED lamps, will be visible to fans sitting along the entire frontstretch of the 1.5-mile quad oval. The video board will feature live race coverage, as well as replays, sponsor advertisements and interactive entertainment.

The video screen is just the latest in a string of innovations pioneered by the track, which introduced the first NASCAR night race, the first 600-mile event as well as year-around on-site condominiums overlooking the track. "Charlotte Motor Speedway continually establishes itself as a pioneer when it comes to one-of-a-kind, over-the-top facility enhancements that change the game for motorsports fans," said Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman Bruton Smith. "Fans will see this like a gigantic television that will elevate the NASCAR experience in ways they have never dreamed. It will give them a view of the on-track action on the world's largest high-definition screen. The fans will feel closer than ever before to the cars and stars of NASCAR at each event."

The new video board will weigh over 165,000 pounds and its size will be nearly 25% larger than the current world-record holder – the $40 million, 160-by-72-foot video board at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Officials with SMI and Charlotte Motor Speedway declined to disclose the cost of their planned new addition.