The new Big Hoss TV at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
The new "half-acre" HD sports video board at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth is about the lay claim to a record for size.
Created by Panasonic, the video board will contain 14 million LED lights that will produce 14.8 trillion different colors with 16 mm of space between pixels for a high-definition view. The cost of the project was not disclosed.
“We are pleased to partner with Texas Motor Speedway to design, build and install the record-breaking video screen that will offer its race fans 20,633.64 square feet of HD video – nearly a half-acre," said Richard Ballard, vice president of sales and marketing for Panasonic Eco Solutions North America, part of Panasonic Corp. of North America, based in Newark, N.J.
“Upon completion in time for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Texas 500, the 218-feet-wide by 94.6-feet-tall display will hold the title of the world’s largest sporting venue high-definition screen.”
Construction on the video board began last October and is scheduled to be completed by March 1. The unveiling will take place during the Texas 500 NASCAR double-header race week April 3-6.
“Since NASCAR races are so close together, we only had a short window to complete this project,” said Texas Motor Speedway president, Eddie Gossage. “The only issue we’ve had is getting the project completed the way we want it in the tight time frame. We will have time to work on the production and fix any kinks in the month before the Texas 500.”
Dubbed “Big Hoss TV,” construction of the 12-story-high, 108-ton video board is being documented online for fans with a time-lapse camera.
The video board will display live race leaderboard information, driver and race statistics, instant replays and interactive entertainment at the Fort Worth-based 1 ½-mile-long racetrack.
As part of the project, the speedway set up additional transformers as well as 42 fiber optic strands at the base of the video board.
A new control room also is being constructed above the grandstands that will include the additional equipment needed to broadcast on the new screen.
“We will have cameras for a clean television network feed without the graphics, since what will be broadcast on the big screen will differ from what’s being shown on television networks,” Gossage said.
Previously, to enhance fan viewing, the speedway utilized eight smaller video boards spread out around the venue.
“Because the footprint of our venue is larger than a stadium or arena, it is difficult for fans to catch all the fast-paced action,” Gossage said. “The previous boards were smaller and at a distance that was difficult for some people to view.”
Texas Motor Speedway is one of eight venues of this type owned by Speedway Motor Sports, a publicly-traded company that recently constructed a 200-by-92-foot Panasonic video screen at North Carolina’s Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Panasonic also is constructing a $12-million megascreen at Churchill Downs that will debut at the Kentucky Derby this May. The video board is 15,224 square feet, 171 feet wide, 178 feet high and 80 feet above the ground.
“Here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, there are high schools with giant video screens,” Gossage said. “It is our intention to throw down the gauntlet with ours.”
The speedway is currently seeking five sponsors as part of the project. “We won’t be running commercials on the video board, but will include company graphics as part of the broadcasts,” Gossage said.
In terms of the production process, the lower section of steel uprights is currently being moved into place and is expected to be completed by Jan. 21. The upper uprights immediately will follow and are scheduled for completion by Jan. 31. The electrical infrastructure also is underway and is expected to be completed this week. Power to the base of the video board is scheduled for completion by mid-January.
Once the skeletal structure is in place, the framework modules will be put in place through the first three weeks of February. The 83 giant module cabinets currently are being built at Jones Sign in De Pere, Wis., near Green Bay, and will be transported to Texas Motor Speedway upon completion. These cabinets serve as the frame for the LED modules that will follow in the next phase of construction.
“We’ve been really pleased with the progress of this project,” Gossage said.
Interviewed for this article: Richard Ballard, (201) 392-4571; Eddie Gossage, (817) 215-8524