RacingNation.com
Home / NASCAR / LED Light Shortage? Not In Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Giant HDTV

LED Light Shortage? Not In Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Giant HDTV

CONCORD, N.C. (April 21, 2011) – Environmentally-conscious
consumers looking to switch to energy-efficient, light-emitting diode
(LED) lights in honor of Earth Day this Friday should be prepared for
delays. The bulbs may be out of stock at retail stores due to Charlotte
Motor Speedway’s construction of the world’s largest HD video board,
which will use more than nine million LED lights.

The lights will be in high demand until the completion of the
Panasonic video board that will debut May 21 at the NASCAR Sprint
All-Star Race.

LED lights can help reduce carbon emissions as they use up to 75
percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. The bulbs also
have a longer life, with each lasting about 15 times longer than an
incandescent bulb, reducing costs and energy to replace them.

While it might not actually cause a shortage, the HD video board
will use nine times more LED bulbs than the Carolina Christmas light
display, held at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the holiday season, and
nearly 280 times more LED bulbs than the Times Square Ball, used during
New Year’s Eve in 2010, which could be seen from 50 blocks away.

In addition to utilizing the most energy-efficient lights in the
world, Charlotte Motor Speedway will be host to other green initiatives
during May race weeks. The Toyota Camrys used to pace the field for
NASCAR events will be hybrid models rated at up to 35 miles per gallon
and the speedway also recycles several tons of material after each
event.

The 200-foot-wide by 80-foot-tall Panasonic video board will
eventually rise 110 feet above the track on a steel support structure
that weighs 500,000 pounds. The video board weighs 165,000 pounds for a
total structure weight of more than 332 tons.

The most recent construction phase on the world’s largest HD
video board started the first week of April and includes the
installation of 158 panels filled with LED lights that make up the
16,000 square foot screen. Thirteen sub-electric panels will also be
installed, each of which will power a “panel riser,” or a column of
panels.

The screen is 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.

In addition to the most energy-efficient lights in the world,
Charlotte Motor Speedway will implement other green initiatives during
May race weeks. The Toyota Camrys used to pace the field for NASCAR
events will be hybrid models rated at up to 35 miles per gallon and the
speedway also recycles more than 5,000 pounds of material after the
10-day span of events.

Also at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, all of the race cars
and trucks that take to the 1.5-mile superspeedway during the NASCAR
events will be powered by Sunoco Green E15, a 15 percent ethanol blend
fuel made with corn grown in the United States. The renewable fuel is
cleaner burning and results in lowered greenhouse gas emissions.

One hundred percent of the cleaning solvents, oil, fluids and
lubricants used by NASCAR teams during the events are recaptured and
re-used by Safety-Kleen. The company has been at race tracks around the
country collecting used oil for recycling since 1987.

Frontstretch tickets with the best views of the new HD video
board and pit road start at just $49 for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star
Race. Fans can also purchase two frontstretch tickets for just $99 to
the Coca-Cola 600 by calling the speedway ticket office at
1-800-455-FANS (3267) or online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Share Button