Display Technology

Charlotte Motor Speedway shares insights on installing one of Earth's biggest screens

Recently, Charlotte Motor Speedway installed a spectacular that measures in as one of the largest digital displays on earth. We reached out to the venue to learn more, as well as getting some background perspective from GoVision, which helped supply the display technology for this installation.

Image: GoVision

November 19, 2024 by Daniel Brown — Editor, Networld Media Group

Sports arenas and stadiums are a growing sector for digital signage, especially with an expanding number of players supplying the hardware and software for these installations.

Recently, Charlotte Motor Speedway installed a GoVision spectacular that measures in as one of the largest digital displays on earth at 200-feet-wide and 77-feet-high, weighing approximately 105,000 pounds.

We reached out to John Pitts, director of project management at Speedway Motorsports, to learn more, as well as getting some background perspective from Chris Curtis, founder at GoVision.

The Charlotte Motor Speedway perspective

Q: We've been told the new Charlotte Motor Speedway screen is one of the 30 largest on the planet! What was the inspiration for this massive installation?

Pitts: Since 2011, Charlotte Motor Speedway has been home to one of the largest HDTVs in the world. This project was conceived to refresh the existing screen with higher resolution and upgraded technology to offer a better fan experience.

Q: What inspired the choice of GoVision for this display?

Pitts: We wanted to collaborate with a leader in LED innovations. GoVision produces a superior product and understands challenges and intricacies of working with a project as unique as Charlotte Motor Speedway's 16,000-square-foot screen.

Q: What were the biggest challenges in the project?

Pitts: The biggest challenge with this project was working around the speedway's schedule of activities. GoVision couldn't start before the Coca-Cola 600 at the end of May and had to be done in time for the speedway to test and prepare for the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 NASCAR weekend in early October. In addition to working between NASCAR weekends, the speedway hosts a variety of track rentals and other events that required scheduling around.

Q: What are your biggest takeaways from the installation?

Pitts: The biggest takeaway from this project was the importance of working with a partner that is committed and passionate about over-delivering, who understands the importance of delivering on time (NASCAR races won't wait!) and who can problem-solve to stay on schedule.

Q: How are you handling the content side now that the screen is installed? Do you have a provider, or are you creating content in-house — and how are you approaching digital OOH advertising?

Pitts: It's a combined effort with in house add design, and graphox design with the help of Nascar productions for Race activities

Q: Can you tell us a bit more about your software selection for this project?

Pitts: We simplified the design to meet daily needs and Race event needs.

Q: What has been the fan reaction so far to the screen?

Pitts: Fans were immediately drawn to the higher resolution and brighter screen. It is a flagship attraction at the iconic facility. We heard nothing but positive reactions during the screen's debut at the Bank of America ROVAL 400 and are excited to continue to use the screen to its full capabilities in several upcoming events.

The GoVision perspective

Q: What were the unique challenges of this project?

Curtis: GoVision faced a handful of challenges through the project. the primary challenge in most of these projects is timeline. With CMS having two Major NASCAR Events a year in the spring and the fall the time to remove the old display and put up the new display is always compressed. From the day they said "Go" to race week was around 100 days. Pulling off manufacturing, shipping, demo and installation in that timeframe is a feat in itself.

Since we were replacing an already built display with a massive structure, we had to make sure to build the product and design the attachment structure to work with what already existed. This allowed us to reuse the original steel, and primary structure to fit an upgraded display into an existing design.

Q: What unique aspect of the installation are you most proud of?

Curtis: We are proud of our continued relationship with our amazing partners at SMI. This is the Third major installation with SMI in Motorsports. Bristol Motor speedway in 2016, Texas motor speedway in 2023 and now Charlotte motor speedway in 2024. GoVision is proud to own Motor sports from having two of the top 30 largest LED displays in the world; the one and only Colossus which is the largest outdoor center hung in the world at Bristol Motor Speedway as well as continuing to support many other tracks and races through our rental division. Motor sports has always been part of our history and continues to shine through year after year.

Q: Can you tell us more about the display tech used in this display, including factors like variable light conditions and weather?

Curtis: The product is a 16mm SMD pushing a 7,000 nit calibrated brightness. The product is designed to be extremely durable through all weather conditions. The display is the same product spec that we installed at Texas motor Speedway. With the overall scale of the screens pixel spacing and resolution was a factor in finding the right balance between clarity and not being too high of resolution to make the content creation difficult and nonstandard. The product cabinetry was looked at very closely at Texas motor speedway to create the ability to use the existing bolt hole from the original displays as well as matching the layout of the Charlotte motor speedway screen.

Q: What makes a motor sports installation like this unique from other venues and sports?

Curtis: The biggest factor in a motor sports installation is sheer size of the venue you're working in. The Charlotte motor speedway track (or competition surface) is 1.5 miles on the oval. This is almost 25 times larger than a football field. The display at CMS is over a third of a mile from the start finish line directly across the track. Dealing with those kinds of distances your footprint and display size has to be the main factor. You can't go "small" because of the vastness and openness of where the display will be, it will begin to disappear in the open space.

You're also dealing with nature elements you might not deal with in other arenas or stadiums. Screens like the one at Charlotte and Texas are fully exposed to the elements; the backstretch where these screens are located typically don't have any surrounding structures so there is really no protection from wind, rain, lighting etc. the display structure is also typically the tallest or largest structure in the area which is a great perch for birds to get a good view of the scenery.

The sport itself makes the venue unique. The cars are traveling so fast that they will create a vortex and wind pressure as they go pass you. This is something that everyone should experience at least once!

Q: Do you have any advice for arenas or venues considering a similar project in the coming year or two?

Curtis: Our main advice would be to focus on quality of the display and the level of service after the project is complete. There is a lot of noise in the display space right now and finding a quality partner that will stand by their product for years to come is becoming harder and harder. The experience in similar projects is key to long lasting success. Companies seem to come and go every day, so you want a partner that will be here for the long term while having the capability to maintain and service your display in years 4,5,6 plus.

Q: What is your top takeaway from this experience?

Curtis: Top takeaway from our experience is how proud of our team we are. Tight timelines, unique circumstances, and the ability to pull everything off without a hitch is very impressive and I couldn't be happier. When you have great customers, stick to a plan, and amazing partners make challenging projects as smooth as possible.

About Daniel Brown

Daniel Brown is the editor of Digital Signage Today, a contributing editor for Automation & Self-Service, and an accomplished writer and multimedia content producer with extensive experience covering technology and business. His work has appeared in a range of business and technology publications, including interviews with eminent business leaders, inventors and technologists. He has written extensively on AI and the integration of technology and business strategy with empathy and the human touch. Brown is the author of two novels and a podcaster. His previous experience includes IT work at an Ivy League research institution, education and business consulting, and retail sales and management.