| MICHIGAN
INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Sunday,
June 15, 2008 on TNT
The
Future of Racing Scoreboards
Source:
Michigan International Speedway
PHOTO
CREDIT: MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Fan
polls and feedback with more than 11,000 race fans have
shown that one of the most frequent requests for improvement
at Michigan International Speedway is a new scoreboard.
Track
officials took this to heart and have built the newest,
state-of-the-art leaderboard in the world.
The
incredible, $2.35 million scoreboard touches the sky at
110 feet tall and features the latest in LED lighting
and graphics. Each of the three panels of the scoreboard
are roughly two times the size of a highway billboard
and will change the way race fans watch a race at MIS,
track President Roger Curtis said.
“The
old scoreboard pales in comparison to what the new one
is capable of,” Curtis added. “Besides being
really old, the technology in the old scoreboard was outdated
and repair parts were hard to find. It may be the end
of an era for the old technology here, but it is the beginning
of a new one for us and for our fans. We’re very
excited about the potential of this board and what it
will be able to do on a race weekend. MIS again is setting
the industry standard.”
The
video panels of the new scoreboard total 3,500 square
feet and are capable of producing millions of colors.
The new scoreboard will be able to feature an infinite
number of race positions at a time — a far cry from
the old scoreboard, which only showed the top-five positions.
Most
race fans are accustomed to a leaderboard simply showing
the positions of the drivers on the racetrack. The new
scoreboard is so much more than that and will change how
motorsports events are watched, Curtis said.
During
the race, track officials will use the scoreboard to not
only show the positions of the entire field, but will
use a graphics library to complement what’s on track
and what’s being viewed on the six Sprint Vision
giant screens at the speedway. For example, while the
race in under caution the scoreboard can be used to engage
and entertain the crowd with track facts and fun, interactive
games usually reserved for NFL, NBA and MLB events.
A
graphics library is being developed by Yesco, who is providing
the technical elements of the scoreboard. The scoreboard
was constructed by Don Bell Signs.
MIS
staff has gone to great lengths to ensure race fans will
be happy with the new scoreboard. Staff members spent
much of the day on Wednesday participating in a scoreboard
test around the grandstands. Each staff member went to
various seats throughout the 132,000-seat grandstand to
make sure the scoreboard could be viewed from all angles.
Guests of the infield may also watch the action of the
scoreboard.
“The
scoreboard is a significant investment for our fans and
we want to ensure that they have optimal viewing all around
the racetrack,” Curtis said.
Michigan
International Speedway tickets can fit anyone’s
budget. For its 40th anniversary in 2008, MIS is hosting
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock 400 on June 15 and
the 3M Performance 400 on August 17. Other events include
the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Cool City Customs 200
on June 14, the NASCAR Nationwide Series CARFAX 250 August
16 and the ARCA RE/MAX Series Michigan 200 June 13. Tickets
are available for all events, including qualifying days.
To
order tickets, pit passes, camping or hospitality packages,
call the MIS Ticket Hotline at 800-354-1010 or visit MISpeedway.com.
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to our
LifeLock 400 Race Coverage Index.
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Free Driving Directions to Michigan International Speedway
To
order tickets:
Call
the MIS Ticket Hotline
(800)
354-1010 or (517) 592-6672
Order
online 24/7 at www.MISpeedway.com
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