As the old saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas – and Texas Motor Speedway’s Big Hoss TV is no exception.
At 218 feet wide by nearly 95 feet high – about 12 stories high (and roughly 20,633.34 square feet, give or take a couple of inches), Big Hoss is by far the largest high-definition LED video screen on earth.
According to Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Mac Engel, think of a TV screen that is bigger than two jumbo jetliners. Another way to look at it, Engel pointed out, is San Antonio’s Alamo – multiplied by nine – could fit inside Hoss’s screen.
And in a long-standing rivalry with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, TMS president Eddie Gossage wins this one hands down, as Big Hoss is nearly double – 9,000 square feet larger – than the so-called Jerry Vision at AT&T (formerly Cowboys) Stadium.
According to ESPNDallas.com, “To put that in perspective, the imagery on the board is 79 percent larger than the huge video board at AT&T Stadium, which will host the Final Four in three weeks.”
Ah, you’ve gotta love braggin’ rights, as they say in the Lone Star state.
To wow the media on hand for Wednesday night’s unveiling of Big Hoss, you would think Gossage would have at least replayed an episode of “Dallas,” maybe a testimonial to J.R. Ewing or something of the sort, to get folks in the mood, Texas-style.
But no, it will go down in history that the first video presentation ever seen on Big Hoss was … can I get a few quacks, please … a new episode of Duck Dynasty.
After all, the ZZ Top-looking stars of the show will be front and center during the upcoming Duck Commander 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race on April 6.
According to Engel, Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith, whose corporate empire owns TMS, “Under Eddie’s (Gossage) persistence, he wanted to outdo another TV screen here in Texas (Jones’). I finally surrendered. I caved in.”
That caving in reportedly cost well north of $20 million bucks, but as a multi-billionaire, the 87-year-old Smith can afford it.
And for those of you keeping count at home, Big Hoss is about 4,000 square feet larger than the 16,000 square foot video board at Smith’s flagship Charlotte Motor Speedway.
In a way, Big Hoss is a big gamble. NASCAR’s attendance has been dropping in recent years, with more fans choosing to stay home and watch races on TV.
In his adopted Texas drawl, Gossage is basically telling those stay-at-home fans to come on down to TMS, that they’ll feel like home with Big Hoss.
“With the big screen, you’re not going to miss a thing,” Gossage said. “Our intent, our hope, is that those folks who are thinking about watching on TV will come. There’s nothing like attending a live sporting event, but this means you won’t miss a thing. To me, this is like the ultimate fan amenity.”
And production of what fans will see on Big Hoss will be like that of a regular TV production, with five workers in a control room overseeing 16 cameras around the track, not to mention being able to show feeds from any number of in-car cameras during races, as well.
Built by Panasonic, Big Hoss reportedly can withstand pretty much anything thrown its way, including legendary Texas floods, tornadoes and even hurricane-strength winds up to 130 mph.
“We’ve got the 12-month warranty at Best Buy, so maintenance is covered,” Gossage quipped.
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