Dale Jr. test drives the HDTV at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Photos by Genevieve Cadorette

With construction on the world's largest HDTV complete, Dale Earnhardt Jr. visited Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday to test out the high-definition TV screen with iRacing.com, a video racing game that’s exceptionally similar to the actual race tracks across America.

Charlotte is the first speedway to have an HDTV, which is 80 foot tall and 200 feet wide. It will debut on May 21st during the All Star Race.

Earnhardt Jr. spoke at the press-only event:

"Charlotte sets the standard for the rest of the tracks. They always do things first and do things the biggest and look, here we are today with another first from them. Charlotte holds a special place in a lot of drivers' hearts, mine included, and the big TV makes this place even more special.

"The Coca-Cola 600 is one of the best events we have all year long. Now fans can get a ticket to the race and have the experience of the live event with the comfort of their own TV at home with this big TV. This place just keeps getting better."

For those of you who would like to know the specifics of the HD television, the screen weighs 165,000 pounds and the steel frame that holds it together weighs 500,000 pounds; it has 158 panels and more than 9 million LED lamps to illuminate the Panasonic screen.

The screen is centered on the backstretch between turns two and three and visible to fans sitting on the frontstretch.

The screen will show the race, instant replays, leaderboard updates and entertainment.

At Tuesday's event, Marcus Smith, CMS president and general manager, had a chance to test out the screen with Earnhardt Jr. "This giant Panasonic HDTV will be a game changer for our fans on race day," Smith said. "It will give them a whole new way to experience a NASCAR event at Charlotte Motor Speedway."

For a full list of activities at the race week in Charlotte, be sure to check out www.charlottemotorspeedway.chttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifom. To purchase tickets for the All Star Race or Coca-Cola 600, call 1-800-455-3267(FANS).

Dale Jr. is still counting on your votes to win a chance to race in the 2011 Wild Wild West show. To vote for him or your favorite driver to get into the All Star Race, log on to the NASCAR website.


Genevieve Cadorette is a freelance writer living on Lake Norman, North Carolina, writing about JR Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Jr. You can also find her on Twitter at @88Summerstars.