FORT WORTH, Texas -- There is a temptation, Helio Castroneves acknowledges, to glance to the right at "Big Hoss TV" on the backstretch of Texas Motor Speedway. There would be consequences, however, while traveling 215 mph.
This isn't the 50-inch HD in your man cave. Big Hoss TV features 20,633.64 square feet of HD LED display that consists of 4.8 million pixels and 281 trillion colors. The video board is the largest ever built by Panasonic and surpassed Charlotte Motor Speedway's display (16,000 square feet) as Guinness world record-holder for largest HD LED video board. It's 79 percent larger than the video board at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys in nearby Arlington.
"To have the biggest one in the world, this is another one of those everything-is-bigger-in-Texas stories," Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage said.
As teams were wrapping up prepping the cars June 5 for the Firestone 600 they were treated to a viewing of "Top Gun." It was like pulling into a drive-in movie to watch on a much larger (218 feet wide by 94.6 feet tall) screen.
“We have a video game in the truck. Can we set that up just to see what it looks like?” Tony Kanaan said.
Added Simon Pagenaud: "I would love to watch Ayrton Senna's pole-winning lap at the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix in 1990 on the Jerez circuit. That onboard lap is one of the best pieces of driving we'll ever see. Seeing it on 'Big Hoss' would make it feel like real life."
Castroneves, who attended the unveiling of Big Hoss TV in March, said he'd just like to see himself on the big screen while in Victory Circle.
Cindric finishes third in X Games event
Austin Cindric, the son of Team Penske president Tim Cindic and a full-time Mazda Road to Indy competitor in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, claimed the bronze medal in the GRC Lites class at the X Games in Austin, Texas.
Tim Cindric, who serves as race strategist for Verizon IndyCar Series championship points leader Will Power, attended the race before heading back to Texas Motor Speedway for the Firestone 600.
Of note
Juan Pablo Montoya led laps at Texas Motor Speedway for the first time since the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in 2011. ... Racing legends A.J Foyt (co-race strategist with son Larry for the No. 14 ABC Supply entry driven by Takuma Sato) and Johnny Rutherford (driver of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray pace car) participated in the event. They are the namesakes of the Foyt-Rutherford Trophy that is presented to the race winner. ... Will Power has led laps the past four races at Texas Motor Speedway.