The new scoring pylon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is bigger, bolder, brighter and a lot more flexible than its predecessor thanks to technological advancements. Think a horizontal video ribbon board in arenas turned on its side.
The new pylon a few yards south of the Yard of Bricks start-finish line on the 2.5-mile oval, was unveiled July 22. Manufactured by Panasonic, it features full LED panels on all four sides with multiple messaging, animation and video capabilities. Each side can be operated independently.
IMS President Doug Boles”We talked about putting it in for the Indianapolis 500 this year but postponed it because we wanted to take advantage of a technology leap,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway president J. Douglas Boles said.
Boles said the steel frame of the former scoring pylon, installed in 1994, and the wiring will be recycled. The numbers and light bulbs have been saved, and Boles said plans are being formulated to offer both for sale to the public. There were 6,496 30-watt bulbs in the former pylon, which possibly would make keepsake Christmas tree ornaments.
The new pylon stands 92, 2 inches — almost 2 feet taller than the former tower — and includes 5,220 LED panels.
“Nobody has one this tall,” Boles noted. “If you look at Homestead-Miami Speedway and some of the other tracks they’ll run the top 10 and and maybe rotate a few at the bottom. It allows us to generate more information for fans in their seats of what’s going on on the racetrack. I think the fans will see that we’ve paid close attention to our tradition but will give them a whole new experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”
The original 78-foot-tall scoring pylon, featuring the position of 33 cars for the Indianapolis 500, average speed indicator and lap counter, was erected in 1959 and was manually operated.
