From a press release issued by California Speedway:

Construction of Lighting Foundations Under Way

Southern California is known for its warm summer days and cool summer nights. It is a time when people play all day and relax and enjoy themselves into the nighttime hours. Labor Day weekend 2004 will present a new and exciting opportunity for race fans with a “Finish Under The Lights” Pop Secret 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at California Speedway on September 5th. Construction for next year’s event began along the backstretch at the two-mile superspeedway on Monday, October 13th.

The first of 74 holes along the speedway’s exterior was drilled 12-ft. into the ground. Inside each hole a concrete foundation will be placed and then surrounded by additional cement. This portion of the lighting construction is expected to continue through the end of October. These foundations will be the bases of lighting structures reaching as high as 70-feet.

Additional lighting structures will be placed atop the grandstands that will extend 50-feet up and atop the press box where roof structures will extend 9-10-feet up. Approximately 390 mirtran lighting structures will be placed behind the inside retaining wall throughout the infield to light up the remainder of the racing surface and infield areas. Mirtran lighting shines on the track at an angle and back, not in the driver’s eyes, and allows for light to come on to the track so there aren’t obstructions.

California Speedway’s 2004 season ticket packages, the Ultimate Season Package, the NASCAR Six-Pack Package and the Pick Your NASCAR Weekend Package, can be purchased by calling 1-800-944-RACE (7223) or at www.californiaspeedway.com.

Additional Lighting Facts:

Fixtures: 1500 estimated total

Light Poles & Structures: 78 poles with mounting heights from 50 feet to 150 feet tall. Includes 24-ft. pit road structures.

Light Bulbs: 1500 watt and 2000 watt metal halide

Electrical System: 3 million watts of power per hour*equivalent to the power of 20,000 blocks of standard residential street lighting.

Materials: 200 miles of wire; 400 tons of concrete; An estimated 42 semi-trailers will transport the highly technical lighting equipment to California Speedway.

Lighting: 300 million lumens of light. A lumen is a quantity measurement of light, used mostly in measuring the amount of light a lamp develops. A standard 1500-watt metal halide lamp provides 155,000 lumens or about 100 lumens per watt.