Bowman Gray Stadium

The Challenge

NASCAR is dedicated to honoring its roots while continually evolving the auto racing experience for new generations of motorsports enthusiasts. The organization had that balance of history and innovation in mind when it announced it would open its 2025 NASCAR Cup Series at Bowman Gray Stadium, a track that remained active in grassroots racing but had not hosted a major-league event since 1971. With its return to Bowman Gray for “The Clash,” NASCAR saw the opportunity to create an unforgettable night of racing and leave a legacy for the stadium, which is also home to the football program at Winston-Salem State University, a historically black college and university (HBCU). To achieve these goals, the stadium would need a permanent LED lighting upgrade, as well as mobile LED lighting technology for enhanced broadcast quality and an elevated fan experience during The Clash.

The Solution

The NASCAR team reached out to Musco, a company with experience in night racing, for permanent and temporary lighting solutions that would enhance the stadium experience in the short- and long-term.

Place in NASCAR night racing history

Musco revolutionized motor sports in 1992 with the introduction of Mirtran™ lighting technology at Charlotte Motor Speedway – for NASCAR’s memorable “One Hot Night” race. Since that time the company has lit numerous NASCAR tracks, including Daytona, Bristol, and recently, North Wilkesboro, before helping to launch a new generation of night racing at Bowman Gray.

Enhanced safety and visibility

Musco designed a custom lighting system at Bowman Gray that retrofit Musco’s Total Light Control—TLC for LED™ luminaires onto the stadium’s existing poles. This upgrade provides drivers, athletes, and spectators with clean, uniform illumination throughout the stadium, quadrupling light levels on the track and nearly tripling light levels on the football field.

Energy efficiency

The new lighting system helps NASCAR and the City of Winston-Salem, which owns the stadium, to meet energy- and cost-efficiency goals by reducing energy consumption by about 35% compared to the previous metal halide technology.

Electrified race nights and game nights

Show-Light® Pro entertainment technology brings a range of pre-programmed special effects and custom show programming that will benefit night racing and the WSSU football program for years to come.

For an extra special atmosphere during The Clash in February 2025, four of Musco’s mobile Musco Light™ Show Technology units provided supplementary broadcast lighting and colorful (RGBA) light show features. The units were remotely synchronized with each other, and with the permanent lighting system, to provide an immersive and unforgettable return to night racing at Bowman Gray.