Good News for NASCAR HOF

Let me be the first to post something good about the NASCAR HOF in Charlotte, NC.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame (HOF), licensed by NASCAR, is back in the headlines.

The facility is the recipient of the 2012 About.com Charlotte Readers' Choice Award * for Best Museum in Charlotte. Other finalists in this category were: The Billy Graham Library, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte Museum of History, and the Mint Museum Uptown/Randolph.

Many fans do not realize that the NASCAR Hall of Fame ** is owned by the City of Charlotte. It opened on May 11, 2010, and was designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike. It was the second highest attended sports Hall of Fame in America its opening year.

The HOFs high-tech venue features high-octane fun with more than 50 hands-on stations, authentic NASCAR artifacts, and historic stock car exhibits. Visitors can actively get involved and practice a pit stop, walk through a full-size NASCAR Sprint Cup hauler, call a race, get behind the wheel in iRacing simulators, and more. Younger fans can get their hands-on experience in Kobalt Kids Zone and Race Weeks child-friendly pit stop challenge.

Photo Courtesy Paul Smith Z. Mom Smith With Junior Johnson

"Being voted Best Museum in Charlotte is a huge honor for the NASCAR Hall of Fame," said Winston Kelley, executive director for the 150,000 square-foot facility. "We are genuinely honored to receive such a prestigious award especially considering the remarkable array of museums that we are fortunate to have in Charlotte. This also helps validate the incredible and collaborative work from the huge team involved in designing and building the NASCAR Hall of Fame along with the superb staff we have who embrace each and every guest who we are honored to have as our guests."

NASCAR Race Mom happily visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame during the first week of December 2011. The site is opened to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- seven days a week. My husband and I arrived right as it opened. The staff proved to be very knowledgeable and friendly.

I enjoyed the historical racing artifacts and hands-on exhibits the most. My favorite was the banking exhibit. It even allowed you to walk up a 33-degree bank. I learned that a car can go faster on a banked turn than a flat turn, in part because the driver does not have to slow down as much going into the turn. Steeper banking equals higher speeds. However, I found it impossible to walk up the 33-degree bank without the assist of the hand rail.

Last January, the third annual NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony took place in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center. The third annual class of Inductees included Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Inman, Richie Evans, and Glen Wood.

Should you get the opportunity to visit Charlotte, North Carolina -- be sure to spend some time at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. There are a lot of things to see and enjoy. All the fans we interacted with during our trip appeared to be really blissful and in awe of all that NASCAR had to offer!

Very nice write-up Randy. Until that day we all went, I didn't know it was owned by the City of Charlotte but when I was talking with the young lady when we were leaving, she told me that. She told me that all the folks working there are City of Charlotte employees. Still hoping we can go again one day but I understand the conditions for that visit! Great seeing you in Columbia. I think I am still in awe over actually seeing that trophy from the 50s. Sort of a magical thing, like Aladdin's lamp, to be that close to something so historic and to read your newspaper clippings was just as awesome!

It is a great facility and going there with folks like you and Jimmie and the rest of the group make it all the more enjoyable. I might soften up a little on the "conditions" you mentioned and maybe so will some others. Can't wait for that day.

Nice to see the vote of confidence. The fact that the facility is indeed owned by The City of Charlotte, where I am an active taxpayer is one reason I have felt entitled to squawk so loudly.

I understand it is your right to squawk so loudly as a taxpayer and I really respect that right. But I am curious as to how much taxpayer support goes to the other museums mentioned in the article and iffolks squawk so much about them??

I don't appreciate sports franchises/teams getting their grand and glorious stadiums built on the taxpayer's dime but whats good for them must be good for racing as well. I had much rather it be in something like the NASCAR HOF than with Bruton asking the state of Tennessee for money for restrooms with progressive banking urnials so fans don't have to worry about splashback when they piddle at Bristol.

I am grateful there is another museum/HOF to see some of the bits of history reamining. We are lucky to have all ofthem and should do what we can to support themand insure they continue.

Randy, I agree wholeheartedly with all you say. For many years, we promoted our racing venues as the only major league stadiums where the fan paid 100% of the cost of the seat they sat in and not the taxpayer. Of, course, that is no longer true with all the government incentives funded by taxpayers at places like Kansas and infrastructure improvements around CMS.