The Hall of Fame dedicated to NASCAR has been years in the making and planning. Its recent opening in downtown Charlotte to kick off May raceweeks fell into a natural place. The inaugural first class was inducted the day after the All-Star Race to fill out the weekend prior to the 600. And the actual Hall that hosted all the festivities cut no corners in design or construction.

Like many area residents my family hosted out of town guests to visit the Hall and the Charlotte Motor Speedway. My parents made a 700-mile drive to the heart of NASCAR country for stock cars, barbecue, and a visit with their grandchildren.

The sharp, clean looking Hall Of Fame is located close to Center City. A large glass wall wraps around the structures front face. Visible from outside is Glory Road, a lineup of restored and preserved NASCAR iconic vehicles through the years.

Red Byrons original championship winning car leads the stationary parade. Richard Pettys dominant 1960s chassis has a leading slot. Bobby Isaacs Dodge soon follows. Famous 1980s machines of Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Jack Ingram, and Richie Evans fill positions midway through the field. Cars of Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson round out some of the later chronological lineup.

The race car display is mounted on a left handed curve showing different degrees of banking on some of NASCARs better known tracks. Byrons car is pretty flat while Johnsons is on a steep Talladega turn. Fans have a spot to step onto the track angles for photos. Do you think Martinsville or Loudon literally have flat corners? Visit the Hall of Fame and it is a chance to see how steep those corners actually are.

A separate room is set aside for current inductee memorabilia. This is adjoined to a skybox with an overhead view of Glory Road. Movie shorts running on a loop give a biography of the featured personalities also.

Technical displays show fans a good portion of a Cup cars components. Split and cut apart, it took me back to my former team mechanic positions. While not on a salary anymore, the shelves make me feel like I was back at work.

A trailer transporter is available to walk through and pit box war wagons are setup alongside. This gives fans a chance to see up close what they may never get to see and experience otherwise.

Pit crew experiences are designed to let entrants change tires, jack up, and refuel a car. Television and radio displays are designed to let people call their own race. Video and electronic interactive features are on each floor of the Hall.

There are childrens activities including building a Styrofoam engine, smaller pitcrew activities, and a competitive slot car race that teaches about horsepower.

Souvenirs are a natural conclusion that feature the 2010 inductees Earnhardt, Petty, Junior Johnson, Bill France Jr. and Sr. My daughter picked up a new stuffed puppy with an Intimidator logo and my father left with a new Petty hat.

A nice feature that is apparent while walking through is the appeal to both longtime and newer fans. A recent follower can see the current NASCAR stars while learning about the teams and drivers who got us all here through their years of toiling.

Auto racing is a major sport and NASCAR is by and large the most successful sanctioning body in the United States. Decades have passed while the sport has made strides to step from a regional activity to have a national following. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is another piece of the puzzle that has been missing along the journey. Charlotte could soon be named along with Cooperstown, Canton, and Springfield.