NASCAR Hall of Fame

[Woodduckdawg]

Any thoughts from any of you?





CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR's first Hall of Fame will be built in downtown Charlotte, within miles of the race shops and sprawling mansions that make the region an epicenter of the sport.

The selection of Charlotte as site for the $107.5 million hall ended a yearlong race against four other cities in which the city's leaders campaigned hard for an attraction expected to lure hundreds of thousands of NASCAR fans. Officials hope the hall will open in 2009.

"In the end, you look at what's going to be best in the long run," NASCAR chairman Brian France told a crowd of about 1,000 people at the city's convention center on Monday. "I'm happy to tell you today the NASCAR Hall of Fame is going to be right here in Charlotte, N.C."

The other finalists were Daytona Beach, Fla., and Atlanta, where city and state leaders hoped the hall would become an anchor of the city's downtown tourism initiative.
"As a guy, I'm disappointed. They decided to marry the girl next door," Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said. "We had a lot to offer. It could have been a great marriage."

Charlotte's proximity to the heart of the sport was cited repeatedly as a reason to put the hall in the city. Lowe's Motor Speedway, in suburban Concord, is home to the longest race on the Nextel Cup circuit, the Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600, and has long hosted NASCAR's annual all-star race.

Nearly all of the top race teams are headquartered in the cities and towns north of the city, and many top drivers own luxury condominiums in downtown Charlotte or palatial homes on nearby Lake Norman.

In billboards and bumper stickers distributed as part of the city's campaign for the hall, officials boasted, "Racing was built here. Racing belongs here" and "We Eat, Sleep & Breathe Racing."

[go24]

What Brian France wants, Brian France gets.

At least there'll be something to remember the way it used to be. You know when the race was won by the team that studied, tuned, and then DROVE to victory.

Now days they have HELD BACK the sport so all the teams can even out in technology, etc. The championship goes to the one who has the least # of untimely flats, engine failures, and wrecks caused by other competitors. Superior talent behind the wheel and in the shop has LITTLE to do with what happens on sunday

Of course this let's the various sponsors have their day in the spotlight. They are all happy getting a turn with the cup, but most of all, the folks who carry home a portion of the NASCAR profits are real happy.

Thanks, I feel much better now.

[stang67]

What Brian France wants, Brian France gets.

At least there'll be something to remember the way it used to be. You know when the race was won by the team that studied, tuned, and then DROVE to victory.

Now days they have HELD BACK the sport so all the teams can even out in technology, etc. The championship goes to the one who has the least # of untimely flats, engine failures, and wrecks caused by other competitors. Superior talent behind the wheel and in the shop has LITTLE to do with what happens on sunday

Of course this let's the various sponsors have their day in the spotlight. They are all happy getting a turn with the cup, but most of all, the folks who carry home a portion of the NASCAR profits are real happy.

Thanks, I feel much better now.

Very nicely stated. Could've used a comparison to WCW/WWF, IMO, but nice, nonetheless.

[Woodduckdawg]

My brother works for a company trying to gt the HOF to Atlanta, but C-town won out. He works with the crew making print ads and the web page to promote the venue. It would have made downtown Atlanta the place to be for various attractions. World of Coke, the new Aquarium, and NASCAR would have been headline attractions.

I would have went once in Atlanta, but I will not be driving to Carolina to see it when it opens. And I'm not even a big NASCAR fan.

[cwink]

IMO, it probably should be in Charlotte, just because that is where the hub of Nascar is...It is a good idea to have the HOF, but I probably wouldm't go even if it is in Atlanta... I would rather go the race instead