NASCAR Announces inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame: NASCAR announced the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame today [Wednesday, October 14, 2009] that includes: Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson and Richard Petty. The NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, consisting of members of the Nominating Committee along with 29 others representing NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, major race track ownership groups, retired drivers, owners and crew chiefs along with motorsports media representatives, met in a closed session in Charlotte, N.C. to vote on the induction class of 2010.
The class was determined by the 51 votes cast by the panel and the nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.COM. The accounting firm of Ernst & Young presided over the tabulation of the votes. The Class of 2010 will be officially inducted in a ceremony on May 23, 2010 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. The results of the voting for the final five chosen in this inaugural class proved competitive. Also receiving votes were David Pearson, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison.
As part of the inclusive voting process, more than 670,000 NASCAR fans submitted votes online at NASCAR.COM as part of the fan voting process. This remarkable fan feedback once again demonstrates fans’ passion and knowledge of the sport and its heritage. The fans voted Petty, Earnhardt, Bill France Sr., Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison as their top five.
The nominees included many of the sport’s legendary names: Bobby Allison, Buck Baker, Red Byron, Richard Childress, Dale Earnhardt, Richie Evans, Tim Flock, Bill France Jr., Bill France Sr., Rick Hendrick, Ned Jarrett, Junior Johnson, Bud Moore, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Richard Petty, Fireball Roberts, Herb Thomas, Curtis Turner, Darrell Waltrip, Joe Weatherly, Glen Wood and Cale Yarborough.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame broke ground in Charlotte on Jan. 25, 2007 and will open May 11, 2010. The facility honors the history and heritage of NASCAR and the many who have contributed to the success of NASCAR.
Highlighting the Class of 2010:
Dale Earnhardt
Earnhardt co-holds the record for most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships (seven) with Richard Petty. In only his second full season, 1980, Earnhardt nabbed his first championship. He won consecutive titles on three separate occasions (1986-87, ’90-91 and ’93-94). Earnhardt’s 76 victories rank seventh all-time. He is the all-time leader in race victories at Daytona International Speedway with 34, though the most prominent of them was a while in the making. In 1998, Earnhardt won his most coveted race – the Daytona 500. The scene was a memorable one, forever etched in the minds of race fans. As Earnhardt’s black #3 rolled down pit road, a Daytona 500 winner at last, every crew member from every team lined up to congratulate one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history.
Bill France Sr.
Called “Big Bill,” only partly because of his 6-foot-5 stature, France spearheaded NASCAR from its beginning and directed it to its present status as the world’s largest stock-car racing organization. In 1936, he helped lay out the first beach/road course in Daytona Beach; in the first race on the course he finished fifth. Starting in 1938, he helped promote races on the sands of Daytona Beach. In 1947, France became the driving force behind the establishment of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. NASCAR, it was called, resulting from a famous meeting at the Streamline Hotel on State Road A1A in Daytona Beach – a structure that stands to this day, as a racing landmark. “Big Bill” France passed away in June 1992. He left behind a lasting legacy.
Bill France Jr.
William Clifton France is remembered – and revered – as the man who followed his visionary father at NASCAR’s helm, in the process becoming a visionary himself, as he guided NASCAR to unprecedented levels of popularity. France became NASCAR’s president in January 1972, replacing his father and becoming only the second president of the world’s largest auto racing sanctioning body. His emergence coincided with the sport’s emergence, and its eventual ascent to become America’s No. 1 form of motorsports and the nation’s second-most popular sport overall. France, often referred to as “Bill Jr.,” remained president until November 2000. At that time, France announced the formation of a NASCAR Board of Directors on which he served as chairman and CEO until October 2003 when he was replaced by his son, Brian Z. France. After that, he continued to serve the sport for the remainder of his life as NASCAR Vice Chairman.
Junior Johnson
Robert Glenn “Junior” Johnson is unique in NASCAR history, with tremendous success both as a driver and a car owner. Johnson won the second annual Daytona 500 in 1960 and in the process, became credited with the discovery of “drafting” on the massive superspeedways. He won 50 races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series then surprised many people by retiring from driving to become an owner. As an owner, Johnson never missed a beat; through the years, his drivers won 132 races. There also were six series championships produced with Cale Yarborough (1976-78) and Darrell Waltrip (1981-82, ’85). Named one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998, Johnson resides in Wilkesboro, N.C., and remains one of the sport’s most enduring – and endearing – personalities, at the age of 78.
Richard Petty
Known as “the King”, Richard Petty’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series records are staggering: Most wins (200), most poles (123), tied for most championships (seven), most wins in a season (27), most Daytona 500 wins (seven), most consecutive wins (10) and most starts (1,185).
Petty’s success continued even after his retirement from driving in 1992. He would still hold the top spot in the family business – Petty Enterprises, and now, Richard Petty Motorsports. In all, Petty Enterprises totaled 268 victories.(NASCAR)(10-14-2009)
2010 NASCAR Hall of Fame page: with bios and links:
The 2010 NASCAR Hall of Fame Class page.
NASCAR Hall of Fame ticket and membership details:
On sale Date: 9:00am/et Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009
How to Purchase:
By Phone: 877-231-2010
Online: www.nascarhall.com
On-site: Box office will open in the spring of 2010.
Types of Tickets:
General Admission: Adult, Senior, Military, Children
Charter Memberships: Six levels detailed below
Group packages: For groups of 15 or more; discounted rates available depending on type and size of groups.
*The NASCAR Hall of Fame is a timed-entry facility; guests must select the date and time of their visit when purchasing a ticket.
Parking Discounts:
The NASCAR Hall of Fame Parking Deck (Brevard Street entrance) will offer a 25% parking discount with the purchase of a NASCAR Hall of Fame ticket. This offer is subject to parking availability.
General Admission Prices:
Adult $19.95
Seniors (60 and up) $17.95
Military $17.95
Ages 5 – 12 $12.95
Under 5 Free
Tickets purchased online or via phone will be discounted $1 per ticket.
Charter Memberships:
Rookie Racer (ages 5 - 12) - $25
Crew Chief (Individual Membership) - $50
Pit Crew Family Pack (Family Membership) - $150
Winner’s Membership - $250
Champion’s Membership - $500
Legend’s Membership - $1,000
More info at www.nascarhall.com.(10-8-2009)
Hall of Fame Inductees Announcement Wednesday: This Wednesday will be a day to remember in NASCAR history as the first class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be announced. The voting panel will meet early that day and begin their deliberations of the 25 nominees. At 4:00pm/et, the votes will have been tabulated by an accounting firm and NASCAR Chairman Brian France will announce the five names live on SPEED TV. Then next May, NASCAR will hold its first-ever enshrinement.(Fox Sports)
AND: ESPNEWS will have live coverage on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 4 p.m. ET as the first five inductees into the new NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., are announced. NASCAR Chairman Brian France will reveal the names of the first five in a news conference at the Charlotte Convention Center adjacent to the site of the under-construction Hall of Fame. NASCAR Now host Mike Massaro will host the telecast with ESPN NASCAR analyst Brad Daugherty. Following the news conference, more reports and analysis of the announcement will air on NASCAR Now at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.(ESPN PR)
For the complete list of nominees, see my NASCAR Hall of Fame page.(10-13-2009)
NASCAR Hall of Fame releases opening details: NASCAR Hall of Fame officials announced many of the highly anticipated details regarding visits to the new 150,000-square foot interactive, entertainment attraction under construction in uptown Charlotte, N.C., including ticket information, charter memberships, a national sweepstakes, operating hours and the date for the inaugural Induction Ceremony. Tickets and charter memberships for May 11, 2010 and beyond go on sale at 9 a.m. EDT Oct. 14, coinciding with the historic voting day to determine the first class of inductees in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. That illustrious first class will be formally inducted in a ceremony at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2010. Ticket prices are $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for military and seniors (60+), $12.95 for children 5 - 12 and free for children under 5. The on-site box office is scheduled to open in the spring of 2010. In the meantime, tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 877-231-2010 or www.nascarhall.com. Customers who purchase through Ticketmaster will receive a $1 per ticket discount. In addition to individual tickets, six levels of charter memberships are available. Members will receive a host of benefits, and if their membership is purchased by May 10, 2011, they also will receive a charter designation and commemorative items to mark their unique status as a first-year member. The NASCAR Hall of Fame will operate on a timed-entry system; guests must select a specific day and time for their visit at the time of purchase. Beginning May 11, 2010, the venue will operate seven days a week with base hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday - Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. It will be closed on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hours may be extended during summers, race weeks and prominent Uptown Charlotte events.(NASCAR Hall of Fame PR)(10-7-2009)
Inaugural NASCAR Hall Of Fame Class to be Announced October 14: NASCAR announced that “Voting Day” for the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be Oct. 14 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C. The NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, consisting of members of the Nominating Committee along with 29 others representing NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, major race track ownership groups, retired drivers, owners and crew chiefs along with motorsports media representatives, will meet in a closed session to deliberate and vote on the 25 candidates eligible for this first class. The vote will be followed by a press conference announcing the inaugural class of 2010. The class will be chosen from the 51 votes cast by the panel and the nationwide fan vote – which ends Sept. 27 – conducted through NASCAR.COM. The accounting firm of Ernst & Young will preside over the tabulation of the votes. The hall’s inaugural class will consist of five members and are scheduled to be enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in May 2010.(NASCAR), more infomation about the NASCAR Hall Of Fame on my NASCAR Hall of Fame page.(9-15-2009)
Nominees Announced For Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction: NASCAR announced a history-rich list of 25 nominees for the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame induction class. From that list, five inductees will be chosen via a process that includes a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.COM; the inductees will be announced in October and honored next May at the new Hall of Fame facility in Charlotte, N.C. The nominees, which include many of the sport's legendary names, were selected by a 21-person nominating committee consisting of representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and track owners from both major facilities and historic short tracks. The HOF's first inductees will be determined by the Voting Panel, which has 50 members -- the entire Nominating Committee, 14 media members, four manufacturer representatives and nine retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs -- three each) and two recognized industry leaders. In addition, the fan vote will result in the Voting Panel's 51st and final ballot. Following are the 25 individuals who have been nominated:
- Bobby Allison, 1983 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and winner of 84 races
- Buck Baker, the first driver to win consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
- Red Byron, first NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, in 1949
- Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
- Dale Earnhardt, won record seven NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
- Richie Evans, nine-time NASCAR Modified champion
- Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
- Bill France Jr., NASCAR president, chairman and CEO (1972-2003)
- Bill France Sr., NASCAR founder and first president (1948-1972)
- Rick Hendrick, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
- Ned Jarrett, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
- Junior Johnson, 50 wins as a driver, 132 wins and six championships as an owner
- Bud Moore, 63 wins and two NASCAR Sprint Cup titles as a car owner
- Raymond Parks, NASCAR's first champion car owner
- Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
- David Pearson, 105 victories and three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
- Lee Petty, winner of the first Daytona 500 and first three-time series champion
- Richard Petty, 200 wins and seven NASCAR Sprint Cup titles -- both records
- Fireball Roberts, won 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 1962 Daytona 500
- Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, 1951 and '53
- Curtis Turner, first to win Daytona 500, Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600 in same year
- Darrell Waltrip, winner of 84 races and three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
- Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
- Glen Wood, as driver, laid foundation for Wood Brothers' future team success
- Cale Yarborough, winner of three consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles, 1976-78
(NASCAR PR)(7-2-2009)
NASCAR to Announce Inaugural Nominees For Hall Of Fame UPDATE: The NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class will take a significant step towards realization Thursday night when the first 25 nominees will be revealed. The announcement will take place during an hour-long special on SPEED at 8:00pm/et that will be hosted by long-time NASCAR broadcaster Ken Squier. The Hall of Fame Voting Panel, which includes a fan-vote element, will then choose the first class of inductees – five NASCAR greats who will be honored next May at the new NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C. The elite 25 names were determined by a 21-person Nominating Committee that consists of officials from both NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, plus owners/operators of major speedways and historic short tracks. The list represents many who helped build the sport, including drivers, owners and promoters.(NASCAR)(6-29-2009)
UPDATE: NASCAR Says, a blog of NASCAR.com, blogs this week that will provide some “sneak peeks” at the inaugural list of nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The first two sneak peaked are lengendary drivers Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.(NASCAR Says)(6-30-2009)
UPDATE 2: two more nominee's Glen Wood and Richard Childress. Both were drivers originally, who switched their concentration to team ownership. Both ended up having some of NASCAR’s biggest stars drive their cars. On Thursday the entire 25-person list will be known.(NASCAR Says)(7-1-2009)
UPDATE 3: Lee Petty and Cale Yarborough have made the list of nominees for the first NASCAR Hall of Fame induction class. Petty was the first driver to win three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships. Yarborough was the first driver to win the championship three consecutive years.(NASCAR Says)(7-2-2009)
NASCAR Hall of Fame announces opening date: The NASCAR Hall of Fame announced May 11, 2010 as the official grand opening date for the state-of-the-art facility under construction in Charlotte, N.C. “This is a very exciting time in the development of the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” said Winston Kelley, Executive Director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “We’re less than a year away from opening the doors that will give visitors an unparalleled experience of the energy, excitement, technology and incredible history of NASCAR – a sport that is so closely tied to our city, our region and our rich heritage in racing.” As part of the announcement, the NASCAR Hall of Fame unveiled three new artifacts that will be featured in the facility when it opens next year. Included among a host of interactive displays, exhibits and artifacts will be the blazer that Ned Jarrett wore while he commentated the 1993 Daytona 500 in which his son, Dale, staved off Dale Earnhardt to claim his first Daytona 500 win. The artifact represents the close family ties within NASCAR, a sport in which fathers, sons, brothers and cousins race with each other, for each other and against each other. To date, the NASCAR Hall of Fame has announced two major artifacts for display in the Hall – the Plymouth Belvedere that Richard Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967, and an epic collection of NASCAR awards and memorabilia donated by Raymond Parks, including the first NASCAR trophy ever awarded a team. Exhibits that will showcase artifacts such as these at the NASCAR Hall of Fame are currently under development. The NASCAR Hall of Fame will launch a comprehensive sales campaign this fall, including ticket and membership sales, and will feature the marketing tagline “Where the race lives on.” The NASCAR Hall of Fame broke ground in Charlotte on January 25, 2007 and will open May 11, 2010. The facility will honor the history and heritage of NASCAR and the many who have contributed to the success of NASCAR. The Hall of Fame will comprise 150,000 square feet, including exhibit space, state-of-the-art theater, a Hall of Honor that will house the commemorations of Hall of Fame inductees, numerous interactive entertainment experiences, a themed restaurant, retail outlet, and a modern media center for the industry. The Hall will be owned by the City of Charlotte and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.(NASCAR HOF)(6-19-2009)
THE VOTING PANEL
Prospective Members Of Nominating Committee, Voting Panel Announced For Inaugural NASCAR Hall Of Fame Class: NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France has sent letters of invitation to 50 people asking them to serve on the NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominating Committee and/or Voting Panel. The hall’s inaugural class, consisting of five members, is scheduled to be enshrined in May 2010. That class will be selected by the Voting Panel from a list of 25 candidates assembled by a 21-person Nominating Committee.
The Voting Panel will consist of the members of the Nominating Committee and 29 others from throughout the NASCAR industry. There also will be one more ballot, decided by a nationwide fan vote, for a total of 51 Voting Panel ballots. Prospective members of the Nominating Committee represent NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, major race track ownership groups and operators of historic short tracks. Those members are listed below.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
NASCAR Hall of Fame: Director Winston Kelley; Historian Buz McKim.
NASCAR Officials: Chairman/CEO Brian France; Vice Chairman Jim France; Senior Vice President Paul Brooks; President Mike Helton; Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton; Vice President of Communications Jim Hunter; Competition Administrator Jerry Cook; former Vice President Ken Clapp.
Track Owners/Operators: International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa Kennedy; Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell; Speedway Motorsports Incorporated CEO Bruton Smith; Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark; Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George; Dover Motorsports CEO Denis McGlynn; Pocono Raceway owner Doc Mattioli; Bowman Gray Stadium operator Dale Pinilis; Greenville-Pickens Speedway operator Tom Blackwell; Riverhead Raceway operators Jim and Barbara Cromarty (1 vote); Toyota Speedway at Irwindale operator Jim Williams.
The prospective 29 people slated to join the Nominating Committee members on the Voting Panel follow:
VOTING PANEL
National Motorsports Press Association: Kenny Bruce, NASCAR Scene; Dustin Long, Landmark Newspapers/NMPA President; Mike Harris, Associated Press; Nate Ryan, USA Today; Jim Pedley, RacinToday.com; Duane Cross, NASCAR.com.
Eastern Motorsports Press Association: Ernie Saxton, EMPA President.
American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association: Dusty Brandel, AARWBA President.
Broadcasters: Mike Joy, FOX; Bill Weber, TNT; Jerry Punch, ESPN; Barney Hall, MRN; Doug Rice, PRN; Rick Allen, SPEED.
Manufacturers: Chevrolet – Ed Peper, Vice President/General Manager North America; Ford – Edsel B. Ford II, Board of Directors; Dodge – Mike Accavitti, Director of Dodge Brand Global Marketing, Motorsports; Toyota – Lee White, President/General Manager, Toyota Racing Development USA.
Retired Drivers: Ricky Rudd; Harry Gant; Ned Jarrett.
Retired Car Owners: Bud Moore; Cotton Owens; Junior Johnson.
Retired Crew Chiefs: Barry Dodson; Waddell Wilson; Buddy Parrott.
Industry leaders: Former Lowe’s Motor Speedway President Humpy Wheeler, former motorsports journalist Tom Higgins.
NASCAR Managing Director of Corporate Communications, Ramsey Poston coordinated many of the details for the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction process. Poston sought the advice and guidance of the late David Poole of the Charlotte Observer and SIRIUS Satellite Radio.
Voting, to include a fan vote, will be completed by October 2009 with the results announced soon after.(NASCAR PR)(4-30-2009)
PAST NEWS......
The NASCAR Hall of Fame will honor NASCAR icons and events, and create an enduring tribute to the drivers, crew members, team owners and others that have impacted the sport in the past, present and future. Now, NASCAR fans have the opportunity to personally honor the history of NASCAR and its legends by purchasing a Commemorative Brick at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Buy a Brick - click here
NASCAR Hall of Fame gets approval for companies to produce exhibits: Charlotte City Council unanimously approved $17.7 million worth of contracts Monday night for four companies to produce exhibits for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The city owns the hall of fame under a licensing agreement with NASCAR, and all contracts must be approved by the council. The total exhibit budget is $31 million. Kubik Maltbie will be the primary fabricator and installer of all exhibits. Its contract, including $1 million in contingency fees, is $9,991,527. Kubik Maltbie’s original asking price was just over $11 million before negotiations with the city. The firm’s past work includes projects at the Smithsonian Institution and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Electrosonic Inc. will do all of the audio-visual components and provide an on-site technician for one year for $6,652,859, including contingency fees of $500,000. Electrosonic’s original bid was about $6 million but did not include $1 million for a video screen and sound on the building’s exterior. Electrosonic, which has collaborated with Kubik Maltbie on numerous projects, has a long list of clients, including The Weather Channel sets, the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center and the World of Coca-Cola. Two much smaller contracts also were approved.(Scene Daily)(4-15-2009)
NASCAR Hall of Fame hires operations manager: The NASCAR Hall of Fame has named Steve Burrell as operations manager. In this role, Burrell will be responsible for all daily operating functions for the Hall of Fame, including developing policies, procedures and a work environment that ensures exceptional customer service. He will plan, direct and supervise daily operations including guest services, event management, volunteer coordination, emergency procedures and security. Burrell has more than 14 years experience in the entertainment and tourism industry with Carowinds where he served as the loss prevention manager, paladium and campground manager in addition to operations manager. He also sat on the North Carolina Amusement Advisory Committee as well as the Education Committee for the American Industry for Maintenance and Safety. Burrell also has experience as the corporate safety and chief ethics officer for a government contractor with sites throughout the United States.(NASCAR PR)(3-11-2009)
- NASCAR Legend Donates Memorabilia: Raymond Parks was racing before NASCAR existed. A Georgia native, Parks was the car owner of the first NASCAR race winner. He is a two-time NASCAR champion and swept every race run on Daytona Beach. To say he was instrumental in building the foundation of NASCAR racing is probably a vast understatement. And Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Parks and his wife Violet announced that he would be donating has vast collection of trophies and race memorabilia to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which is expected to open in 2010 in Charlotte, NC. “I think I was 11 years old when we run our first Cup race in ’49, and Mr. Parks had already been there a couple of years,” seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Richard Petty said. “He was the class of the field; he kind of set the standard. When racing first started, it was pretty rough. Mr. Parks brought class. It took people like Mr. Parks to lay the foundation we’re still working off of.” Now 94 years old, Parks did not speak during the 20-minute press conference, but he and his wife posed for photos with the commemorative brick they were presented by Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley. The brick will be placed outside the new Hall of Fame in tribute to Parks’ many contributions to racing.“Raymond doesn’t have any living children, so to preserve this collection, we needed to put it somewhere it was going to be taken care of,” Violet Parks said Saturday. “It’s important to have it in the museum. This memorabilia has always been very important to Raymond.” In fact, the collection survived a fire on the couple’s property in 2002. It includes 29 trophies from the earliest days of NASCAR racing.(AMS Pit Notes)(3-8-2009)
- NASCAR HoF 60% Complete: Work on the $195 million NASCAR Hall of Fame is 60% complete and on schedule for a spring 2010 opening, the city’s project manager said Tuesday during a tour of the construction site. Eric Bilsky, project manager on the hall of fame for the city of Charlotte, says contractor Turner BE&K Davis remains on budget. In September, costs increased by 20%, or $32 million, as the hall of fame’s operator, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, requested and won City Council approval for money to upgrade planned exhibits and add architectural flourishes. Tuesday’s tour came amid scaffolding, girders and 400 construction workers scrambling to maintain the construction pace. Most of the roof has been applied and, in the months ahead, substantive interior work will begin. By fall, exhibit installation should begin, Bilsky says. In May 2010, the hall of fame opens with the inaugural induction ceremony.
“We’re building this to help the economy,” Mayor Pat McCrory said moments before raising the ceremonial beam as part of a topping out ceremony at the Second Ward construction site. “That was always the goal.” McCrory expects the hall of fame to bolster the city’s ailing tourism sector while cementing the region as the hub for NASCAR teams and related businesses. More than 60,000 people in the region work in the tourism sector, an industry crippled by reduced corporate and lesiure travel during the past year. Workers broke ground on the 130,000-square-foot hall of fame in January 2007. An adjoining, 40,000-square-foot convention center ballroom is also under construction on the same site. An adjacent tract houses the 20-story, $90 million NASCAR Plaza office tower. It opens in May.(Charlotte Business Journal)(2-18-2009)
- How the NASCAR HOF business will be conducted: How the process is expected to work for nomination and election to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, scheduled to open in 2010 in Charlotte, N.C.:
Eligibility
In general, drivers as well as other candidates will be considered eligible after 10 years of competition or work in the industry. But careers of shorter duration can be considered under unusual circumstances. Individuals must be retired from the sport for at least three years.
Nominating committee (20 members)
Who: Seven top-ranking NASCAR officials (chairman of the board, president and five vice presidents); the NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director and its historian; two track owner representatives from International Speedway Corp. tracks, two from Speedway Motorsports tracks, one from Indianapolis, one from Dover and one from Pocono, and one representative from each of four historic short tracks - Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina, Riverhead in New York and Irwindale in California.
How: Must nominate no more than 25 candidates by June each year.
Voting committee (47 members plus a fan vote)
Who: Members of the nominating committee plus 14 media representatives (three each from the National Motorsports Press Association, the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Eastern Motorsports Press Association and one each from Fox, Turner, ESPN, Motor Racing Network and Performance Racing Network); one representative from each manufacturer, and three retired drivers, three retired owners and three retired crew chiefs. Fans will vote between June and Sept. 1 and their selections will count as one vote in the process.
When: Voting will be completed by Sept. 15.
Election and induction
The top five vote-getters each will be elected to the Hall of Fame. Ties will be broken by the Hall of Fame nominating committee. The class is scheduled to be announced in October with induction the following May.
'Founding Members'
NASCAR's board of directors will designate a special exhibit honoring those who helped build the sport from its roots to current-day accomplishments that will be part of the Hall of Fame when it opens in 2010. These members will be permanently recognized at the Hall and additional members can be added in the future. Those selected among the "founding members" can also be nominated for election to the Hall of Fame.(Charlotte Observer), see more about the NASCAR HOF on my NASCAR Hall of Fame News and Links page.(1-19-2009)
- 12 Chase Drivers get their own NASCAR HOF bricks: The top 12 drivers in the Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship helped pave the way for the new NASCAR Hall of Fame during the Championship Week in New York last week. The NASCAR Hall of Fame awarded the drivers with their personalized brick marking their final standing in the 2008 season. The unique bricks will be installed in the Ceremonial Plaza at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte when it opens in 2010. The NASCAR Hall of Fame Commemorative Bricks can be ordered online at www.NASCARHall.com/brick or at 888.NHF-BRKS (888.643.2757).(PR)(12-10-2008)
- Who gets in the NASCAR HOF? survey says... The first inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame won’t be enshrined until the week leading into Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s annual all-star race in May 2010, leaving time for more than a year and a half of debate. Who will be in that hallowed group? Rick Houston's Stockcarhistoryonline.com recently conducted a survey of nearly 30 well-known motorsports competitors, journalists and officials, groups that could have a say in the matter when it actually counts. They were asked very simply … you’ve got five picks. Who gets in? See full story and who chose who at stockcarhistoryonline.com.(12-8-2008)
- Latest News on the NASCAR Hall of Fame: The NASCAR Hall of Fame, scheduled to open in May 2010, includes a “ribbon” that wraps around part of the building in its design, invoking the speed of a race track. Eventually, lighting embedded in the stainless steel walls will appear to move along the curve. On a windy Friday, the skeleton of the museum and a ballroom were visible, as well as the beginnings of a bridge that will connect the Hall of Fame to the Convention Center next door. A private office building on the site is closer to completion. It is scheduled to open in the spring of 2009 and house NASCAR's media group as well as other tenants.
The $209.8 million Hall of Fame construction project – which does not include the office building – includes $195 million from the city, paid for mostly through a hotel/motel tax. Lauth Properties, a private developer, is paying $14.8 million for the parking deck. Through September, about 28 percent of the total budget had been spent, according to a monthly construction update produced by the city.(Charlotte Observer), see a slideshow at the Observer - click here and past news about the NHOF on my NASCAR Hall of Fame page.(11-23-2008)
- Two developers halt plans near NASCAR hall: In a sign of the faltering economy, two developers have pulled out of land deals that city officials hoped would help pay for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. City staff members say the broken contracts will not hurt the NASCAR hall, however, because of safeguards that ensure it has secure funding and is built on time. They also believe that when the real estate market gets better, the city will have no trouble selling the land. The land deals were on two parcels that will become available once a redesign of the Interstate 277 interchange at South Caldwell Street is complete next year. The city plans to sell a total of five such parcels – about 12 acres – and estimates it will pull in about $60 million from the sales. Some of the money will pay for the road construction, and $20 million is committed to the NASCAR hall.(Charlotte Observer)(11-9-2008)
- NASCAR Hall of Fame Chooses First Petty Piece: NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley announced that the Petty Blue 1967 Plymouth Belvedere from Petty Enterprises is “the first significant artifact” publicly presented by the hall. ‘The King’ Richard Petty drove the Plymouth to more wins than any other car in NASCAR history. During the 1967 season, Petty won 27 races, including a NASCAR-record 10 in a row. The car, however, was actually a 1966 Plymouth Belvedere that was updated through 1967. In all, the dominate machine tallied 36 wins from 1966-67. It will be on loan for two years from the Richard Petty Museum in Randleman, N.C. Kelley acknowledges that picking a Petty artifact as the first significant piece was one of the easiest choices he has made as executive director. More info about the NASCAR Hall of Fame at nascarhall.com.(MCG Sports/Petty Enterprises PR)(10-11-2008)
- Charlotte City Council approves more money for NASCAR Hall: The Charlotte City Council agreed Monday to increase the NASCAR Hall of Fame budget by $32 million to boost exhibits and pay for unexpected building costs. The 9-2 decision came after council members chastised city staff and other hall planners for not telling them sooner about the price hike. Council members complained of early, “lowball” estimates of the exhibit costs. They asked how the extra money would help attendance. And they said they felt trapped. The vote brings the project's total cost to $195 million – all of it paid for by a mix of hospitality taxes and money from land sales. Most of the project's funding comes from a hotel room tax that can not be used for anything else. (Charlotte Observer)(9-23-2008)
- NASCAR Hall of Fame costs to rise 20%: The $163 million NASCAR Hall of Fame project in Charlotte s revving up a revised, higher cost of construction. City staff is expected to tell council tonight that the budget has grown to $195 million, an increase of $32 million, or 20%. Leaders of the NASCAR Hall of Fame will present council a plan to pay for their updated wish list. The additions include upgraded exhibits, additional architectural flourishes and the installation of equipment designed to increase energy efficiency. Those elements are budgeted for $20 million, with the remaining $12 million targeted for the project’s already depleted contingency fund. Tim Newman, chief executive of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, and NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley plan to outline the changes and additions at the City Council meeting. Jim Schumacher, assistant city manager, serves as the city’s lead liaision on the hall of fame. Public funding, including a new 2% hotel tax and dedicated hospitality taxes, provide much of the funding for the hall of fame. The price tag includes an adjacent convention center ballroom and a 1,000-space parking deck. All of the projects are in Second Ward near the Charlotte Convention Center at 501 S. College Street. Schumacher says the projects are on schedule to open in May 2010. He expects council to approve the request to alter the budget.(Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area)(9-9-2008)
- Charlotte to spend $2.5M more for NASCAR hall: A basement for the new NASCAR Hall of Fame will cost an additional $2.5 million, an unexpected expense that was approved by the Charlotte City Council. The basement for the $154.5 million project was approved this week after officials said adding it now would be cheaper than waiting. Two of the 11 council members opposed the plan. Assistant City Manager Jim Schumacher said the extra space would be used for more exhibits or other operations. The hall is scheduled to open near the Charlotte Convention Center in 2010. The hall is being financed mostly with proceeds of a hotel and motel tax.(Associated Press/Sports Illustrated)(9-1-2007)
- Just Marketing to handle sponsorships for Hall of Fame: Motorsports agency Just Marketing International, Indianapolis, has been selected to handle sponsorship sales for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The hall, which is expected to open in Charlotte, N.C., by the spring 2010, received initial proposals from 17 agencies. Seven were selected as finalists. Just Marketing will sell sponsorships, but other agencies could be involved in other aspects of marketing the hall. [The hall's executive director, Winston] Kelley has said he hopes to find ways to work with many of the agencies that were finalists, which included the Radiate Group, Sports & Properties Inc., Sullivan Worldwide Marketing, Velocity Sports & Entertainment, Victory Management Group and Wasserman Media Group.(SceneDaily.com)(7-19-2007)
- NASCAR Hall of Fame to unveil logo: The NASCAR Hall of Fame will unveil its logo next week at Charlotte Bobcats Arena before the annual race team pit-crew competition. To date, little more than renderings for the publicly funded, $154.5 million project have been available. Last summer, Winston Kelley signed on to lead the hall of fame. And, in recent weeks, site work has accelerated in preparation for construction.(Charlotte Business Journal)(5-12-2007)
- NASCAR Hall of Fame and NASCAR Plaza Groundbreaking to Take Place Jan. 25 UPDATE 2: Plans are finalized for an exciting first event for the one and only NASCAR Hall of Fame and NASCAR Plaza Office Tower. The groundbreaking will be the 'grand finale' of the annual Nextel Cup Media Tour hosted by Lowe's Motor Speedway on Thursday, January 25, 2007 at 3:00pm/et at the site of the new NASCAR Hall of Fame and NASCAR Plaza bordered by Brevard, Caldwell, Stonewall and Second streets in Charlotte, NC.(NASCAR PR)(1-11-2007)
UPDATE: The city of Charlotte, NASCAR, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority and the hall's main developer will host a 3:00pm/et groundbreaking at the site, bordered by Stonewall, Caldwell and Brevard streets and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The public is invited. For that matter, the public is actively courted. Organizers, while releasing few details, said they plan an event to accompany the usual officials-with-shovels photo opportunity that will honor NASCAR's storied past. Such notables as Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett, Bobby Allison and NASCAR President Mike Helton are expected, along with N.C. Gov. Mike Easley and Mayor Pat McCrory. Current stars Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were invited, but are preparing for this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona race, said CRVA spokeswoman Molly Hedrick.(Charlotte Observer)
UPDATE 2: The NASCAR Hall of Fame took one step closer to opening its doors to the public as fans, VIPs and racing legends from NASCAR’s past and present gathered on the Hall’s site today to officially break ground and begin construction of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory and NASCAR President Mike Helton headlined the celebratory event that also included NASCAR legends from the last fifty plus years of racing such as Buddy Baker, Ned Jarrett, Junior Johnson, Raymond Parks, Richard Petty, Rex White and many others. The 100,000 square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame, which will be located on a five-acre site in Charlotte’s Center City, will be a special place that brings NASCAR’s rich history to life. Scheduled to open in the spring of 2010, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be designed by Pei, Cobb & Freed, a firm known for its expertise with public buildings including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the expansion of The Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
As shovels were put into the ground, engines roared from historic stock cars driven by seven-time Nextel Cup champions Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt Sr.. Fans cheered loudly for the 30-plus NASCAR legends in attendance while Rick Hendrick joined the groundbreaking team not only as a championship car owner in all three of NASCAR’s top touring series, but as the Honorary Grand Marshal of the bid to bring the NASCAR Hall of Fame to the Charlotte region.
The Hall of Fame, which is expected to total approximately $155 million and be financed by a hotel occupancy tax, will give NASCAR fans the ultimate destination spot to learn about or relive NASCAR’s history. Ralph Appelbaum and Associates (RAA), which has design experience that includes the National Constitution Center and the World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, will design the Hall’s exhibits. BE&K Building Group is the construction management firm, with Turner Thompson Davis chosen as the construction contractor. With the estimated completion date being the first quarter of 2010, this state-of-the-art facility will honor NASCAR icons and create an enduring tribute to the drivers, crew members, team owners and others who have impacted the sport in the past, present and yet-to-come. The NASCAR Hall of Fame, which will be owned by the City of Charlotte and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, will include approximately 40,000 square-feet of the most interactive and historical NASCAR exhibit space in the world.(NASCAR PR)(1-25-2007)
- NASCAR Hall of Fame moving forward: A few financing points aside, NASCAR says it's ready to move forward with the construction of a 19-story office tower to occupy one corner of its planned NASCAR Hall of Fame property. The tower plans now surpass what the sport had pitched earlier this year, with 400,000 rentable square feet instead of 300,000 in a glass-and-concrete tower at Stonewall and Caldwell streets. The building also would hold a new, 40,000-square-foot ballroom for the adjacent Charlotte Convention Center. But NASCAR, which secured an option to build the tower on city land this spring, asked for its third extension of the option, which originally was supposed to expire in September. NASCAR and city officials said they need another 15 to 30 days to settle unresolved issues:
• Deciding how much NASCAR's tower developer, Lauth Property Group of Charlotte, will pay to help construct an 830- to 840-space parking deck and truck dock.
• The amount of contingency funds for construction.
• How much the city would realize from any future sale or refinancing of the tower.
• What the city's responsibility would be to Lauth "in the very unlikely event," as a city document put it Monday, that the hall of fame is not built.
"We're close" to an agreement on the lease option, Kimble said, "but we're not there yet." The City Council voted Monday to extend the option to Dec. 12, although Kimble said NASCAR probably will exercise the option Nov. 28. NASCAR is committed to seeing the tower portion through, said Mark Dyer, NASCAR's vice president of licensing. Dyer apologized to council members for the delays and said he has already spoken to several potential tower tenants. "The impact, I think, will be significant," he said. The hall is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009.(Charlotte Observer also see an article at SceneDaily.com)(11-8-2006)
- Winston Kelley to run NASCAR HOF: A Duke Power vice president and long-time racing broadcaster will be named executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame today. Winston Kelley, whose family has close ties to racing, was part of the team of city boosters that won the hall of fame over Atlanta, Kansas City and NASCAR's home city of Daytona Beach, among other cities.
Kelley's connections to both the local community and the racing world are invaluable, said people involved with the hall effort. Kelley is a pit reporter for the Motor Racing Network, lending his voice and racing expertise to radio broadcasts. He's been involved in broadcasting races since the 1980s. Kelley also served as emcee for several events related to wooing the hall of fame in Charlotte, including the announcement by NASCAR Chairman Brian France in March that Charlotte had won the right to build the hall. The project will cost $155 million, the bulk of which will be paid for with a hike in Mecklenburg County's hotel tax. Kelley and an exhibit designer will be the first employees hired for the hall, which is expected to begin construction next spring.(Charlotte Observer)(7-6-2006)
- Hotel tax hike OK'd to help NASCAR hall: In an 8-1 vote, Mecklenburg commissioners agreed to raise the county's hotel tax by 2 percentage points, from 6 to 8 percent. The money to be raised by the increase was a financial cornerstone of Charlotte's bid to host the motorsports shrine. Commissioners held a public hearing on the increase, the public's only chance to weigh in since the deal was announced. But no one came to object. Instead, half a dozen speakers -- sporting buttons from the campaign to win the hall -- stood up to praise it, saying the Hall of Fame will draw hundreds of thousands of tourists, and solidify the region's status as home to the booming racing industry and the accompanying jobs. Mohammed Jenatian, president of the Greater Charlotte Hospitality and Tourism Alliance, said the tourism industry was involved in the decision to increase the tax, and believes the project is worth it.(Charlotte Observer)(3-22-2006)
- NASCAR HOF name won’t be for sale: Buried deep in the 63rd page of a contract between NASCAR and the city of Charlotte is the phrase: “Neither party shall sell any naming rights or presenting sponsorship for the HOF without the other party’s prior approval.” OK, we know. That doesn’t exactly eliminate the possibility. NASCAR doesn’t want a bunch of corporate names getting in the way of the clearly stated “NASCAR Hall of Fame.”
“We think that would probably go beyond the bounds of good taste,” said Mark Dyer, NASCAR’s vice president of licensing. “We didn’t want to have a particular corporate name on it, because we wanted the purity of the NASCAR name,” said Tim Newman, who heads the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which will own and operate the Hall of Fame.(Kansas City Star)(3-14-2006)
- It's Official - NASCAR HOF in Charlotte: NASCAR today announced that it has selected Charlotte, N.C., to be the home of its Hall of Fame. The NASCAR Hall of Fame, which will be a state of the art facility capturing the spirit of the sport, will honor the NASCAR icons and create an enduring tribute to the drivers, crew members, team owners and others that have impacted the sport in the past, present and yet to come. “To NASCAR fans everywhere, it is my distinct honor to announce that NASCAR has selected Charlotte, N.C., to be the home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “The winners in this process are the 75 million NASCAR fans nationwide, who will have a Hall of Fame to call their own. The City of Charlotte will welcome fans from around the country and even the world to the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” said France.
Charlotte’s proposal best achieves NASCAR’s overriding goal to have one of the premier hall of fames in the world of sports and entertainment. The region’s rich racing history and heritage along with the strength of the city’s overall financial structure for the Hall, represents the best fit for NASCAR, the industry and the fan-base. The Hall is expected to include exhibit space, a Great Hall, a Hall of Honor, interactive entertainment restaurants, retail outlets, and a state-of-the-art media center for the industry. The NASCAR Hall of Fame will be a special place that brings NASCAR’s history to life and preserves that history in the appropriate environments. The new facility will allow longtime fans to have the opportunity to relive NASCAR’s greatest moments and for new fans to learn about them.
“Our goal has been – and continues to be – to create one of the “crown jewels” of Charlotte and the very best Hall of Fame-themed entertainment experience in the world,” said Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. “This Hall of Fame will expand the dynamic and growing sport of NASCAR racing in a dynamic and growing city. It’s a victory not only for the entire region, but for NASCAR fans across the country and internationally. We look forward to welcoming all fans for a unique and entertaining experience.”
Mayor McCrory credits the regional effort and broad-based support from the business community, elected officials, the hospitality and tourism industry and NASCAR fans who supported this effort. Mayor McCrory specifically cited the strong leadership from his fellow “Crew Chiefs,” including Cathy Bessant of Bank of America; Luther Cochrane of BEK Building Group, as well as John Tate of Wachovia and Tim Newman of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.
The Hall of Fame, which will be located in Charlotte’s Center City will be developed, designed, and operated by the City of Charlotte and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. The total cost of the Hall of Fame is estimated at $107.5 million. This will primarily be funded by a new two percent hotel/motel tax and contributions from the State of North Carolina and the private sector. The Hall of Fame, which will be open no later than spring of 2010, has been designed and concept by world renowned architecture firm, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. The firm has designed iconic buildings in cities worldwide, including the Javits Convention Center in New York City, the expanded Louvre in Paris, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Charlotte is the hub of the NASCAR industry. Currently 82% of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams, 72 percent of NASCAR Busch Series teams and 55 percent of NASCAR Craftsman Truck teams are based in the Charlotte region. The industry’s current annual statewide economic impact is estimated to be $5 billion.(NASCAR PR)(3-6-2006)
