The walls of the Sam Bass art gallery, located less than a lap away from Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s high-banked oval, are alive with vivid recollections of racing’s most exciting and endearing events. Visitors are often overcome with a sense of time frozen in place as they view the paintings – as if Jeff Gordon’s first win were only yesterday; Richard Petty’s seventh championship had just happened; and Mark Martin is just beginning to celebrate his $1 million victory in the Coca-Cola 600. Individual moments, protected from the present behind the glass plates of their frames, hang in anticipation of being freed by the imagination of race fans. The Sam Bass Gallery displays dozens of examples of team graphics packages and car paint schemes he has designed. The 10,000-square-foot building on Performance Drive in Concord that is currently home to the Sam Bass collection of original paintings and fine art, limited-edition prints also gives visitors a look at some of the artist’s rare personal racing mementos such as historic sheet metal, driver helmets and uniforms. A tour of the Sam Bass Gallery is a pilgrimage thousands of race fans a year eagerly anticipate. Adjacent to Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the gallery is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm/et, Monday through Saturday, year round. Visit www.sambass.com on the Internet or phone 800/556-5464 for more information. Admission is free. Tours may be arranged through the gallery coordinator. ALSO: check out the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame and Memory Lane Museum , both in Mooresville, NC (15-20 minutes from the track) and to check out Team Race Shops, see my Team Address page .(5-15-2003)
