The checkered flag is in sight for the NASCAR Hall of Fame grand opening. To mark the final days before the 150,000-square-foot interactive entertainment attraction opens May 11, fans are invited to participate in a 50-day countdown on Twitter and watch www.NASCARHall.com for 50 days of news about the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Beginning Monday, March 22nd and running through May 11, a trivia question will be posted each morning on the NASCAR Hall of Fame Twitter page (@NASCARHall). The lucky fan who posts the first correct response to @NASCARHall will win a NASCAR Hall of Fame prize pack. In conjunction with the contest, the NASCAR Hall of Fame team will reveal one feature of the facility daily at www.NASCARHall.com/50days.
The first item announced in the 50-day countdown was revealed Monday in a news conference at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip unveiled his championship-winning #11 Mountain Dew Buick. Waltrip drove the iconic, green-and-white stock car to back-to-back NASCAR Winston Cup championships in 1981 and 1982, the first two of three championships in his famed career. In 1981 and 1982 alone, Waltrip had 61 starts and earned 24 wins, 29 top-5 finishes and more than $1.6 million in winnings. The car denotes a significant occurrence in NASCAR history when the sanctioning body mandated a downsizing of cars to coincide with changes taking place in Detroit during that period. The car was built and owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame Inaugural Inductee Junior Johnson. Waltrip’s two championships in this car marked Johnson’s fourth and fifth titles as an owner. Waltrip and Johnson captured a third championship together in 1985.
The #11 Mountain Dew Buick will be one of 18 stock cars featured on Glory Road inside the main entrance of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. A banked ramp simulating various racetracks, Glory Road also highlights 40 current and historic tracks and mimics various degrees of banking at racetracks including the impressive 33-degree incline found at Talladega Superspeedway. The car is on loan from Darrell Watlrip Motorsports to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for two years.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame opens to the public May 11, 2010 at 10:00am/et. The opening ceremony for the high-tech, interactive attraction begins at 9:00am/et. The one-hour ceremony will culminate with NASCAR celebrities, elected officials and other dignitaries officially opening the venue. The opening ceremony will be followed by free outdoor activities from 10:am/et through the late evening. More news and info on my NASCAR Hall of Fame News page and NASCAR Hall of Fame 2010 Class.(3-23-2010)
