NASCAR Hall of Fame officials released the names of NASCAR drivers, owners and executives planning to participate in the Tuesday, May 11 grand opening of the 150,000-square-foot facility in uptown Charlotte, N.C. As part of the historic day, 15 lucky customers will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to enter the NASCAR Hall of Fame with a NASCAR celebrity. Fifteen winners will be randomly selected from the names of everyone who has purchased an annual membership or ticket to visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 11. Tickets must be purchased before 11:59pm/et on May 4. The first five names drawn will get the unique honor of being the first to walk into the new NASCAR Hall of Fame at 10 a.m. Those five lucky fans will be accompanied by Inaugural Inductees Richard Petty and Junior Johnson, three-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Darrell Waltrip, 5-time NASCAR Grand National Champion Jack Ingram and reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Ron Hornaday. The remaining 10 names drawn will get to enter the venue with a well-known NASCAR competitor at their respective entry time. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is a timed-entry facility, meaning customers enter by appointment at the top of every hour. The 10 lucky fans will enter with NASCAR superstars Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and others.
NASCAR Champions and special guests confirmed to participate in grand opening activities throughout the day include Bobby Allison, Johnny Benson, Greg Biffle, Todd Bodine, Chuck Bown, Busch, Richard Childress, Brian France, Steve Grissom, Harvick, Mike Helton, Rick Hendrick, Hornaday, Ingram, Dale Jarrett, Ned Jarrett, Johnson, Kahne, Travis Kvapil, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, Bud Moore, Joe Nemechek, Petty, Mike Skinner, Martin Truex Jr., Rusty Wallace, Waltrip and Rex White. More names may be announced at a later date.
The one-hour Opening Ceremony will begin promptly at 9:00am/et and culminate with Petty, Johnson, Waltrip, Ingram, Hornaday and five lucky fans officially opening the interactive venue. The opening ceremony will be followed by a free community celebration outside the NASCAR Hall of Fame 10:00am-8:00pm/et. In addition to Bomshel, Lee Brice and Love and Theft concerts, other free outdoor activities will include driver appearances, question-and-answer sessions, autograph sessions, strolling entertainment and food vendors.
The star of the show that day will be the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Tickets to enter the high-tech, interactive attraction are on sale now and can be purchased at www.NASCARHall.com or by calling 877-231-2010. Tickets are $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors and military, $12.95 for children 5-12 and free for children younger than 5. Memberships provide unlimited entry for one year and start at $25 for children and $50 for adults. Group discounts, facility rentals and sponsorships also are available by calling 704-654-4400. For schedule of events for the grand opening, see nascarhall.com.(NASCAR Hall of Fame)(5-3-2010)
