NASCAR committed itself to building a Hall of Fame and on March 6, 2006, the city of Charlotte, North Carolina was selected as the location. Ground was broken for the $160 million facility on January 26, 2007 and officially opened on May 11, 2010, with the inaugural class to be inducted the day following NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXVI. The new Hall of Fame brings hundreds of jobs and an increase in tourism to Charlotte. In addition to the Hall of Fame, the NASCAR Plaza, a 20-story office building, opened in May, 2009. The 390,000-square-foot (36,000 m2) structure serves as the home of Hall of Fame-related offices, NASCAR Digital Media, and their licensing division. Other tenants include the Charlotte Regional Partnership and Lauth Property Group. Richard Petty and Dale Inman helped unveil the first artifact at the Hall of Fame, which was the Plymouth Belvedere that Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967.
The facility is part museum, part experience and part pilgrimage for fans.

"I wanted to see the opening of the Hall of Fame because I'm a big NASCAR fan," said an excited Dawn Corbin who traveled from Arlington, TX in order to be one of the first to enter.

A section of the facility named Glory Road, features famous cars from different eras of NASCAR racing, along a stretch of "track" with a thirty degree incline, allowing visitors a sense of what the driver feels rounding the corner at Talladega.

John Findore of Statesville, NC described it this way "One word - Awesome. They did a fantastic job. Very impressive."

Fans can participate in a pit crew challenge, or take a drive in a simulator. At nearly $200 million dollars, the state of the art building is geared to both the NASCAR fan and the city's convention and tourist populations.

"Whether you're a die hard NASCAR fan or never been around it, we believe we've got something for everybody," Winston Kelley, NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director said. "We've really worked hard to have something for everybody."

Hall of Fame

On May 23, 2010, the first five NASCAR legends will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Some fans didn't agree with all the choices but Kelley defended the selections.

"The debates that you've seen out there online and that you saw on the radio shows are exactly the same debate that we had in the voting panel. Should it be someone that's a driver like a David Pearson or somebody like a Bill France Jr?" Kelley said. "These five are about what they did for the sport. The next five may be more likely what they did in the sport."



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