Open To Fanfare Is The NASCAR Hall Of Fame

NASCAR finally opened the NASCAR Hall of Fame to honor drivers that made exceptional contributions to the sport after more than 60 years of existence. The facility broke ground and began construction in 2007 and opened Tuesday, May 11, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The inaugural class of five drivers was selected from 25 nominees last year, and they will be inducted 12 days after the opening, on May 23 2010. The opening will probably be a quick payday although the beneficiary will be surprising.

NASCAR and their Hall of Fame

The NASCAR Hall of Fame broke ground for construction in 2007, according the NASCAR Hall of Fame website. Construction continued, and by fall of 2009, exhibits started to be installed, and the building was scheduled to open for May 11, 2010. Some of the first inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame attended the festivities.

This first class

The inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame includes many including Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Richard Petty and Junior Johnson. In their contribution, each of these men were giants of the sport. Bill France Sr. found NASCAR as an organization while his son Bill France JR. helped to further. I don’t even need to introduce Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty as popular and successful drivers and owners. Junior Johnson is an owner that won six championships as a team owner.

Charlotte now

North Carolina has a special role in NASCAR. Many of the most famous and greatest NASCAR drivers, including three members of the first class to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame hail from North Carolina. In Charlotte there are three major races. Also, according to Wikipedia, almost three-fourths of all motorsports employees work in Charlotte, North Carolina. Besides Dayton Beach, that’s as heavily NASCAR as you can get. Furthermore, the NASCAR Hall of Fame itself is owned by the city. It will bring in tourists and plenty of employment. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is deserved and should to the public good.

Resources

NASCAR Hall of Fame website

http://www.nascarhall.com/about/the-building

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASCAR_Hall_of_Fame