In the spring of 2010 the temple to the racing gods opened and all was well. That pretty much sums it up! The $160 million, 150,000 square foot NASCAR Hall of Fame opened its doors in May of 2010 in Uptown Charlotte. This museum, which is owned by the City of Charlotte and operated by the Charlotte RVA, was built to honor the greatest drivers, crew chiefs and owners in NASCAR’s history and it has become of our the Queen City’s star attractions!
Within the facility there is approximately 40,000 square feet of exhibit space which includes hands-on exhibits, interactive videos, memorials, educational opportunities and many, many artifacts. The museum also houses:
- The Belk High Octane Theatre (A 275 seat theatre which plays a 12 minute “History of NASCAR” video)
- The Great Hall (Featuring rotating billboards and electronic messages)
- Glory Road (Replicating many famous racetracks, this simulation allows the museum goer to expereience the feel of “banking” at 14 and 33 degrees)
- Hall of Honor (This is the area where inductees are honored and celebrated)
- Race Week (A fun hands-on exhibit that allows you feel the excitement of race week/race day, participate in a pit stop, call a race, and more!)
- Heritage Speedway (This area honors the history of NASCAR and those who have passed on.)
To be inducted into the Hall of Fame, drivers must have been active in NASCAR for at least 10 years and they must be retired for 3 before they are considered eligible. A committee chooses who will be included on the yearly ballot and from there 5 inductees are selected each year.
Many areas of the NASCAR Hall of Fame can be rented for special occasions. Definitely worth looking into to make that business event or red carpet affair an event to remember!
For more information, admission prices, field trip ideas and more, please visit http://www.nascarhall.com/