The NASCAR Hall of Fame, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, honors drivers who have shown expert skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, broadcasters, and other significant contributors to competition within the sanctioning body.
History
NASCAR committed to building a Hall of Fame, and on March 6, 2006, the City of Charlotte was selected as the location. The ground was broken for the $160 million facility on January 26, 2007, and it officially opened on May 11, 2010, with the inaugural class inducted following the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. 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 is the home of Hall of Fame-related offices, NASCAR Digital Media, NASCAR’s licensing division, and NASCAR video game licensee Dusenberry Martin Racing (now known as 704Games). 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—the Plymouth Belvedere that Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967.
Site Selection
Because of stock car racing’s roots and the wealth of famous drivers from North Carolina, Charlotte was considered a favorite by many fans and commentators. In addition, there are many NASCAR offices in the area and many teams in the three major NASCAR series (Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series), totaling over 73% of motorsports employees in the United States in what the committee called “NASCAR Valley.” The Hall of Fame is in Uptown Charlotte, about 25 minutes south of Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR car owner Rick Hendrick, then-Mayor Pat McCrory, and business leaders in Charlotte led the bid. In addition, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners were enlisted to design the complex near the Charlotte Convention Center.
Eligibility
Former drivers must have been active in NASCAR for at least ten years and retired for at least three. Starting with the 2015 Hall of Fame nominations that were voted in the 2014 nomination process, the three-year rule is waived for drivers who compete for 30 or more years in NASCAR-sanctioned competition or turn 55 years of age. The rule applies to all NASCAR-sanctioned competitions; some drivers in the Hall of Fame did not participate in the Cup Series. A1 Bed Bug Exterminator Charlotte
Nomination
A nominating committee chooses nominees from those who are eligible. The committee consists of the following:
- Seven NASCAR representatives;
- NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley;
- NASCAR Hall of Fame Historian;
- Track owners (Two each from International Speedway Corporation and Speedway Motorsports Inc.), a representative of the other circuits — Penske Corporation (Indianapolis Motor Speedway), Mattco (Pocono Raceway), World Wide Technology Raceway, and Road America.
- Four track owners from historic short tracks: Bowman Gray Stadium, Rockford Speedway, the Holland Motorsports Complex, and West Coast track operator Ken Clapp.
Address: 400 E M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Charlotte, NC
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