CUP: Hall Of Fame Opens Doors

Sprint Cup

CUP: Hall Of Fame Opens Doors

A star-studded cast of NASCAR legends attended Tuesday's opening ceremonies for the NASCAR Hall of Fame...

Mike Hembree | Posted May 11, 2010 Charlotte, NC

Mementos from Ricky Craven's memorable win at Darlington Raceway in 2003 are enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. (Photo: NASCAR)

Years of dreaming, planning and construction reached the checkered flag Tuesday morning when the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a dramatic new element to downtown Charlotte’s skyline, opened with a star-studded ceremony.

PHOTOS > CUP: NASCAR Hall of Fame Grand Opening

Perhaps the biggest collection of NASCAR celebrities ever assembled attended the 9 a.m. opening ceremony on the plaza outside the sparkling new building, one that stands out primarily because of the metallic sweep of the “superspeedway” feature of its design.

Hundreds of fans attended the ceremony, and many were among the first to walk through the hall’s doors. The facility will be open for about two weeks before the May 23 induction ceremony that will officially install the hall’s first class – Richard Petty, Bill France Sr., Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Jr. and Junior Johnson.

Petty, Johnson and representatives of the France and Earnhardt families were featured in Tuesday’s opening ceremony.

The highlight of the event featured Petty and Johnson arriving near the end of the ceremony, Petty driving one of his former No. 43 red and blue race cars and Johnson arriving in a restored moonshine-era coupe.

“I want to tell our fans – you have the best hall of fame in the world here in Charlotte,” said NASCAR chairman Brian France, whose father and grandfather are among the hall’s first class.

N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue was among a long list of civic speakers during the ceremony.

“There is no place in America anywhere that is more proud than North Carolina today,” she said. “We’ve stood up and said, ‘North Carolina, we belong to you.’ ”

The inaugural class being inducted into the NASCAR Hall Of Fame includes (L-R) Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. (Photo: NASCAR)

A short list of those in attendance: Rick Hendrick, Teresa Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Kurt Busch, Rex White, Terry Labonte, Bobby Allison, Bud Moore, Jack Ingram, Greg Biffle, Donnie Allison, Buddy Baker, Ernie Irvan, Marvin Panch, Joe Gibbs, Leonard Wood, Ned Jarrett, Darrell Waltrip and members of the family of Wendell Scott, the only African-American race winner in NASCAR history.

Hall executive director Winston Kelley introduced Petty and Johnson as the engine of Petty’s race car roared in the distance. “It’s that sweet sound that brings us all to our feet every Sunday morning,” Kelley said, and Johnson and Petty drove their cars in front of the crowd before walking on stage.

Then Kelley declared the hall officially open, even as rain that had been threatening throughout the ceremony began peppering the plaza. A huge sheet dropped from the front of the building, opening a view to the race cars inside on Glory Road, the hall’s primary attraction.

There were repeated mentions during the ceremony of Charlotte and the NASCAR Hall taking the national stage in similar fashion to Nashville and its link to country music, New Orleans and its French Quarter and similar destinations.

City and tourism officials say the new hall has been a contributing factor in luring 14 major conventions to Charlotte, including this weekend’s National Rifle Association convention.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Week • The Stars Come Out. The Gloves Come Off. • Saturday, May 22nd at 7 pm ET

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Mike Hembree

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