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CUP: NASCAR Hall Of Fame Taking Shape
Written by: Bob Pockrass
SceneDaily.com   http://www.scenedaily.com
11/03/2009
Charlotte, NC
 
Construction continues on the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which is set to open in May 2010. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) ยป More Photos

Article Written by Bob Pockrass, SceneDaily.com

A little more than six months before the opening of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, only two exhibit items are in place – a car transporter and a big Unocal orange spotter ball.

Those likely will be two of the biggest items in the hall, so they had to be put in place during the construction of the building.

But even without the presence of race cars that will be lined up against the ramp that people walk from one floor to another or the many video screens that will be in place, the infrastructure for the facility shows at least a glimpse of what museum executives hope makes the place special and more than just, well, a museum when it opens May 10, 2010.

“We are much more than a museum and much more than a traditional Hall of Fame,” Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley says. “While those are two key elements, we’re also part entertainment attraction, with over 50 interactive stations throughout the facility, and part theater.”

There are vents underneath the seating area of the big theater, which likely will blow air to give the feeling of being in a race car while watching the introduction to the Hall of Fame that will be a visitor’s first stop.

There also is an area that juts out on one of the floors, which
will be a flag stand where people can wave a green flag above the cars that encircle the ramp walkway. That spotter ball? Customers will be able to go inside.

The $195 million, 150,000-square-foot Hall of Fame with more than 40,000 square feet of exhibit space and as many as 1,000 artifacts will be owned and operated by the city of Charlotte. Museum officials hope to begin installing exhibits in about two months once construction is complete, and the building construction should be done by mid-April. The first induction ceremony is scheduled for May 23, 2010.

“It’s going to house our past, it’s going to house our future,” NASCAR Chairman Brian France says. “It’s going to be the most interactive Hall of Fame in the world. We are quite confident for many, many years to come, this is where race fans will come. … It’s going to be a very festive place.”

The hall consists of four floors. The theater is at the bottom and has a separate entrance for special events as well as a concession stand and cafe. The 270-seat theater with a screen that is 65 feet by 15 feet also would be a site to watch races. The second floor will be a 10,000-square-foot area where there will be traveling exhibits. That is the floor where the restaurant (Buffalo Wild Wings) and the gift shop will be located.


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