New Hall of Fame for Nascar
In a major victory for auto sports fans, one of the fast growing of all pro sports in the United States, the Nascar Hall of Fame has opened up in the US state of Charlotte, North Carolina. The city has long served as the unofficial capitol of the sport so it comes as no surprise to both fans and local residents that such a facility would be established there. Thousands came to the opening ceremony to pay tribute to a sport that as a very illustrious past and quite an uncertain future. The event even faced rain which didn’t lower crowd support for the $195 million building. The CEO of Nascar, Brian France, let people know that the 150,000 square foot museum would be the ‘best hall of fame in the world’. The opening ceremonies inducted two of the initial five members of the hall were Richard Petty and Junior Johnson.
Petty wowed the crowd in a replica of his red and Petty blue ‘74 STP Dodge Charger, No. 43 while Johnson came in a black 1940 Ford which was meant to show off the historic roots of Nascar that tie back to liquor bootleggers that held the first races as a way to determine whose vehicle was fastest. While the sport was officially formed in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1947, Charlotte remains the primary center of the racing scene. After the two first members of the hall will come Dale Earnhardt Sr, Bill Frances Sr. and others. The museum itself will play home to several interactive simulations that allow visitors to try their hand at different Nascar related activities such as changing a tire in the time honored pit stop tradition.