NASCAR narrows potential Hall of Fame to three cities (Atlanta, Charlotte or Daytona Beach)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 1/7/06 | Jenna FRyer - ap

[NormsRevenge]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR has narrowed the possible sites for its first official Hall of Fame to Atlanta, Charlotte or Daytona Beach, Fla., and expects to pick a winning city by the end of March.

``Based upon the proposals that we have reviewed internally for the past several months, we believe these three cities provide us with the best opportunity to build and develop a world-class NASCAR Hall of Fame for our millions of loyal fans,'' Mark Dyer, NASCAR's vice president for licensing, said Thursday in a statement.

The decision eliminates Richmond, Va., and Kansas City., Kan. from consideration.

``Both of their proposals were outstanding and the passion and enthusiasm the people involved showed for the NASCAR Hall of Fame has made a lasting impression on all of us,'' Dyer said.

Last summer, NASCAR officials toured the five cities that submitted bids for the Hall of Fame. The stock-car racing series has said it wants the attraction to appeal to both race fans and those new to the sport.

The elimination was disappointing to organizers in Kansas City, which for a long time was thought to be the top contender in the race to land the Hall. The city has a track owned by International Speedway Corp., NASCAR's sister company, and its Midwest location is one of the areas the sport has worked hard to expand into.

It had been widely speculated that NASCAR would place the Hall of Fame in Kansas City, then move the all-star race from its longtime home in suburban Charlotte to the Kansas facility, creating a star-studded weekend that included the race and a Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

But in the end, Kansas City's bid apparently fell short.

``We learned recently that the economics of the proposals in the competing cities would be hard to beat,'' said Bob Marcusse, chairman of Kansas City's group. ``These were elements outside of our control and we know that our proposal is visually compelling, attractively located, experientially state of the art, and financially sound.''

The Kansas City group also noticed that the remaining cities are part of the ``deeply embedded culture of NASCAR racing.''

That includes Daytona Beach, which bills itself as the ``birthplace of speed.'' The city is home to NASCAR's headquarters and the ISC-owned Daytona International Speedway. The 2.5-mile track hosts the Daytona 500 -- the biggest race of the year -- and Daytona USA, a NASCAR-themed interactive museum, is on its property.

Atlanta and Charlotte, meanwhile, both have popular tracks that are owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc., the top rival to ISC.

Atlanta's bid for the Hall of Fame was stacked with corporate backing, and many of NASCAR's top sponsors are based in that city.

Charlotte is considered the homebase to the majority of NASCAR's teams and drivers, who have their shops in and around the city. NASCAR also has its Research and Development Center in suburban Charlotte, near Lowe's Motor Speedway, which hosts two Cup events and the annual all-star race each year.

Rick Hendrick, one of NASCAR's most powerful team owners, has been the face of Charlotte's bid. The Charlotte proposal claims it can capitalize on NASCAR's desire to draw visitors to a Hall of Fame because an estimated 1 million fans already visit the region to attend the events at Lowe's and tour the nearby shops.

[NormsRevenge]

I cast my vote for Daytona Beach.

[NormsRevenge]

You probably already captured this for the Nascar withdrawal thread,, but.. Pingaroo :-)

[WestCoastGal]

Yes it's there twice. LOL

However, I would like to say on this thread that the history of Nascar really suggests that Daytona Beach should have the HOF.

---

Founded more than 50 years ago, NASCAR has become one of the hottest spectator sports in the world. In the years following World War II, stock car racing began to grow. Stock car racing was experiencing the greatest popularity it had ever seen. Tracks all over the country were drawing more drivers to race in front of bigger crowds. But there was very little organization and no consistency in the rules between tracks. From track to track, rules were different. Some tracks were just makeshift facilities, built to produce one big show at a county fair or something similar to capitalize on the crowds flocking to the events. Other tracks were more suited to handle the cars, but not the crowds. Some could manage both, but did little to adhere to rules set by neighboring tracks.

In December of 1947, Bill France Sr., of Daytona Beach, Fla., organized a meeting at the Streamline Hotel in town to discuss the matters facing stock car racing. France had come to Florida from Washington, D.C., years earlier and operated a local service station as well as promote events on the city's famed beach course that he often raced in himself. From that simple meeting, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was born. Few knew when the meeting adjourned if the organization would be successful. In fact there were skeptics who believed it never would work. Not even France, who believed a sanctioning body was exactly what the sport of stock car racing needed, could have envisioned what NASCAR has become today.

Things came together quickly. The first NASCAR-sanctioned race was held on Daytona's beach course Feb. 15, 1948, just two months after the organizational meeting. Red Byron, a stock car legend from Atlanta, won the event in his Ford Modified. Six days later on Feb. 21, 1948, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was incorporated. It was 1949, however, when what is now the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the premier racing division in America, was born. The first event featured a $5,000 purse and was held on a two-mile circular course in southern Florida followed by a 150 mile race at the three-quarter-mile Charlotte Speedway in which Jim Roper of Great Bend, Kan., was the winner. A tremendous crowd attended the event to see automobiles with the appearance of a street car race door-to-door. The new racing series was off and running. And it was an immediate success. Eight events in all were held in 1949.

LINK

[GaltMeister]

If NASCAR is interested in my opinion, I vote Daytona as well.

42 days, 23 hours, 0 minutes till the big 3X boogity!

[PinkoCommieScum]

Daytona seems logical.

Although my dad drove at Charlotte MS once, and said it was the best track he'd seen...

[WestCoastGal]

Ping for HOF informal vote.

BTW, game starting.......go Skins!!! #8

[Tax-chick]

NC ping? Of special interest to Charlotte-area taxpayers :-).

[steveegg]

I'll be the contrarian; Charlotte should get it. Daytona may be the soul of NASCAR, but North Carolina is the heart. Most of the teams are there, the all-star race is there, the longest race of the year's there, and it would be partial consolation for the France family taking so many races away from the Carolinas.

[glock rocks]

As much as I like Daytona, I gotta agree with Steve and go with Charlotte.

[NormsRevenge]

I understand that logic as Charlotte is a potential biggest attendance booster from a year round activities stand point.

I have to go and get a shot at the vet..

uhh,
Not for me ,for my cat. ;-)

[NormsRevenge]

cool and thanks

[WestCoastGal]

"I have to go and get a shot at the vet..
uhh, Not for me ,for my cat. ;-)"

I'm glad you clarified that. :)

Charlotte would be a great pick as well. I'm just glad the other areas are out of it because they did not reflect the history of Nascar.

[Tax-chick]

Local residents are divided on the question due to the cost to the taxpayers. I think a decision for Atlanta or Daytona would be a relief to many in the Charlotte area.

[WestCoastGal]

The Florida Legislature agreed to create a NASCAR license tag to help finance the construction of a hall of fame in Daytona Beach. The specialty tag could generate as much as $1.5 million a year to help pay for the project.

Maybe NC could do something like that.

[Tax-chick]

I saw a NASCAR tag just the other day -- I think its number was 003! Maybe it's a new fundraiser, just like Florida has.

[SouthTexas]

If I can't have Texas, I'll go with Charlotte. ;)

That part of the country is the home of Nascar, anything else would just be ridiculous.

[tubebender]

The deck is stacked in favor for Daytona but my vote is for Charlotte because it supplies the Life Blood of the sport...

[Alia]

NC *Ping*

Please FRmail Constitution Day OR TaxRelief OR Alia if you want to be added to or removed from this North Carolina ping list.

[NYTexan]

I'll throw in my two cents and vote for Charlotte also.

Aside from all the logical reasons already stated, and that it would be closer to me,

It should be as far away as possible from NUT$CAR headquarters as possible. Those idiots would be in there every week changing the height of the exibit platforms.

[SouthTexas]

and that it would be closer to me,

Same as me wanting Texas, but I know better than that.