“NASCAR ushered in another milestone in the sanctioning body’s long storied history on Tuesday with the grand opening of the $195-million NASCAR Hall Of Fame in Charlotte, NC.

Dozens of legendary drivers and owners spanning over 60 years of the sport’s history were on hand for the event, including members of the first class of five Hall of Fame inductees who were announced last year.

More than five years in the making, largest motorsports organization in the country has a Hall of Fame to call their own, one they hope rivals any of the four major sports in North America.

“I want to tell our fans, you have the best Hall of Fame in the world right here in Charlotte,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France during Tuesday’s opening ceremony. “We’re going to all walk through and take in over five years of hard work, five years of vision, all put together to have place that going to house NASCAR’s past, its present, its future. This sport deserves that.”

The Hall of Fame welcomed in the first five inductees of the Hall Of Fame, which includes founder Bill France, Sr., his son Bill France, Jr. seven-time champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and driver and championship-winning car owner Junior Johnson. All five will be inducted into the Hall in a special ceremony on May 23.

Petty, who has already been inducted into several museums throughout the country, said nothing else compares to being part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“This is THE Hall of Fame,” said Petty. “You can be in the North Carolina Hall of Fame, International Hall of Fame, it’s great to be recognized there, but when your recognized by your own peers, it make it all the more special

Inside the NASCAR HOF.  Full grandstands – you do not see that anymore.  Now fans can remember how NASCAR used to be
Pete McCole/AR1.com
“I walked through here, and it jogged my memory, ‘hey I remember this, or that, or I remember getting caught with that piece over there’. It rejuvenates me from that standpoint, but it gives our new fans and would-be fans the history of where we started and what we’ve been able to accomplish.”

The 150,000 square-foot showpiece features three floors of showcases, exhibits and interactive displays including a 33-degree banked simulated race surface with 18 showcars representing all eras of stock car racing.”
~ Source: AutoRacing1.com

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