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Richmond's Nascar Hall of Fame Bid

wrldcoupe4

By wrldcoupe4
in Richmond

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burt Megalopolis

burt

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According to NASCAR Chairman, Brian France, all cities are still in the running for the Hall of Fame. But don't expect a winner to be announced in early December at the Waldorf Astoria shindig. The process will probably winnow down the list to two ciities during the Holidays and negotiations will begin with them. Hopefully, a winner's announcement can be made early in 2006.

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burt Megalopolis

burt

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Tomorrow (Friday Dec. 2nd) is the big shindig at the Waldorf Astoria Ballroom here in NYCity for NASCAR. But they will NOT be announcing the winning city for the Hall of Fame. That news may not be forthcoming until sometime in the first quarter of '06.

All cities are still in the running despite a quashed rumor that the selection process had been pared down to Atlanta and Charlotte.

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ric75 Hamlet

ric75

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I'm getting anxious... I wish we could hear something soon. It would be sooo awesome if we were able to snag this!

Yeah I'm not a NASCAR fan in the least but I realize this would be bigtime for the city. Tourism $ means less taxing of Richmond citizens and more money for much needed projects.

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wrldcoupe4 Metropolitan Area

wrldcoupe4

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This could have gone in the Richmond Sports section, but I thought this was a good fit:

the Times-Dispatch Sunday commentary had a couple article about RIR's impact on the region and the fact that its NASCAR events are the only major league sporting events in the Commonwealth.

RIR and Indy races at Richmond give major publicity to the city and the region. They also contribute a CONSIDERABLE amount of revenue for the region... the two annual Nextel cup races alone generate over $250 million each year for the region! Richmond is now the cutoff race for the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, a coveted position in the sport. Not to mention it is THE favorite track for drivers and crews, and many fans.

Also worth mentioning is its plans for the future....

With a current capacity of over 107,000, the track has permission to expand to 150,000 seats in the coming years, thus adding by almost 50% the impact the annual Nextel races have on the local ecomomy. They estimate that 60% of attendees come from outside our region. That 60% stays in hotels, eats in restaurants, and visits area cultural attractions.

While I'm not really a NASCAR fan, its impact on our region is enormous. At least Richmond got it right when it comes to something! :)

check out the following links:

Major League Sport: As NASCAR Expands, Grows, Racetrack Keeps Up Its Rapid Pace ... by Doug Fritz

'Action Track' Puts Richmond Out Front

now if we could only land that NASCAR Hall of Fame.... :w00t:

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Culpeper Hokie Unincorporated Area

Culpeper Hokie

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Ugh! Am I the only one around here who's not really enthralled with the idea of all that NASCAR crap coming to town? I don't really see anyone getting rich from it besides the hotels, 7-11 franchises and Hardees. <_<

I see sales of Skoal, Budweiser, BC Powder and biscuits & gravy breakfast platters going through the roof! :shades:

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wrldcoupe4 Metropolitan Area

wrldcoupe4

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maybe they could stick a bass pro shop nearby :)

Honestly though, while I'm not really a NASCAR fan, this would have a major impact on the region's economy. And I bet it wouldn't just be hotels, 7-11's, and fast food restaurants.

Plus it gets our name out there for something positive on a national level. That's always a good thing too.

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wrldcoupe4 Metropolitan Area

wrldcoupe4

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correct... good luck to the other cities. Having it would have been very nice, but I'm glad this is over and done with. We've still got Nascar's favorite track, and plans to expand RIC up to 150k.

And not being a NASCAR fan, I only looked at it from a pure tourism/economic development standpoint.

but good luck to the final 3.

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eandslee City

eandslee

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correct... good luck to the other cities. Having it would have been very nice, but I'm glad this is over and done with. We've still got Nascar's favorite track, and plans to expand RIC up to 150k.

And not being a NASCAR fan, I only looked at it from a pure tourism/economic development standpoint.

but good luck to the final 3.

that sucks, but oh well! I bet a million dollars that Charlotte gets the HOF. Damn!

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burt Megalopolis

burt

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That rumor floating around last Fall that the list had been winnowed down to CLT and ATL turned out to be true, after all - well, except that Daytona is still in there.

Too bad for Richmond. But hey, guys, we got a $300Million Phillip Morris biotec center rising downtown. If that's what it's come to, not a bad trade-off in my book!

I have to say, in deference to the cities still competing, the Richmond rendering never rang my bell. Did it make sense to anyone?

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burt Megalopolis

burt

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To practically no one's surprise, except maybe Atlanta, Charlotte has been announced the winner of the HOF site.

I still wonder, since it is to be located Uptown next to their convention center, where all the winebagos and campers will park. After all, it is the owners of such vehicles who will make up a hunk of the Hall's visitors. Richmond's proposed bid took that into considerstion. Maybe I'm wrong and most of the upscale visitors will arrive at Charlotte's bustling airport or drive in their Suburbans.

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ric75 Hamlet

ric75

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To practically no one's surprise, except maybe Atlanta, Charlotte has been announced the winner of the HOF site.

I still wonder, since it is to be located Uptown next to their convention center, where all the winebagos and campers will park. After all, it is the owners of such vehicles who will make up a hunk of the Hall's visitors. Richmond's proposed bid took that into considerstion. Maybe I'm wrong and most of the upscale visitors will arrive at Charlotte's bustling airport or drive in their Suburbans.

I'm over it. One has to wonder though why NASCAR even bothered going through the motions of this "search" if they were just going to turn around and come home again.

To be honest we may be better off without it. Richmond has been culturing an urban/cosmopolitan identity for a while now. Think the arts, museums, wine bars, cafes, old architecture, live music, a solid and still-growing nightlife scene, a burgeoning rivefront, and..... NASCAR? I'm sure our races will still be a big deal but somehow it feels separate from what Richmond really is, something that happens "out there" in the burbs. Maybe that's just my narrow-minded view point as a non-NASCAR fan but I don't think losing this will hurt Richmond in any way.

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