NASCAR Hall of Fame in the South

[Dylan]

Atlanta doesnt stand a chance. I think it will definitely be in Charlotte.

[Newnan]

why? You gotta back up your facts

[wolfdawg54]

The world golf HOF is in st augustine the same reason why the NASCAR HOF will be in Charlotte. Most of the golfers live in FL currently or have homes there and most of the race teams are centered around Charlotte. The TPC is also nearby if you remember correctly. Also, Daytona I dont think will be able to support it. However, I do feel that they should have a smaller hof nearby the speedway, but not the main one.

[Charlotteman]

How on earth could it possibly be anywhere but Charlotte?????

[Rural King]

^ I would say for historical reasons and the economics of year-round mass tourism , Daytona would be a strong choice; but Charlotte or Atlanta would both do fine as well I think.

[Jerseyman4]

Think of what benefit that could've been for North Carolina!

It was in Pinehurst off Highway 2 (near the infamous traffic circle) for years but later moved to St Augustine in the mid 90s. Years later, the building was knocked down in replacement for new pine trees to cover up the vacant ground.

Despite losing the USGA hall of fame, Pinehurst hosted the 1999 and 2005 US Open mens championships of which Tiger Woods did not win both of them!

[simms3]

I actually agree, Charlotte should have it ONLY because the race teams are based there and many of the racers live there.

Daytona would be the coolest spot IMO, but they could not handle it.

How about Ponte Vedra or St. Augustine for this one too, I mean my favorite racer Hurley Haywood livers there and Brumos is nearby and my dad's friend lives nearby too...just kidding, PV can't have it all.

[sunshine]

Daytona definitely can handle it. Daytona 500 the biggest race is in daytona and that town is filled with "rednecks". They love racing. One other advantage is that Daytona feed off the left over tourists from Orlando and there are 3 major cities within proximity.

[bfermanich]

This is a competition Atlanta does not need to win. I don't see the museum contributing to Atlanta's appeal to professionals from outside (the opposite seems at least as likely) nor improve the quality of life for those living in the city. As other have stated, this is a valuable site that could be used in more appealing ways. Along the interstate in Gwinnett (or Daytona or I-85 outside Charlotte) is where this truly belongs. Exurban and rural whites will line up for this. I think many others will laugh (or cringe, depending on your perspective).

Listen dude, you've got it all wrong. Its Atlanta's new "brand campaign" thats ruining the appeal of professionals from the outside, OK? The HOF would actually help the city's image. On any given day there's probably 1000's of professionals conventioning in downtown Atlanta.

It would compliment the other big time tourist attractions such as CNN Center, World of Coke, Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia Aquarium.

Being located downtown would create a synergy, a critical mass of popular tourist attractions, which all feed on one another creating an end result greater than the sum of the parts. Also the HUGE numbers of conventioners everyday in downtown. The idea is to get them to stay an extra few days and maybe bring their families. If you're from out of town you want to stay somewhere thats not out in the middle of nothing, like Gwinnett. Downtown has the city's most hotel rooms. And besides, NASCAR really wants to expand the sport by tapping into other income sources, such as urban dwellers and black folks traditionally not interested in the sport. They've already got a lock down on rural America. It just plain makes sense.

AND, to address the quality of life concerns, it will make things better. A better street life for downtown. More tourists = more $$$ for businesses who cater to them. Restaurants, hotels, cabbies, Marta, merchandice stores, you name it.