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CHARLOTTE,
N.C. -- The
slogan used in
Charlotte's
platform to lure
the NASCAR Hall
of Fame to the
Queen City is
now official
creed:
Racing was
built here.
Racing belongs
here.
As expected,
NASCAR on Monday
announced its
Hall of Fame
will reside in
Charlotte, N.C.,
a conclusion one
key decision
maker on the
project called
"the tipping
point for
Charlotte being
the Hollywood of
NASCAR."
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NASCAR HALL OF FAME
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NASCAR announced on Monday that it has selected Charlotte, N.C., to be the home of its official Hall of Fame.
Wondering why Charlotte got the NASCAR Hall of Fame? Here are all of your answers.
Atlanta city officials said on Monday that their failed bid to land the Hall of Fame was largely due to Charlotte's proximity to race teams.
Daytona Beach officials held out hope that they would get the Hall of Fame, and they still believe NASCAR made a bad decision for the long term.
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"The one
thing Charlotte
has been lacking
is a real
tourism magnet,"
said Mark Dyer,
NASCAR vice
president of
licensing and a
lead negotiator
on NASCAR's
behalf
throughout the
site-selection
process. "This
provides it.
This is the
tipping point
for Charlotte
being the
Hollywood of
NASCAR."
Dyer said
Charlotte won
out over Atlanta
and Daytona
Beach mainly due
to NASCAR's
stability in the
market and
importance in
the community's
overall economic
structure.
In short,
Charlotte will
tout the
facility as the
focal
destination
point for NASCAR
fans to coincide
with the
numerous race
shops and
museums in and
around the area,
as well as a
centerpiece in
the rapidly
expanding
downtown
infrastructure.
"This is home
to the drivers,
and there's no
place like
home," said
Charlotte mayor
Pat McCrory.
North
Carolina
Governor Mike
Easley added,
"Charlotte,
start your
economic
engines. This
thing's gonna be
big."
"Add all that
up, and fans can
spend a whole
week in
Charlotte and
really
experience the
sport and its
history," Dyer
said. "It puts
an exclamation
point on the
experience."
Dyer said
plans are in the
works to
organize a
coordinated
touring business
to simplify
seeing all
Charlotte-area
racing
attractions.
"Charlotte
sees the Hall of
Fame as a
catalyst for
economic
development
downtown -- and
there is a lot
of momentum
downtown already
with office and
residential and
restaurants in
place and on the
move," Dyer
said.
"Charlotte
worked very hard
to put
themselves in
this position.
They had a
terrific
proposal, and
did a great job
when we visited
in the summer.
They were very
resilient as we
questioned them
and requested
more
information.
"Their core
team hung in
there on this
thing and
represented
their side
extremely well
over hours and
hours of
negotiations.
They got the
best deal
representing the
city against our
viewpoints, and
we ended up
being very close
on everything."
Pooling
resources
Dyer cited a
collaboration of
resources by
Charlotte-based
banking giants
Bank of America
and Wachovia as
key in the Queen
City's triumph.
"They're
really strong
rivals,
headquartered in
the same city
just a few
blocks apart,
and deserve a
ton of credit
for working
together to make
this happen,"
Dyer said.
"We had a
firm commitment
from both
companies from
the very
beginning to do
what it took to
secure the Hall
of Fame in
Charlotte.
"This is a
huge economic
development
opportunity for
downtown
Charlotte, and
they realized
that immediately
and joined arms
and acted really
as one voice.
That's
extraordinary."
Extraordinary,
yes. But far
from the lone
determining
factor, Dyer
said.
Charlotte's
local government
had to prove its
mettle to the
selection
committee, as
well.
"The state of
North Carolina
and Charlotte,
in the
metropolitan
area, at a
governmental
level has done a
lot of work to
study and
recognize the
importance of
motorsports in
the area, and
because of that
they stepped up
with a great
financial
package that was
geared towards
long-term
security for the
facility," Dyer
said.
"Those were
two very big
factors that
weighed heavily
into the
decision."
Easley said
NASCAR's
approach was so
straightforward,
the Charlotte
committee almost
didn't know how
to react.
"It was
unlike anything
I've ever dealt
with in economic
development,"
Easley said.
"They walked in
and said here's
what we need. I
appreciate them
showing the
confidence in
Charlotte and in
North Carolina."
Late push
raises questions
Atlanta
officials said
last week they'd
increased the
city's planned
investment from
$5 million to
$77 million. The
State of Georgia
had already
pledged $25
million.
News of
Atlanta's
proposal left
many with an
impression that
NASCAR was
playing a
bidding game
with its
candidates to
increase
NASCAR's payday.
Dyer said
that isn't the
case, rather
that intricate
contractual
details held up
the finalization
of the project.
"The toughest
part of a
situation like
this is you
don't know you
absolutely have
a final deal
until the last
day or two,
because there
are so many
loose ends,"
Dyer said. "And
you owe it to
other cities to
keep the
communication
lines open. So
it starts to
take the look of
a big
sweepstakes.
"We didn't
run it that way.
We really tried
hard to address
the concerns of
the long-term
security of the
project. The
discussions and
things you saw
in the media
weren't
predicated on
NASCAR getting
paid, more the
arrangements of
financing the
facility and
giving the
facility the
best long-term
financial
future."
The Hall of
Fame project is
important enough
to NASCAR that
its royalty
package isn't
guaranteed. If
the Hall of Fame
suffers a
financial loss
in any given
year, NASCAR
forgoes a
portion of its
royalty
guarantee.
"It's
important to
note that we
placed no
financial
guarantees on
the facility,"
Dyer said. "If
the facility ran
a deficit in a
year we wouldn't
get paid our
full royalties.
We won't let our
royalties take
the facility
into a deficit
in any given
year.
"The facility
is a non-profit,
and while
everybody thinks
we're doing this
thing for money
-- and yes,
we'll make
royalties off of
the use of our
name -- but the
negotiations in
the past few
weeks weren't
predicated on us
trying to up the
bidding on what
we'd be paid. It
was about
ensuring the
financial future
of the
facility."
Not just
NASCAR
One of
Atlanta's
greatest assets
was its standing
among
destination
cities for
corporate
conventions --
second only to
Las Vegas. The
Hall of Fame is
expected to
greatly improve
Charlotte's
allure.
"This will be
a tremendous
boon to tourism,
not just in
Charlotte, but
this entire
region," McCrory
said.
The budget
for the entire
project is $150
million, with
$43 million of
that set aside
for a banquet
hall/ballroom
that should
assist
Charlotte's
growth as a
destination for
corporate
conventions.
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| Mark Dyer said the Hall of Fame will provide a tourism magnet for Charlotte. Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images |
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"The ballroom
is a terrific
feature," Dyer
said. "Induction
banquets will be
held there, as
well as other
NASCAR official
events. The
banquet hall is
owned by the
city and run by
the city, so
lots of
non-NASCAR
events will be
held in banquet
hall, too. They
really need a
facility of this
size."
Dyer said
organizers and
developers will
need another
year to finalize
the building's
design, and
namely the
interior design.
He estimates
construction
will begin next
spring, and a
grand opening in
2010.
NASCAR has
the option to
build an office
building on the
Hall of Fame
site, for which
the City of
Charlotte bears
no financial
responsibility.
Instead, NASCAR
would be
required to foot
the bill for the
office building.
What makes
a NASCAR Hall of
Famer?
To date,
NASCAR's sole
focus has been
location,
location,
location.
Little
thought has been
given to
induction
criteria, or
what individuals
will make up the
first official
class.
"By the time
this building
opens, we'll
have 61 or 62
years of racing
in our history,
so how many
people do you
induct in your
charter class?
Too many
wouldn't be
meaningful,"
Dyer said. "How
high is the bar
for induction?"
Presumably,
quite lofty.
"I do know
one thing we've
already talked
about -- the
induction
process has to
have the highest
integrity among
fans, drivers,
teams, sponsors.
Everybody in the
sport has to
view this as
highly
credible," Dyer
said.
"I think the
bar will be
pretty high. I
don't think I'll
have a vote but
I think the bar
will be high."
In the end,
NASCAR projects
it will have the
finest
professional
sports hall of
fame in the
country.
"Absolutely.
The advantage we
have over
Cooperstown or
Canton is we're
able to build a
brand new
building with
all the
technological
know-how of the
years 2006
through 2010, so
this will be the
finest
professional
sports hall of
fame ever built
in America at
the time it
opens," Dyer
said.
"And because
we're in
Charlotte, with
the industry
around us and
willing to
embrace us, we
can create that
same heart and
soul connection
for inductees
that inductees
in Cooperstown
and Canton have.
"I'd like to
think we can
have the best of
both worlds -- a
state-of-the-art
facility that
also captures
the heart and
soul of the
sport." |