Curves that evoke a racetrack sweep across the NASCAR Hall of Fame you face, the institution that celebrates America's most distinctly Southern sport and its deep roots in the Charlotte region. NASCAR — the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing — was founded in 1948 by Bill France Sr. in Daytona Beach, but it grew up in the Carolina Piedmont. Charlotte Motor Speedway in nearby Concord is one of the premier tracks in the sport.
Nearly every major NASCAR team maintains its shops and headquarters within a thirty-mile radius of where you are standing, making this region the undisputed capital of professional racing. The Hall of Fame, which opened in 2010, honors the drivers, owners, crew chiefs, and innovators who built the sport. Inside you will find legendary cars, interactive racing simulators, and the stories of figures like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson.
The building's design evokes the curves and speed of a racetrack. Stock car racing grew from a culture of moonshine runners who modified their cars for speed on mountain roads — a fact the Hall of Fame does not shy away from. This is where that outlaw culture became a billion-dollar American institution.