Kick off your stay in Charlotte with the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s high-octane adventures in racing. Even the hall’s sleek architecture looks like it was built for speed. You don’t have to be a die-hard NASCAR fan to enjoy a race or the experience of driving in one thanks to a simulator.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame opened in 2009. Since then, outstanding drivers, owners and mechanics have been inducted yearly into the prestigious Hall of Honor. Many of the inductees have fascinating stories. You’ll learn fun facts such as Bill France, co-founder of NASCAR in 1948, wrote the scoring system on a napkin!
Enter beneath the futuristic chrome roof into a round glass hall, where NASCAR’s story plays out on a giant screen. A banked ramp, the Sunoco Glory Road, curves alongside the hall, displaying historic vehicles and information about nearly 50 major raceway tracks. The building’s four floors house more than 1,000 artifacts relating to NASCAR racing and high-tech exhibits.
he Belk High Octane Theater educates visitors about the history of NASCAR and its drivers. On the third floor, try one of 50 interactive games or pay extra to jump in an iRacing Simulator to get a stock-car driver’s perspective of race day.
Learn the inspection process at the interactive Food Lion Race Week display, where a NASCAR team prepares for race days. Visitors can race each other at changing a tire and refueling at the Kobalt Pit Challenge. Test your technical know-how at the Race Shop and check out the Transporter to see how drivers and cars are moved from race to race.
The evolution of car safety, NASCAR milestones, historical artifacts and galleries of cars, video footage and photos complete the story of NASCAR up on the top floor.
Enjoy lunch in the museum’s restaurant, or grab a souvenir, films, books, clothing and merchandise at the NASCAR shop.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame is in uptown Charlotte and open daily. Parking is available for a fee in the garage nearby. There’s a light rail stop a block away and CATS bus stops two blocks away.