The NASCAR Hall of Fame
RACING THE DAY AWAY AT CHARLOTTE'S NASCAR HALL OF FAME
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Lauren Driggers doesn't consider herself a NASCAR fan. In face, she says she's never even seen a Sprint Cup race all the way through. But as the 25 year-old wheeled through the banking turns at Bristol Motor Speedway hands clinching the wheel and eyes fixed ahead it was clear her lack of NASCAR knowledge wasn't in the way of a good time.
"Wow," she said. "My time was 17.3 seconds! That's pretty fast, right? "
Driggers was taking a spin in a high-tech racing simulator at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Uptown Charlotte. The simulator, called iRace, puts guests in the driver's seat of a life-size racecar. After picking a driver and donning a helmet, they can burn digital rubber around some of the sport's most-famed tracks. "You sort of get to see what the drivers see out there/ she added.
The simulator is just one of the many memorable finds inside the 150,000-square-foot Hall of Fame. Opened last May, the museum dazzles at every cum. making good use of the $19S million it took to complete. Give yourself about two hours to tour the space, and make sure to register your "Hard Card" upon entry to personalize the experience.
You'll start your tour inside the Hall of Fame's 278 seat theater, where you'll watch a 12-minute video that chases NASCAR's history from the back roads of Wilkes County to the mammoth speedways of today. From there head to Glory Road a banked-ramp exhibition area featuring some of the sport's most legendary cars and descriptions of the sport's most famed tracks. The ramp leads up to the Hall of Honor, where the original Hail-of-Fame inductees are still being honored. Among the findings here is Junior Johnson's 1965 Holly Farms car and Dale Earnhardt's famed GM Goodwrench. Please note that the second class of inductees will be unveiled in May of this Year.
The fun starts when you enter "Race Week, " an interactive area that shows how teams prepare for a race. It's here that you'll find the racing simulator, a full-size transporter and a handful of other interactive wonders. Lastly, the top floor is devoted to telling the story of NASCAR's 60-year history through a series of videos, exhibits and artifacts. The museum also includes a fantastic gift shop and an on-site Buffalo Wild Wings.
The NASCAR Hall of fame is open daily from 10 to 6 pm. Admission is $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors and military personnel and $12.95 for children. For information, call or visit NASCAR website.
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