NASCAR Hall of Fame ties racing's past, future

John Freeman and his father-in-law drove up to Charlotte Motor Speedway in June 1960 to see their first NASCAR race, the World 600. Freeman had long loved working on cars, and by the time he finished watching them circle the track that day, he was smitten.

He and his wife, Annette, have since driven from Charlotte to NASCAR races throughout the Southeast, but they don’t go to as many now. They’re older, and TV makes it easier not to brave the crowds. The sport has changed, too, they think.

“It’s gotten so big,” he said Tuesday morning, looking up at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which opened with a drizzly outdoor ceremony and day-long festivities in uptown Charlotte. The Freemans were joined at the $195 million shrine by former NASCAR champions and city and state dignitaries, along with hundreds of fans – like them – who were ready to be reminded why they fell in love with the sport.

The opening of the 150,000 square-foot Hall of Fame comes at a critical time for NASCAR, which has struggled in recent years to maintain the successes and growth of the past two decades. Attendance is down, as are television ratings, a trend officials hope the museum will help reverse by giving young fans a taste – and old fans a reminder – of the sport’s colorful roots.

“Today’s a good step,” said CEO Brian France, whose grandfather, Bill Sr., and father, Bill Jr., will be among the inaugural five-member class inducted later this month. France was joined Tuesday by other inaugural class members Richard Petty and Junior Johnson, who got the biggest cheers of the day after driving replicas of their vintage stock cars to the opening ceremony stage.

“I think a fan walks away knowing we care about our past and our history,” said car owner Rick Hendrick. “To me, that’s what’s important – that our history, our roots and our heritage is important. It’s not all just about today.”

But history has been both a blessing and burden to NASCAR. Unlike most other sports, where the past is a quaint but inferior product, NASCAR’s history reminds some fans of what’s lacking now – racing and personalities they can connect to. “I feel it’s too commercialized,” said Douglas Phelps, who retired to Charlotte from California four years ago, in part to be closer to racing. “Other people have told me they’re losing interest because it’s not as exciting any more.”

Phelps went to his first race with his father in 1958 at California’s Pomona Fairgrounds. He had photos of that day Tuesday in his clear Rusty Wallace backpack, as well as pictures of him and Wallace. His favorite part of the Hall of Fame: the top floor, which houses the sport’s oldest artifacts in the glass-enclosed NASCAR Vault.

“It really shows the roots,” said Phelps, who hopes that recent rules changes will nudge racing toward that rugged past.

The top floor was a favorite of drivers, too – including Wallace, who said he was thrilled to see his No. 27 Pontiac, the car he drove to his first Winston Cup title in 1989. “It makes you think and appreciate and remember, he said. “It brings you back to different days – not necessarily better days.”

Petty has a similar notion after driving a replica of his No. 43 STP Dodge to the opening ceremony stage. “There wasn’t enough room,” he said of the car, then noted: “The fans, they need to look at how simple that car was.” Now, he says, the rides are more advanced – and safer. “You realize what NASCAR has been able to accomplish.”

John Freeman agreed Tuesday, when his Hall of Fame visit was done. He enjoyed the top floor’s artifacts, he said, but also an exhibit that showed how a modern car is put together. “It shows you how far the sport has advanced,” he said.

He and Annette also had their picture taken with former Charlotte Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler. A different kind of reminder, on a day full of them.

“It’s not like the NBA and the NFL, where you idolize but are separate,” Freeman said. “It’s more like a family.”