NASCAR Hall Of Fame Delivers A Great Fan Experience

January 21, 2022 by Rod Worley
Jeff Gordon’s #24 Monte Carlo
NASCAR Hall of FameThere are few places that celebrate speed, skill, and championships like the NASCAR Hall of Fame. From the moment you walk into this 150,000 square foot bastion of home-grown American racing, you feel the energy.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is located in the central business district of Charlotte, North Carolina, and honors drivers, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, broadcasters, and other major contributors.

For the legions of devoted fans, this is hallowed ground.

Its inductees are stock car racing legends who have entertained fans for decades. Throughout the history of NASCAR, race fans have gotten to witness some of the best race car driving in motorsports history.

At first impression, the multi-level building is architecturally different from the towering skyscrapers in the city. The five-acre site also includes a privately developed 19-story office tower and 102,000 square-foot expansion to the Charlotte Convention Center, highlighted by a 40,000 square-foot ballroom.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is currently owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed byNASCAR, and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.

The facility is interactive, modern, fan-focused, and as we found out, a great way to spend a couple of hours.
“Glory Road” in the Great Hall
NASCAR Hall of Fame“Glory Road” in the Great Hall
NASCAR Hall of Fame

The Impressive Great Hall

As fans of NASCAR know, the highly sought-after “hard card” provides full access to the garage area, the drivers, and all of the behind-the-scenes action at every NASCAR race.

In addition, the Hall of Fame uses their version of the “hard card” to grant you access to the many interactive features of the Museum.

A visitor can register their hard card, pick a driver to be their digital host, and compete against other guests in eight challenges throughout the facility.

While there are four floors of exhibits to explore, undoubtedly, the heart of the museum is the visually impressive Great Hall. Here visitors get a physical sense of the history of NASCAR.

Two aspects of the Great Hall jump out immediately. The first is the 14 feet by 18 feet jumbotron TV screen that cycles through the various guests in attendance and fun facts.

The other is Glory Road.

Glory Road is a street-visible circular portion of track that mimics the various degrees of banking of 46 past and current tracks. In addition, on the track itself are 18 historically significant cars showcasing the evolution of race car designs starting in 1949 through today.

Also in the Great Hall is the 278-seat High Octane Theater. This state-of-the-art theater retraces this sport’s historical roots from the Daytona beaches to present-day on the 64-foot jumbotron projection screen with surround sound.
NASCAR Hall of Fame

 

18′ by 14′ jumbotron screen in the Great Hall
NASCAR Hall of Fame

Race History Continues

As you move through the various floors of the museum, you have to wonder if NASCAR founder William France, Sr ever envisioned such success. Yet, what he started in Daytona Beach, Florida, at the Streamline Hotel on February 21st, 1948, has grown to have fans across the planet.

The successful evolution of the sport can be found as your tour the upper floors.

The Heritage Speedway section covers seven decades of history, including a glass-enclosed area with historical artifacts from the history of stock car racing.

Interestingly, 90%+ of the 1,000 artifacts in the museum are on loan. Apparently, the museum never pays for a piece.

The Inside NASCAR area simulates an actual week in a NASCAR team, from race prep through inspection, practice, time trials, and the race. Here, visitors can practice a tire-changing pit stop, walk through a full-size NASCAR Lowe’s hauler, and call a race.

It’s also the chance to get behind the wheel of one of eight racing simulators provided by iRacing.com that gets the heart pumping. So how real are the simulators?

NASCAR drivers have come to the museum to practice in these simulators.

The Hall of Honor is something special for memorabilia fans. This 360-degree room celebrates inductees on the walls, large TV screens, showcases of memorabilia, and on platforms with cars.
Racing Experience simulators
NASCAR Hall of FameMemorabilia in the Hall of Honor
NASCAR Hall of Fame

Monkey Rides Shotgun

The Hall of Fame is home to more than just plaques, race cars, and trophies. It’s got its fair share of hair-raising moonshine-running stories and crazy promotional antics as well.

One of our favorite promotional stories centers around an Atlanta pet store rhesus monkey named Jocko Flocko. This little monkey has become the only known “co-driver” in NASCAR history.

As the story goes, Tim Flock was a successful driver of the number 91 Fabulous Hudson Hornet. Flock’s sponsor, Ted Chester, was happy with Flock as a driver but was looking for something extra to grab more attention.

So while looking for a puppy in Atlanta, Ted came across a rhesus monkey named Jocko for sale. Instantly the light bulb went off, and a plan started to form.

Ted had a helmet, goggles, and racing suit made for the monkey. They even stitched the #91 on the back to round out the effect.

Then they mounted a racing seat within Flock’s #91 Hudson race car on the passenger side. The seat was high enough so Jocko could peer out the window to see fans and other drivers alike.
“Lightning McQueen” from the “Cars” movie
NASCAR Hall of Fame

 

Jocko Flocko Wins Race!

Jocko Flocko rode with Tim Flocko for five races in 1953, much to the delight of the fans. In fact, in the 10th race of the season on May 16, 1953, Tim took the checkered flag and made history at Hickory Speedway’s half-mile dirt track.

Jocko Flocko became the first, and still the only, monkey to win a NASCAR race. Tim’s Hudson Hornet took the lead after about 30 laps and never relinquished it, beating 26 other racers to win the 100-mile race.

Just two weeks after their legendary win at Hickory, things went south at the all-new Raleigh Speedway. According to Tim Flock, “We had this chain hooked onto the floorboard that we would pull up to check on the wear on the right front tire.

“Well, old Jocko had been watching me do that, and soon as he came unstrapped, he went right for the hole and stuck his head through. The tire zipped him on the head, and he liked to have went crazy.”

Tim Flock had to pit (he called it his Monkey Stop) to get the crazed monkey out of the car. Unfortunately, this unscheduled pit stop caused him to finish 3rd, costing him $600.00 in prize money.

$600 in 1953 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $6,215.48 today!
Jimmy Johnson’s #48
NASCAR Hall of Fame

Great Fan Experience

The city of Charlotte beat out several cities, including notables such as Atlanta and Daytona Beach, to be the home of this racing Hall of Fame. The resulting museum is an evolving fan-based look at this genuine American motorsport.

Honestly, how good is the museum for NASCAR fans? Would you believe the average visitor travels over 500 miles to soak up the racing history? Even so, the Hall of Fame is losing money.

To get more information, contact the museum at 1-704-654-4400. Ticket prices in 2021 for adults were $25, kids (ages 8 to 12) get in for $18, admission for children 3 to 7 costs $12.

Pricing for the High Octane Combo Packages can vary. The packages can include everything from unlimited simulator rides to a Hall of Fame lanyard vary.

Check the museum’s website for more details.

One thing is for sure, the immersive NASCAR Hall Of Fame delivers a great fan experience.
Tony Stewart’s #20

 

Earnhardt Jr., Farmer and Stefanik inducted into NASCAR Hall of Fame

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emailBy Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service | January 22, 2022 9:56 AM ET

At first glance — aside from sharing the profession of “race car driver” — Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mike Stefanik and Red Farmer couldn’t be more different from one another.

A perennial Most Popular Driver at NASCAR’s highest level of competition, Earnhardt holds two Daytona 500 wins among his 26 career victories.

More than that, as a driver, team owner and television analyst, Earnhardt has transcended both the sport of stock car racing and his own legacy as the son of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt.

Stefanik, a hard-nosed New Englander, drove modifieds with a relentless tenacity that carried him to seven Whelen Modified Tour titles. Stefanik, who died in 2019 at age 61 from injuries sustained in the crash of a private plane, also collected two championships in what was then the Busch North Series.

The patriarch of the Alabama gang, Farmer accumulated innumerable victories — estimated between 700 and 900 — at short tracks located primarily in the Deep South. At age 89, he still competes on the one-third mile dirt oval at the Talladega Short Track across the highway from NASCAR’s biggest superspeedway.

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Despite their varying backgrounds and diverse racing pursuits, Earnhardt, Stefanik and Farmer now share one monumental achievement in common — after all three entered the NASCAR Hall of Fame during an induction ceremony at the Charlotte Convention Center on Friday night.

The climax of the ceremony was the induction of Earnhardt, who has made an indelible mark on a sport he was born to. Earnhardt joined his father, a member of the inaugural class of 2010 in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Earnhardt’s wife Amy performed the induction of her husband.

“My eyes are already watering,” Earnhardt said as the start to his acceptance speech. “…To join Dad in the Hall of Fame is probably as good as it’s going to get…

“I was a mechanic at a dealership. That was my destiny, or so I thought. I changed the oil in thousands of cars.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife Amy Earnhardt, and their daughters Isla (L) and Nicole, pose on the red carpet prior to the 2021 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. Chris Graythen/Getty Images

From those inauspicious beginnings, however, Earnhardt followed his father into the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he won back-to-back championships in 1998 and 1999, and then into NASCAR’s premier division, where he drove first for family-owned Dale Earnhardt Inc. and then for Hendrick Motorsports.

Earnhardt acknowledged the importance of uncle Tony Eury Sr., his crew chief; his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller, who spurred the growth of JR Motorsports and Earnhardt’s broadcasting career; team owner Rick Hendrick; and Steve Letarte, his crew chief at that organization.

Key to his personal life, Earnhardt said, was wife Amy. “How do you explain someone who makes every day of your life better?” he said.

NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief Ray Evernham opened the inductions by ushering Stefanik into the Hall. Stefanik’s wife Julie, who served as her husband’s spotter throughout his career, accepted the induction.

“This is a huge honor, and I know Michael would have been very humbled,” Julie Stefanik said of her husband, who set Whelen Modified Tour records for victories (74) and poles (4.

“He was more than just a racer to us. He was a beloved husband, father, brother and friend. And in his honor, I’ll have a Jack and diet (Stefanik’s favorite drink).”

 

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France presents Julie Stefanik with the jacket for her husband, NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Mike Stefanik during the NHOF Class of 2021 Blue Jacket ceremony at NASCAR Hall of Fame. Mike Comer/Getty Images

Stefanik and fellow modified driver and mentor Richie Evans are the only drivers to win nine NASCAR championships. All of Evans’ titles came on the Modified Tour.

Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart inducted his close friend and hunting and fishing buddy Charles “Red” Farmer.

“He doesn’t know how to be quiet in a deer stand — I can tell you that,” Stewart said. “But his stats speak for themselves. He’s a racer’s racer and he deserves to be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.”

Born in Nashville and starting his racing career in Florida, Farmer nevertheless considers Hueytown, Alabama his hometown, in part because of his association with fellow Alabama Gang members Bobby and Donnie Allison. Farmer has been racing for 75 of his 89 years.

“It’s something that gets in your blood, and you can’t get it out,” Farmer said in a “fireside chat” at the induction dinner before the official ceremony.
NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France presents Red Farmer with his jacket during the NHOF Class of 2021 Blue Jacket ceremony at NASCAR Hall of Fame. Mike Comer/Getty Images

Though Farmer raced 36 times in the Cup Series over a 23-year span, with a best finish of fourth (twice) at Middle Georgia Raceway in Macon and Talladega Superspeedway, he routinely turned down full-time Cup offers in less-than-competitive equipment.

“I was not going to be an also-ran,” said Farmer, who preferred to win races and championships on the short tracks. That didn’t prevent him, however, from winning the Modified title in 1956.

The NASCAR Hall is the 10th hall of fame to honor Farmer.

“If these Hall of Fames were a Christmas tree with all the ornaments around it, this NASCAR award would be the gold star on top of that Christmas tree,” Farmer said during his induction speech.

As part of the Friday night program, the late Bob Jenkins was recognized with the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence for his pioneering work in television and radio broadcasting.

The late Ralph Seagraves was honored with the 2021 Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. As an executive with R.J. Reynolds, Seagraves was instrumental in bring the Winston sponsorship to NASCAR’s foremost series, as well as to the grassroots racing NASCAR supported.

 

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NASCAR Hall of Fame: A sacred space

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emailBy RACER Staff | March 28, 2022 4:55 PM ET
Presented by: NASCAR Hall of Fame The NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte is so much more than just a museum; it’s a shrine to the history and heritage of the sport of stock car racing, and a dynamic, immersive portal to NASCAR’s exciting present and future.

The Hall of Honor is the heart and soul of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It’s a sacred space where NASCAR legends are celebrated and honored.

From the founding fathers and pioneers, to the superstar drivers, mechanics and owners who built the sport, enshrinement in the Hall of Honor marks the pinnacle of a career.
NASCAR Hall of Fame’s class of 2021

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Driver/Owner


Red Farmer – Driver

 

Mike Stefanik – Driver/Mechanic

It’s an exclusive club, where entry has to be earned. Past NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees include multiple champions such as Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, and NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. The three newest members – Dale Earnhardt Jr., Red Farmer and Mike Stefanik – are more than worthy of joining such storied names.

For visitors to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, entering the Hall of Honor is an awe-inspiring experience. The 58 inductees are represented by individual spires (below), while the Class of 2021 each gets their own Showcase, with racecars, trophies and artifacts providing an evocative glimpse into three incredible racing lives.



At first glance, aside from sharing the profession of “racecar driver,” the Class of 2021 couldn’t be more different. Earnhardt counts two Daytona 500 wins among his 26 NASCAR Cup Series career victories. A perennial Most Popular Driver at NASCAR’s highest level of competition, he’s transcended both the sport of stock car racing and his own legacy as the son of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt.

“My eyes are already watering,” said an emotional Earnhardt at the Jan. 21 induction ceremony. “To join Dad in the NASCAR Hall of Fame is probably as good as it’s going to get…”
The moment it all becomes real… NASCAR Chairman Jim France helps Class of 2021 inductee Dale Earnhardt Jr. don his NASCAR Hall of Fame Blue Jacket at the Jan. 21 ceremony in Charlotte. Earnhardt, along with Red Farmer and the late Mike Stefanik, joined an illustrious and exclusive list of members.

 

Farmer, the patriarch of NASCAR’s storied “Alabama Gang” that also includes Bobby and Donnie Allison, earned innumerable race wins – estimated between 700 and 900 – at short tracks located primarily in the Deep South. At age 89, he still competes on the one-third-mile dirt oval at the Talladega Short Track across the highway from NASCAR’s biggest superspeedway.
When you’ve competed in as many races over as many years as Red Farmer has, those suits and helmets are a timeline of NASCAR’s evolution.

“(Red) doesn’t know how to be quiet in a deer stand, I can tell you that,” said three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, who inducted his close friend and hunting and fishing buddy. “But his stats speak for themselves. He’s a racer’s racer and he deserves to be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.”

Stefanik drove modifieds (below) with a relentless tenacity that carried him to seven Whelen Modified Tour titles. The hard-nosed New Englander, who died in 2019 at age 61 from injuries sustained in the crash of a private plane, also collected two championships in what was then the Busch North Series.



“This is a huge honor, and I know Michael would have been very humbled,” said Julie Stefanik of her husband, who set Whelen Modified Tour records for wins (74) and poles (4. “He was more than just a racer to us. He was a beloved husband, father, brother and friend.”

A visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame

Conveniently located in the heart of uptown Charlotte, N.C., the NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR.

It’s a place where fans can be inspired by the heroes who powered stock car racing from its rip-roaring past to its exciting future, and get in on the action at every turn with more than 50 interactive experiences.

Connect with the sport’s legends in the Hall of Honor, get behind the wheel of an iRacing simulator on your favorite track, or see if you’ve got what it takes to make the team in the Pit Crew Challenge.

Take part in events that set the stage for the future of the industry and hear intimate, never-before-told stories of the past.

Bring the whole family for moments that will become memories to be shared for a lifetime. Experience it all at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

To find out more, including ticketing, opening times and all the latest exhibits, check out nascarhall.com.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. helped choose the 18 racecars in the Hall of Fame’s unmissable Glory Road Champions exhibit.

NASCAR Hall of Fame, NASCAR