Backseat Blonde -NASCAR Should Award Hall of Fame Project to Los Angeles

February 28, 2005

NASCAR Should Build Hall of Fame in LA
By Allison Wagda

I can see it now. A long, narrow checkered carpet
replacing the traditional Hollywood red as guests step
out of Hummer limos, throngs of A-list celebs toasting
glasses of the latest vintage from the Childress
vineyards beneath colorful crystalline lights, Disney
characters chasing errant kids, sparkling Tiffany trophies
lining marble mantles, all with NASCAR CEO Brian France holding court on a
glitterati stage.

It’s perfect for the new NASCAR. Sure, Los Angeles isn’t on the short list of locations
for the future NASCAR Hall of Fame, but it should be. After all, Southern California
took the Labor Day tradition, why not spotlight NASCAR’s history too?

NASCAR has sets its sights on the West Coast market, and has spent the last 18
months overhauling the entire series to drag those poor, uninformed Californians
into the sport. The folks in Daytona have promised us all the future of NASCAR lies in
its expansion. By building such a monument to the sport in LA, they can illustrate
their commitment to these new fans and distance themselves from that distasteful
redneck image.

And families. Forget the old 18-40 market, LA is full of the modern holy-grail of
marketing targets: the family. Tinkerbell tells me these families love pre-fab
entertainment with plenty of distractions for their whining and screaming 2.5 kids.

LA also boasts some of the most creative minds in the world, so naming the different
attractions in the Hall around possible sponsors, as NASCAR would probably love to
do, would be no problem I’m sure. Forget about the Ford cut-away car, you could
quench your thirst at the “Buy Smoke a Coke” refreshment stand, steal away to the
“Bud Bar,” or get lost finding your car in the “Purina Barking Lot.” You could even
“Sprint to the Restroom” when it all gets just a little too nauseating.

Are you mad yet? Think I’m off my rocker? Nah, I’m just making a point.

The sunny beaches of SoCal may be fun to visit, but surely the area is no place for
the NASCAR Hall of Fame. And neither are Kansas or Michigan or Atlanta or
Birmingham (even with the joint bid with Talladega) or even Richmond, the other
candidates who accepted NASCAR’s RFP (request for proposal) to bid the new
project.

The Hall of Fame needs to be located in one of two places: Daytona or Charlotte.

I’m sure all those other locales have something special to offer, some reason to
make the Hall of Fame home to their cities. I’m sure there are good people working
to lure NASCAR to their city. I’m sure the economic benefits would be useful to their
communities, and that they would do our sport proud if given the chance.

But, the Hall of Fame can only be in Charlotte or Daytona.

NASCAR may have seemingly abandoned its old fan base in search of growth, but
those old-timers are the ones who will keep the Hall of Fame in business. New fans
don’t care about what happened in the past like the old-timers do. Do kids go
running off to Canton to learn all about George Blanda? Naw, they’re too busy playing
Grand Theft Auto when mom and dad aren’t looking. A NASCAR Hall of Fame must
embrace the sports illustrious roots and honor those who made the sport what it is
(well…was before 2004).

If the Hall of Fame can’t be about tradition and history, then it will just be yet another
“NASCAR experience.” A sweet, colorful confection with little substance. To properly
pay homage to the sport’s legacy, the Hall of Fame should be in Daytona - where the
first races ran in the sand; or the Charlotte area - a region home to most NASCAR
teams and an integral part of its history.

“NASCAR's overriding goal is to have a world class Hall of Fame," said
Chairman/CEO Brian France last week. "We want it to be a special place that brings
NASCAR's history to life. Our hope is for longtime fans to have the opportunity to
relive NASCAR's greatest moments and for new fans to learn about them."

Great to hear, Mr. France. So we’re on the same page. Yet respectfully, I must ask
why so many cities were “finalists” for this project?

I think I get it. After reading the press release, I see that NASCAR plans to “partner”
with the selected city to build the Hall. Meaning whomever comes up with the most
cash and tax incentives walks away with it?

It should be interesting to see what regions are actually willing to fork over taxpayer
dollars to NASCAR to build a shrine. With a recession in our wake, many cities seem
to have lost their appetite for public-funded stadiums. Seattle residents were far from
sold last year on the idea of offering up their money for an ISC track. Why would a city
pay up for a NASCAR Hall of Fame?

According to the NASCAR press release: “In support of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, it
is likely that an annual induction ceremony would take place in conjunction with an
existing NASCAR-sanctioned race weekend. This would attract a significant number
of visitors to the site and provide a major economic lift for the Hall of Fame and
surrounding areas. The enshrinement ceremony and other ancillary events would
also make for compelling television content on a national basis.”

I’ll admit, the project would certainly be a publicity/image boon for whatever city ends
up the victor. But an economic factor? The Hall would require what, a couple hundred
employees optimistically? How many visitors would it take to have a serious impact
on a region? Would people really go to Kansas City to see it?

Well, if it’s any indication, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton has had over 7
million visitors in a little over 40 years. Given that sports growth, say half of those
have been in the last decade. That would average out to about 350,000 a year.

It’s a lot of folks to be sure, but I remain unconvinced that taxpayers should even be
partially-funding this project. I’m not opposed to NASCAR accepting tax incentives,
since those would likely be given to any company looking to bring in any good-sized
business. I can tell you this…when was the last time a city actually PAID to have a
giant corporation locate in their backyard, a business which would have a much
greater long-term economic impact? Like an Oracle?

I suspect a little subterfuge afoot in the halls of NASCAR. Having eight cities
submitting bids might be a ploy to wring more cash out of either Daytona or
Charlotte. NASCAR needs to step up and build this project themselves and not take
funding away from schools and parks and the police. Cities can and should come up
with design ideas, but ultimately NASCAR has the most to gain.

And the Hall of Fame must be where racing is from and where the fans are. There
are only two choices here. I sure ain’t going to Kansas for anythin’.

(BTW…this poor fan is actually from rainy California, but still believes racing’s roots
should not be forgotten amidst the ambition of those leading the sport today. And
nothing personal against Kansans ;)

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