NASCAR looking at K.C. for Hall of Fame.

[Ez Street]

Kansas is not afraid to bring out the big guns for NASCAR

JOE POSNANSKI

The Kansas City Star

Well, Kansas really wants that NASCAR Hall of Fame. Really. Wants. It. You could tell by the weapons. NASCAR, you probably know, means stock car racing; it is a multibillion-dollar game, a political force, a red-state heartbeat and the fastest-growing spectator sport in America.

Now NASCAR wants a Hall of Fame. Several cities ? most urgently Charlotte, N.C., Atlanta, and Kansas City, Kan. ? would like to have that Hall of Fame and the millions of tourists it should bring.

But Kansas might want those tourists just a little bit more than the other contenders. Thursday afternoon, in a first step, the Kansas bid for the Hall of Fame was officially sent off to NASCAR. This bid, though, was sent off by several members of the Kansas Army National Guard. They were wearing camouflage. They were fully armed. Their faces were painted. Their eyes were large. Several hid in the infield grass. They seemed to be taking this mission very seriously.

Air cover was provided by a UH-60 Black Hawk military aircraft.

The infantry squad was protected by an M2 A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, which, according to the Military Analysis Network Web site, has the ?medium and long range firepower capable of defeating any vehicle on the battlefield.?

?Later this year,? Stann Tate, public-relations director for the Kansas Speedway, told the crowd, ?these brave soldiers will be deployed in Iraq.?

I?m not sure these other cities know what they?re getting themselves into.

Yes, the state of Kansas message seemed pretty clear: ?We want tourists. And to make that happen, we?re willing to bring out heavy artillery and take some people out.?

It gives a whole new meaning to the tourism slogan ?Kansas: As Big as You Think.?

Well, what can you say? Kansas is tired of getting kicked around. The only time the state seems to get any real national attention is when some topographer comes in, does a few measurements and determines once and for all that Kansas really is flatter than a pancake. The state has taken beating after beating because for so many years the official ?Kansas Points of Interest? included the world?s largest ball of twine.

Oh, wait, the list still includes the world?s largest ball of twine.

The point is, Kansas is hungry for some tourist respect. And the NASCAR Hall of Fame is in the crosshairs now. These people have seen up close what a few cranes and a billion dollars can do. They built Kansas Speedway out here on farmland, and it draws more than 600,000 people every year. And that?s nothing compared with what built up around the track. Cabela?s outdoor gear store ? which opened up across the street four years ago and is now, by far, Kansas? No. 1 tourist attraction ? draws millions of people who are desperate to find lipless rattle baits and snake-proof clothing.

Actually, people make fun of Kansas for having an outdoor gear store as its No. 1 attraction, but this is really not uncommon when you look across America. If you think about it, very few states have what you would call ?can?t-miss? destination spots. It is hard to find official sources on top tourist spots, but according to several stories, Michigan?s top tourist spot is their Cabela?s store in Dundee. North Carolina?s largest tourist destination is the Concord Mills Outlet Mall, featuring a Bass Pro Shop. Alabama?s is the Riverchase Galleria Mall in Birmingham.

Anyway, Kansas folks have now gotten the tourist bug. Get out of the way. There is at least $100 million on the table for this Hall of Fame. There are wide open spaces, and skies that are not cloudy all day. Charlotte, in particular, wants the Hall of Fame, too. The people there seem to believe the city deserves the NASCAR Hall of Fame because of their ?great racing history? and ?long-term devotion to NASCAR.?

That?s a nice, romantic notion.

?The question is, does NASCAR want to look back or look forward?? says Carol Marinovich, the former mayor of Kansas City, Kan.

There you go. Look back or look forward. The future is in Kansas. Pretty soon every Hall of Fame might be here. And if they don?t want to come peacefully, well, that?s OK too. Kansas is not afraid to bring out the Bradley Fighting Vehicle again. Consider yourself warned. Kansas is actually bigger than you think.

[yh]

What races do they run in Kansas? The Corn Field 500?

j/k

Don't be an ignoramus.

It's WHEAT!!!!! Iowa is corn!

I'm all for Charlotte in this situation. Daytona has the awesome DAYTONA USA museum next to the track - Charlotte to my knowledge does not have any such similar attraction and as a number of folks have already said, it's practically the nerve center of NASCAR. I just don't see the logic in placing the HOF in Kansas - it would make it pretty costly to keep a good rotation of exhibits going. If it's in Charlotte, most of the stuff that would likely go in a museum would be relatively close at hand and could be changed out or rotated on a frequent basis so as to keep things current. Plus, from a day-to-day traffic standpoint, you're liable to have more year round interest and repeat customers in the Carolinas than you would in the heartland.

[DEAD!]

"The only time the state seems to get any real national attention is when some topographer comes in, does a few measurements and determines once and for all that Kansas really is flatter than a pancake."

Anyways, I'm for a southern city to have the Hall of Fame. Nothing against KC or Kansas though, but I think such a facility should be around the where NASCAR has roots. Sure, you can say that the Hockey Hall of Fame is not exactly where hockey is invented, but hockey does have deep roots in Toronto.

[Ez Street]

Well I'm for it here. But I'm biased because it will benefit my home state. Also having something like that 46 miles away would be cool.

If I were on the outside looking in, I'd probably say Charlotte.

BUT....

The being in the center of the US makes sense to me. Also expanding past those dated "Southern Roots" is good for expanding your fans base.

GO KC!

[DEAD!]

Well I'm for it here. But I'm biased because it will benefit my home state. Also having something like that 46 miles away would be cool.

If I were on the outside looking in, I'd probably say Charlotte.

BUT....

The being in the center of the US makes sense to me. Also expanding past those dated "Southern Roots" is good for expanding your fans base.

GO KC!

Well I guess the Hockey Hall of Fame should also be in KC, right?

The being in the center of the US makes sense to me. Also expanding past those dated "CANADIAN Roots" is good for expanding your fans base.

[OMMF]

but hockey does have deep roots in Toronto.

Deep, losing roots.

[DEAD!]

but  hockey does have deep roots in Toronto.

Deep, losing roots.

you got that right (Remember, I'm not a Leaf fan)

[pagan696]

another few reasons CLT really, really wants the HoF...

we already have a NC Racing HoF in Mooresville (20 min north of CLT) where many of the race shops are. adding the NASCAR HoF would be another good stop while viewing many of the NASCAR related sites to see when in the area.

the NASCAR HoF would go downtown next to our convention center, bringing in more folks to the downtown motels, resturants, and the new arena.

CLT built the all-star race weekend and festivities with 2 weeks worth of downtown free entertainment (parades, concerts, meet-n-greet drivers, building-side projected movies). most likely the all-star race would go where the HoF ends up, so there's more incentive to keep it here. the one year it went to ATL, it was a flop.

around 80-90% of the race shop are alredy here, so when you're in town for the race you can go and see the team shops where most have open viewing areas to watch them build cars, gift shops, along with team museums, all within 20 miles or so. this, in addition to the many things to do around the track(s) themselves.

track owner B. Smith even is willing to pony up million$ to build mass transit rail to move folks to/from downtown to the track, having the HoF would give the rail system more useage.

[Ez Street]

KC racing for NASCAR hall

Area's bid for Hall of Fame is a blend of historic cars, interaction and thrills

By JIM PEDLEY

The Kansas City Star

Think sports halls of fame are all musty old uniforms and bronze busts? Think again.

That's clearly not what the officials who put together a bid to attract the NASCAR Hall of Fame to western Wyandotte County have in mind.

?Think Disneyland,? said Jeff Boerger, president of Kansas Speedway and a key player in efforts to bring the $100 million-plus project to the area.

In a proposal made to NASCAR executives last month and obtained this week by The Kansas City Star, the architectural design calls for state-of-the-art interaction, high-tech gadgetry and carnival-style thrills.

Plans call for everything from talking holographic images of inductees to a theme park ride that would take visitors on a virtual race, complete with spinouts and crashes.

Interior exhibits would also include a six-story wall of historic stock cars ? a grownup's version of a set of Matchbox cars ? that would be backlit at night to attract the attention of passers-by. Another wall would feature what designers are calling the largest video screen in the world. And as visitors toured the hall, they would be enveloped in the throttling sounds of a NASCAR race day.

?It's a massive environment meant to overwhelm your senses,? said Mike Callan, principal and managing director of DMCD, the New York-based company that would design the exhibits and galleries.

State, local and private-sector officials will announce details of their bid at 7:45 a.m. today at the Westin Crown Center hotel. Kansas City is one of five cities vying for the hall. The others are Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Daytona Beach, Fla.; and Richmond, Va.

NASCAR officials hope to select a city by the end of the year.

If the hall were to come to Kansas City, the roughly 100,000-square-foot complex would be located near Kansas Speedway in the Village West development atop the bluff northwest of the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435. The cost is expected to be in the range of $100 million to $110 million.

Officials say options for paying for the complex include state-issued economic development bonds, STAR bonds, which were used to construct the speedway.

?There are a variety of (funding) mechanisms available to us,? said Bob Marcusse, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council. He declined to discuss other potential revenue.

Studies conducted by the development council estimate that 750,000 visitors would make their way to the hall every year, generating $50 million to $65 million per year in tourism dollars.

Marcusse said that figure was conservative. He pointed out that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently projected the financial gain to that city would be about $1 billion for 10 years.

Kansas City's proposal cost around $300,000 to assemble, with funding courtesy of private corporations. Tim Cowden of the area development council said that about $1 million more in time and services were donated by companies who wanted to contribute to the bid.

The list of firms lined up to design and build the hall includes such high-powered entities as HOK Sport+Venue+Event, which would imagine the exterior, and New York's DMCD, which specializes in exhibit design and has worked extensively with theme parks in Orlando, Fla.

Bill Crandall, senior vice president of Zimmer Real Estate Service and master developer for Village West, was impressed with the architectural team.

?If you think about the quality of the people we hired,? Crandall said, ?they all have national and international expertise. A project of this caliber needed that.?

One of the companies that developed interest in the project was Kansas City-based HOK, whose Ben Stindt, a principal on the project, had a special interest in the bid.

?I've always tinkered with old cars and liked stock-car racing, and in fact, my first car was a '55 Chevy, which in the stock-car races of the 1970s, that's what they were racing,? Stindt said. ?So it was kind of like: ?Pinch me. Is this really true? You want me to draw a building which is going to house automobiles and commemorate Richard Petty and the race car drivers I grew up loving?'

?We started thinking that this should be an experience like no other event that people have been to.?

HOK's plans for the exterior call for gray metal in celebration of racing cars. Jack Boyle of HOK said designers toyed with the idea of constructing the exterior based on ?silly? racing metaphors. He said a track shape and tire shape were considered.

?Those were all too obvious,? said Boyle, an admitted racing junkie. ?We decided to take the energy put on the inside and let it shine through the envelope.?

Inside the building, Boyle said, special attention was paid to ?exhibit flow.?

Upon entry, visitors would enter a food, retail and ticketing area. From there, they would descend by escalator into the atrium that would make up the major exhibit space. Once on the main floor, they would make their way through exhibits. At the far end of the floor, they would encounter the ride.

?An extensively high-end ride which will utilize all the senses,? Boyle said. ?Sight, smell, sound, wind. It's the highest level of ride.?

On the ride, visitors would be lifted back to the top floor of the atrium. From there, they would travel through more exhibits, including the six-story car wall and galleries where holographic images of racing legends such as founder Bill France and Dale Earnhardt would greet guests.

?You basically engage in conversation,? Callan said. ?You get a chance to familiarize yourself with them. This is something no one else has done.?

The next phase of the bid will begin this summer, when NASCAR representatives visit prospective sites. Everyone agrees that NASCAR will be brought into the final design process.

?We need them to be included,? Boyle said. ?We need to meet with them to learn their vision and needs.?

For good reason.

NASCAR officials have been deliberately vague about specifics, allowing each of the five cities to use creativity in the bid process. Guidelines for proposals were open-ended; no financial or size ranges were set. Crandall said NASCAR just wanted to have ?five or six questions answered.?

Among the questions:

? Who would design and develop the facility?

? How would it be marketed?

? How would it be financed?

? How would it be operated?

Kerry Tharp, director of public relations for NASCAR's Charlotte office, says there was one overriding quality NASCAR officials wanted to see in each proposal.

?Longevity,? Tharp said. ?We didn't want just a grand opening and then it would be forgotten. We want people to be excited and to keep coming back. It is very, very important for this facility to be running strong in five, 10, 20 years.?

Now, Kansas City must convince NASCAR that this is the place to build a hall many think is sorely needed for the sport.

?NASCAR has exploded of late,? Tharp said. ?We are a major sport, and we don't have a hall of fame. There are a handful of motor sports halls around the country, but not one that is the official NASCAR Hall of Fame.

?We felt we were past due to have a hall of fame to not only salute our heritage and tradition but to provide the fans with an opportunity to relive some of that and also to take a look at what is going on in NASCAR now.?

Some fans, especially in the Southeast, have questioned Kansas City's right to have the hall because of that same tradition. They contend their area is the birthplace and heart of the sport.

But the Kansas City team has argued that NASCAR is no longer a regional sport. Indeed, Nextel Cup events have been moved out of the Southeast in recent years and other tracks that have hosted races in the past ? such as at North Wilkesboro and Rockingham in North Carolina ? have been shut down.

Races have moved to such places as Southern California and Phoenix. NASCAR is exploring sites in the Seattle and New York City areas for expansion.

?This is no longer a Southeastern sport,? Boerger said. ?It's coast to coast and north to south.?

To reach Jim Pedley, call (816) 234-4860 or send e-mail to jpedley@kcstar.com

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

Three-dimensional images of Hall of Fame inductees would talk to visitors. A six-story wall would display historic stock cars. The giant video screen and sound system would ?overwhelm your senses.?

THRILL RIDE

Visitors would be able to experience the closest thing to an actual race, including spinouts and crashes. The ride would feature the ?sight, smell, sound, wind? of a NASCAR event.

[Ez Street]

and a logo has been unveiled....

[Ez Street]

More renderings.....

[Ez Street]

I want to see if Charlotte or Atlanta can top these plans.

[Ez Street]

Kansas to get the NASCAR Hall of Fame?

610 (KCSP) Sports racing show Inside Motorsports in Kansas City Saturday, December 3rd at 12:30pm/cst was the first nationally to break the story that Kansas City, Kansas would reportedly get the NASCAR hall of fame.

Hosts Mark Merrell and Ryck Sanders stated that a source had reportedly told them of a meeting in New York this week between NASCAR officials, International Speedway, and Speedway Motorsports Incorporated. Reportedly in that meeting, Brian France, relenting to pressure from SMI president Bruton Smith, reportedly told Smith that NASCAR would award the NASCAR Hall of Fame to Atlanta (an SMI owned track), but that the track would have to give up a race date, and that that race date (Nextel Cup) would go to Kansas Speedway (an ISC owned track) (creating two NEXTEL Cup races at Kansas). Smith at first reportedly agreed to the deal, but days latter reportedly re-approached NASCAR with the idea to take a NEXTEL CUP race date from the Texas Motor Speedway, and move it to Atlanta, leaving Texas Motorspeedway with one date, and Atlanta with the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and two NEXTEL Cup race dates, and Kansas Speedway with two NEXTEL Cup race dates. NASCAR officials, reportedly tired from Smith, pulled the deal, and reportedly will award Kansas Speedway with the NASCAR hall of fame, all according to an unnamed source.

The story was related to race fans live on Inside Motorsports, a weekly comprehensive racing show hosted by Mark Merrell and Ryck Sanders Saturday, December 3rd at 12:30pm central. A subsequent story was posted on their web site, Insidemotorsports.com [didn't work when tried], and also presented on KCPT, TV-19, a PBS station in Kansas City during a pledge break by Merrell while co-hosting show featuring the 25th anniversary of Motorweek latter that same day. The show aired live in Kansas City at 2:30pm/cst. The story is unconfirmed by NASCAR and ISC officials as of today's date.(Mark Merrell/Inside Motorsports/The Race Report/610 Sports KCSP)(12-5-2005)

Interesting.

[VitaminD]

I just can't see NASCAR building its Hall of Fame anywhere but in the area where it all began: North Carolina.

Baseball in Cooperstown, NY: where the game was purportedly invented by Abner Doubleday (though this has been proven as a false legend).

Football in Canton, OH: home of the NFL's Canton Bulldogs, an original league member.

Basketball in Springfield, MA: where James Naismith invented the game.

Hockey in Toronto, ON: either there or Montreal - either way, an appropriate historical home for hockey's HoF.

All that said, NASCAR was a regional sport for all of its existence until the last decade or so. The vast majority of the drivers, racetracks and fans were from the Southeast, most specifically North Carolina. I remember watching the nightly sports segments on the Raleigh newscasts, and was shocked that 70-80% of the time, NASCAR was the lead story! Not the NFL, or college hoops, but NASCAR. Everyone has a driver, people base their grocery purchases on whether "their guy" is sponsored by a certain company.

If Charlotte - home of Hendrick Motorsports, the Lowe's Motor Speedway, and less than a 2 hour drive from the hometowns of both Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt - isn't ideal for a NASCAR HoF, such a place doesn't exist. And it sure as heck ain't KC. They may be racing fans, but they don't deserve this honor.

[oz615]

I just can't see NASCAR building its Hall of Fame anywhere but in the area where it all began: North Carolina.

Baseball in Cooperstown, NY: where the game was purportedly invented by Abner Doubleday (though this has been proven as a false legend).

Football in Canton, OH: home of the NFL's Canton Bulldogs, an original league member.

Basketball in Springfield, MA: where James Naismith invented the game.

Hockey in Toronto, ON: either there or Montreal - either way, an appropriate historical home for hockey's HoF.

All that said, NASCAR was a regional sport for all of its existence until the last decade or so. The vast majority of the drivers, racetracks and fans were from the Southeast, most specifically North Carolina. I remember watching the nightly sports segments on the Raleigh newscasts, and was shocked that 70-80% of the time, NASCAR was the lead story! Not the NFL, or college hoops, but NASCAR. Everyone has a driver, people base their grocery purchases on whether "their guy" is sponsored by a certain company.

If Charlotte - home of Hendrick Motorsports, the Lowe's Motor Speedway, and less than a 2 hour drive from the hometowns of both Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt - isn't ideal for a NASCAR HoF, such a place doesn't exist. And it sure as heck ain't KC. They may be racing fans, but they don't deserve this honor.

AMEN.

[infrared41]

OK I did not read all the posts so forgive me if I am repeating the obvious...

Here are the top 5 locations for a NASCAR Hall Of Fame

1. Charlotte

2. Charlotte

3. Somewhere near Charlotte

4. Daytona

5. Somewhere near Charlotte.

Kansas City? Great town with great fans but putting the NASCAR HOF there is like putting the Hockey HOF in Dallas.

[Ez Street]

OK I did not read all the posts so forgive me if I am repeating the obvious...

Here are the top 5 locations for a NASCAR Hall Of Fame

1. Charlotte

2. Charlotte

3. Somewhere near Charlotte

4. Daytona

5. Somewhere near Charlotte.

Kansas City? Great town with great fans but putting the NASCAR HOF there is like putting the Hockey HOF in Dallas.

I do understand the objections against having it in KC. But I'll be happy to see it come to KC.

[sacker12]

It only seems natural for the NASCAR HOF to be near Charlotte.

[oz615]

It's Offical NASCAR has sold it soul to the Devil

[paynomind]

They were talking on the radio 3 days ago here in atlanta, that supposedly, Arthur Blank is working with ...some other guy, to get the NASCAR HoF built in downtown atlanta, on the campus with the Georgia Aquarium and World of CocaCola.

The big benefit to NASCAR was one-day drive from 80% of tracks, huge ATL airport... and private investors already lined up. They said Charlotte and KC were the other two front runners, and neither had any financing plans.