Motorsports Travel Guide

An article written by Van Cox for Racing Collector's Price Guide
February 1999 issue

No professional sport has a richer or more colorful heritage than auto racing. And let’s face it, North Carolina is the mecca of motorsports. More professional race teams are located within an hour’s drive of Charlotte than in any other region of the country. So, it’s only natural that the area should be home to one of the sport’s premier racing museums: the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

The combination of museum, hall of fame, art gallery and gift shop is located in Mooresville, N.C.‘s Lakeside Industrial Park-in the very midst of some of NASCAR’s most prominent race teams. A non-profit venture founded in 1994, the North Carolina Auto Pacing Hall of Fame plays host to more than 150,000 visitors annually Attendance during May race weeks alone tops 21,000. The guest registry boasts names from all 50 states and no fewer than 15 foreign countries. The museum also serves as the official visitors center for the town of Mooresville, which has earned the title "Race City, USA" due to the heavy concentration of racing-related businesses.

Virtually every kind of racing is represented inside the walls of the 16,000 square foot facility. In addition to NASCAR displays, you’ll find exhibits paying tribute to drag racing, Indy cars, road racing, you name it. It is arguably the most diverse assemblage of motor racing memorabilia anywhere.

"We pride ourselves on our wide variety of exhibits," says Jerry Cashman, Executive Director of the museum for the past two-and-a-half years. "One of the neat things about racing is that there are so many different kinds. It isn’t just NASCAR. We try to offer the fans a little of everything."

More than 35 cars are on display at the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Where else could you find Cory McClenathan’s record-setting McDonald’s Top Fuel dragster under the same roof as Curtis Turner’s mid-‘50s vintage No. 99 Schwam Motor Co. Grand National ride. Or the Olds 88 that Bill Blair drove to victory at "The Beach" in 1953 sharing floor space with one of Bobby Rahal’s Miller Genuine Draft Indy cars? Or the 1989 24 Hours of Daytona-winning Porsche sitting headlight-to-headlight with Cruz Pedregon’s Small Soldiers Funny Car? Here’s a sampling of some of the other "bad rides" currently residing at the museum:

"Duke," the Sabco Pontiac that Kyle Petty drove to two wins and three poles in only four starts at Rockingham
The No. 16 Penske Chevrolet Caprice that Rusty Wallace drove in his 1980 Winston Cup debut (seen below)
Al Hoffman’s Parts America Funny Car
"FIDO," a 1989 No. 28 Texaco Havoline Thunderbird driven to victory by the late Davey Allison
Kyle Petty’s 1987 World 600-winning Citgo Ford
Don Miller’s "Salt Shaker, a ‘29 Ford Roadster that Miller raced on the Bonneville Salt Flats
The No. 2 Osterlund Racing Oldsmobile that Dale Earnhardt drove to victory in the 1980 Busch Clash
LeeRoy Yarbrough’s No. 26 Junior Johnson prepared ‘68 Mercury
The fiberglass-bodied ‘65 Comet drag racer by Doug Nash
A.J. Foyt’s Jack Bowsher-owned ‘69 Ford USAC stock car
A pair of history-laden IROC Dodges
The Craftsman Truck Series entry that Mike Bliss demolished at Bristol.

There is even a section for rare muscle cars of the 1960s. Included in this exhibit is a special edition, monster-motored ‘64 Plymouth Sport Fury-one of only 18 ever produced- formerly owned by RJ Reynolds family member Zack Reynolds. Also on display is a light-weight version of the ‘63 l/2 Ford Galaxie 500 Fastback (200 made) and a ‘64 Ford 427 High-Rise (only 50 produced-25 4 speed, 25 automatic.) The real show-stopper in this category is the Holy Grail of all muscle cars, a ‘64 Ford Thunderbolt powered by a 427 engine.

"The Thunderbolt is one of my favorite cars in the entire museum," smiles Cashman. ‘There were only 100 made, and this particular car has only 7 miles on the odometer. It is immaculate; the interior still smells like new. The ultimate muscle car..."

Cashman rotates cars in and out of the museum on a regular basis. So, guests are guaranteed a new memory with each visit.

"We have arrangements with other museums that enables us to swap out cars with them," Cashman explains. ‘That has been one of the secrets to our success. We want the fans to see something new each time they drop in. We don’t ever want this to be the type of museum that if you seen it once, you’ve seen it all."

PLENTY MORE

Display cases at the Hall of Fame are brimming with hundreds of artifacts and photos from the early days of auto racing, such as:

A 1949 Daytona souvenir program signed by that year’s Strictly Stock (now Winston Cup) champion, Red Byron
The uniform worn by LeeRoy Yarbrough en route to his 1969 Daytona 500 win
A ‘50s vintage NASCAR inspector’s helmet signed by Fireball Roberts, Joe Weatherly, Speedy Thompson and Jim Paschal
A program from an early Speedway (Indy-type) car race at Darlington
Meticulously detailed scale models of historic race cars

Special exhibits are dedicated to many of racing’s most beloved stars-including fallen heroes like Tiny Lund, Tim Flock, Neil Bonnett, Tim Richmond and more.

"We have the uniform and helmet from Richmond’s last race," says Cashman. "That was when he went to Daytona in 1988 but didn’t actually race."

Of course, the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame is just what the name implies. Richard Petty was the first inductee in 1997, followed by Bobby Allison. The late Tim Flock will be the next honoree. A bronze bust of each driver is complimented by a memorabilia display.

The museum’s "Goodyear Mini-Theater" offers fans the opportunity to view films about their favorite sport. A coming addition to the program will be the "T. Wayne Robertson Electronic Library," which will serve as a one-stop information center.

Director Cashman’s appreciation of fine art is best evidenced by the dozens of lithographs that grace the walls of the museum. Nearly a dozen of racing’s most prolific artists are well-represented, including Jeanne Barnes, Garry Hill and Sam Bass.

"In most cases," says Cashman, "you have to go to each artist’s gallery to view their work. Here, you can enjoy the works of a variety of artists at one time."

Lithographs are available for purchase, as is a plethora of souvenirs and collectibles in one of the most elaborate gift shops you’ll find in any museum. The store not only offers the latest in new merchandise, but also race-used tires and parts.

WANT TO GO?

The North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame is located at 119 Knob Hill Road in Mooresville, NC. Hours are 9 am-5pm, Monday-Saturday, with extended hours during Charlotte race weeks. Admission is $3.75 for adults, $1.75 for senior citizens and children 612, five and under-free. For more info, call: (704) 663-5331 or check out the museum’s web site: http://www.ncarhof.com.

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