Race into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte
I’ve often come across a NASCAR race on television, but never really stopped to watch the sport. I have enjoyed challenging my sons to a few races on Gran Turismo (PS4). When we were planning our activities in Charlotte, North Carolina for a family trip, we couldn’t NOT visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame and learn more about the sport that none of us were very familiar with.
In fact, before entering the museum, I asked my wife and kids to name at least one NASCAR driver. One of my sons mentioned Joey Logano, which surprised us. My wife knew who one driver was but couldn’t remember his real name – “He was Malcolm in the Middle.” I knew Dale Earnhardt, Jr., so at least I had a little information.
I challenged each person to learn the name of at least one new NASCAR driver during our visit to the Hall of Fame, because I was going to quiz them at the end.
If you’re planning a visit to Charlotte, North Carolina, I recommend visiting the NASCAR Hall of Fame. If you’re not familiar with the sport, you’ll gain a new appreciation for it. If you are familiar with NASCAR, then you’ll be able to dive in a little deeper to the sport.
Directions, Parking and Tickets to the NASCAR Hall of Fame
Tickets to the NASCAR Hall of Fame can be purchased online in advance of your visit (which is what I recommend), but they are also available on-site. The real challenge comes in determining which type of ticket and price point you want to snag for your visit. Here are the four options:
GENERAL ADMISSION: The best ticket option for wandering the museum and learning more about NASCAR. There aren’t any perks or additions associated with this ticket level. Cost: $27 for adults; $24 for seniors (65+); $20 for youth (ages 4-12).
COMBO 1: In addition to exploring the museum, you get unlimited access to the hands-on driving simulator experience, along with a NASCAR Hall of Fame lanyard. Cost: $36.
COMBO 2: Same feature as the other combo, but includes souvenir photos. Cost: $41.
Combo 3: Same features as Combo 2, but also includes a cafe voucher and gear shop voucher. Cost: $49.
Despite the museum being in the downtown area of a major city – Charlotte – parking isn’t an issue at all. There’s a parking garage that’s easily accessible off of Brevard Street on the northwest side of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. We paid the $25 fee as we entered the lot and quickly found a parking stall on the first level.
Once parked, we followed the signs out of the parking garage and around the corner to the main entrance of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Start Your Engines! Beginning Your Visit
After checking in at the turnstiles and showing your tickets, head to the computers directly in front of you. It’s here where you’ll register your card and develop a profile that will help document your visit. The process takes a couple of minutes, and even if you’re completely unfamiliar with NASCAR, you can still fill out the information and randomly select a favorite driver and sponsor.
The best way to start your visit is to check out the video running in the High Octane Theater. We actually missed this on our way in and never got the chance to see the film. We noticed the theater on our way out, but by that point we had another place to be.
After the film, make your way up Glory Road, understanding that it’s more than just a display of cars. Glory Road showcases some of the changing stock cars used in NASCAR and the tracks on which they compete. Since I’m not very familiar with NASCAR, I have to admit I was surprised at the variety of track surfaces and even the angle of some of the corners on the tracks. As you explore the road, you can actually see what it’s like to stand on the banked curves of places like Daytona and other well-known racetracks.
When you reach the top of Glory Road, you’re ready to explore the other areas of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Hands-on Experiences with Driving & Pit Crews
One of my favorite parts of the NASCAR Hall of Fame are the hands-on experiences. If you opted to NOT purchase access to the NASCAR simulator, don’t worry. You can still try your hand at driving a stock car… or play a video game, depending on how you want to look at it.
The line for the driving simulator photo above was much shorter than the main one you have to pay extra to experience. Although, it could be fun to climb into a mock-up of a NASCAR vehicle and test your skills that way.
We had fun trying our hand at a NASCAR pit crew. We divided into two groups and fought for fastest time. Each team was timed on adding fuel to the car and removing and replacing a tire. I’m happy to share that my team was victorious. Well, only because the other team–lead by my wife–cheated. They took a practice run beforehand when we weren’t looking.
Visit the Hall of Honor on Level Three
If you’re familiar with some of the NASCAR legends, then you’re really going to love the Hall of Honor. I’m only familiar with the super famous names like Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Yep. That’s about it when it comes to those names I recognize.
The Hall of Honor at the NASCAR Hall of Fame gives you a chance to learn more about some of the drivers who set records on the track. There’s a plethora of memorabilia there as well, so you can get a better idea of some of the greats.
Exhibit Areas on Level Four
The top level offers the history of racing along Heritage Speedway. You can see cars like the one pictured above working their way around dirt tracks. We had fun watching some of the videos and looking at some of the vehicles on display on this level of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It’s definitely an area of the museum you won’t want to miss.
The Pitstop Cafe and Gear Shop
There are two areas of the NASCAR Hall of Fame you may miss if you’re too interested in the artifacts and vehicles of the museum. Pitstop Cafe provides several items that work for lunch – allowing you to stay in the museum to fuel up your family.
Additionally, you don’t want to pass through the gift shop without checking out some of the apparel and souvenirs. We snagged some of the items we typically collect – golf balls, patches, Christmas ornaments, etc. Since we aren’t very familiar with NASCAR, we didn’t snag a sweatshirt or anything like that. But NASCAR fans will likely snag a lot more souvenirs than we did.
The Details
Address: 400 E Martin Luther King Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28202
How long to spend: You’ll want to plan on at least one hour; Longer if you plan to do the simulators
Cost: General Admission tickets are $27 for Adult (ages 13+), $24 for Seniors and $20 for youth (ages 4-12). Additional ticket options are available, ranging from $36-$49 and include a lanyard, simulator experiences, souvenir photos and more.
Hours: Wednesday – Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays.
Website: https://www.nascarhall.com/
Phone: (704) 654-4400
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