Pit stop
Racing museum revs fans up for real-time action
From CNN Travel Guide Correspondent Stephanie Oswald
MOORESVILLE, North Carolina (CNN) -- For NASCAR fans, the best way to be part of the action is at trackside. But there's a place in North Carolina where the racing phenomenon shifts into a lower gear -- the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame.
Thirty-five cars are on display in the museum, a 30-minute drive (at road speeds, not track speeds) from the legendary Charlotte Motor Speedway. Among the treasures: Davey Allison's rookie car, a 1987 Ford Thunderbird with its yellow "rookie stripe" on the back bumper.
"Fans really like to see the rookie strip on the back bumper," says Jerry Cashman of the Hall of Fame. "They have to wear that yellow bumper stripe on the back of their cars to let the drivers behind them know that they're a rookie."
In addition to the stock cars, there are I-ROC cars, dragsters, Indy cars, roadsters and older cars, all showcased for visitors from around the world in Mooresville, North Carolina -- "Race City, USA."
A racing legacy
There are more than 50 racing teams based in the Mooresville area, just north of Charlotte. The Hall of Fame Museum makes a great pit stop for race fans before or after the main events at the Charlotte track.
Along with vintage automobiles and other race memorabilia, visitors can usually count on finding a few famous faces -- and some folks who can explain the race world with the personal touch.
Wanda Lund's husband, Tiny, died in a crash during a race in 1975. She still has a passion for the sport, and carries on her husband's memory by mingling with today's fans.
"That's the nice thing about a museum," she says. "It takes you back and shows you the roots of the sport and where it came from."
Gerry Hill captures those moments in his paintings.
"(Dale) Earnhardt's passing in the grass from the '87 All-Star race, where Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt went heads-up for the win," he says, describing one painting. "That was terribly exciting."
Or another: "The 1988 Daytona 500, where Bobby Allison won and his son Davey was second ... those are some that stand out."
When asked about his inspiration, Hill says it simply.
"For the same reason the guy drives the car and changes the tire or whatever. It's a way to be connected with the sport and it's a love affair."
Newer, bigger, faster
These days auto racing is an international phenomenon, but Bob Gabriel, a museum volunteer, remembers when the sport was born.
"I went to my first race in 1937," he says. "Used to be, they'd drive the cars to the race, and take the headlights out and run them in the race and then put the headlights in and go home."
Admission to the Hall of Fame is less than $4 -- 100,000 passed through the doors last year, and the management expects a quarter of a million this year. There are plans to build a much bigger museum in the next few years to match the growing popularity of the sport. The new racing shrine will have three stories and cover more than 100,000 square feet.
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