 | Earnhardt, Petty and Waltrip should be charter inductees into NASCAR's new Hall of Fame. AP (2), Getty Images (1) |
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The creation of a NASCAR Hall of Fame and Museum is the biggest no-brainer since someone figured out that something round would roll. Not even NASCAR can screw this one up.
Just to make sure, here's a sure-fire blueprint for success. Call it 10 Steps to Stock Car Greatness.
1. Pick Charlotte as the location.
The Queen City already is the hub of stock car racing and has more racing tradition than the other potential sites. What about Daytona, you argue? Well, certainly the track is a major allure, but Daytona USA already is a cross between a museum and a theme park. Besides being a nice place for a family vacation, North Carolina also offers true racing fans a chance to visit various team headquarters. Although NASCAR is denying it, various reports say Charlotte's the pick.
2. Imitate Indy, then do it better.
This has worked for NASCAR with just about anything it has done since its inception, so why stop now? The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with its star 500-mile event, has about four decades on the stock car association. Indy invents, then NASCAR improves -- primarily by appealing to the common man and fan. The Hall of Fame museum in Indy is a magical place.
3. Learn from the stick and ball sports.
Again, this is something that NASCAR has done well -- going to school whenever another sports league works a TV deal, labor contract or deal with a municipality. Each of these sports has a nice hall, with baseball's Cooperstown another magical museum.
4. Go heavy on the museum, light on the hall inductions.
You can't induct 10 drivers every year into a NASCAR Hall of Fame because there's not enough quality for the quantity. Too few drivers have won a championship; in fact, it's hard to just win an event (just 168 drivers have won a single NASCAR race). After Carl Edwards won the first four races of his career last season, he already ranks 68th on the all-time list. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is just finding his way in the sport, hoping to compete for his first title this year. His 16 wins are topped by just 40 drivers in the history of NASCAR. Does Kyle Petty deserve to be in the Hall of Fame? Does Michael Waltrip? Keep it limited.
5. Make a big deal out of car owners, crew chiefs and even broadcasters.
If you depend just on drivers, the hall will be too small.
