Every sport has its Mount Rushmore. Every sport has a place to show off its greatest, except NASCAR. That reality is changing by the day, and then some, through the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which announced its first class in October.

What happened?
NASCAR unveiled its first Hall of Fame Class. Only five men would make the first cut; so, we knew the list would be legendary. Still, it strikes a little bit of awe to type Dale Earnhardt, Bill France, Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson and Richard Petty in the same sentence. From NASCAR.com:

"The NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, consisting of members of the Nominating Committee along with 29 others representing NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, major race track ownership groups, retired drivers, owners and crew chiefs along with motorsports media representatives, met in a closed session in Charlotte, N.C. to vote on the Induction Class of 2010.
The class was determined by the 51 votes cast by the panel and the nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.COM. The accounting firm of Ernst & Young presided over the tabulation of the votes."

Where are we now?
Construction on the facility in Charlotte is underway. The Hall of Fame will open May 11, 2010. Admission is 20 bucks. It will even have a Buffalo Wild Wings inside. Mmmmmm. Yummy wings.

Why should you care?
As Winston Churchill once said, “The best way to take a look forward is to take a look back.” Knowing the sport's history and stories is important to making the product better. It’s also hard for NASCAR to be a major sport if it doesn't have its own hall of fame. The building will take NASCAR to a new level, one I hope fans can enjoy for generations to come.

NASCAR reveals names of first Hall of Fame class (NASCAR)
NASCAR Hall Of Fame Selects Inaugural Hall Of Fame Class (Sporting News)

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