Iron Men in Horseless Carriages

In Charlotte,NC is a museum dedicated to the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. There, on Martin Luther King Boulevard is homage to the men and machines that created the second most watched sport in the country. In the 175,000 square foot structure designed by Peter Cobb Freed and Partners are many displays of which many are interactive. We visited on Wednesday which was less crowded than the weekend. There was considerable activity due to  television technicians setting up for the evening telecast from there. (The 2016 group of inductee into the Hàll of Fame were to be announced.) When we bought our tickets we received a small plastic card about the size of a credit card. It's called your "Hard Card". We were told that when we activated these cards they would grant us access to certain interactive displays. After completing these tasks, which I did not care for*, we began to look around. The first thing you see is hat appears to be part of a racetrack. Upon this track are race cars beginning with a 1952 Hudson Hornet. As you continue along the track the walkway is inclined as the track is banked. The cars represented are noteworthy. Fred Lorenzen's famous "Yellow Banana" Ford and Buck Baker's "Black Widow" Chevrolet and the cars of famous drivers past and present. It is easy to see the evolution of the NASCAR racer. It is also interesting to experience banking of the track as you allowed to attempt to stand on the 33 degree banked surface.

Once you walk pass the last car on the track you find yourself on the second floor. On this floor are the simulators. There are more than a dozen cars on a small section of track. You pay your money and pick your ride. Then the race is on and the spectators can watch the action on a large screen television. The leader board changes as the race progresses although the cars never move. We did not do this. I had once driven an actual race car at Darlington. Nearby was a place to have your picture take driving a race car. For many all these activities you use your "Hard Card". There are many kiosks around the area in which you can use your Hard Card to test your

skill knowledge and performance. One such test is to see how fast you can change tire and refuel a race car. One activity i enjoyed was testing an engine on a dynamometer. You can punch in changes to the engine and then test it to see improvements. In the raceweek area you see cutaway version of the racecars which allow you to see "under the skin" of these 200 mph machines. The Hall of Honor is where the inductees into the NASCAR hall of fame are featured. the cars of the recent inductees are displayed along with drivers bios and videos.

You could probably take from opening to closing to read all the captions, watch all the film, and participate in the interactivities. There is a lot to see and do. However, I knew much of the history and rather lacking in physical ability so our visit did not last all day. But, itis a "must see" for any stock car racing fan.