NASCAR Hall of Fame

Beginning as a curved, sloping exterior wall enclosing the building, a free spanning ribbon twists over the main entry to form a welcoming canopy. The long, thin incisions in this metal skin are analogous to the blur of a car racing past the spectator at tremendous speed. A large glazed oval forms the Great Hall, the symbolic core of the Hall of Fame, and the primary visitor entrance. In this hall, a curved, banked ramp leads the visitor from the main floor to the exhibit levels above. The ramp contains a display of race cars frozen mid-race, once again capturing the speed and spectacle that is the essence of the sport.

An important part of the overall design strategy was to locate NASCAR Plaza Tower on the northern edge of the site, poised toward the pedestrian traffic and energy of the downtown Charlotte city center. On the southern edge is the Plaza, a forecourt to the Hall of Fame. A broadcast studio enlivens this public space, serving as an origination point for a variety of radio and television broadcasts by NASCAR’s media partners.