NASCAR awards hall of fame to Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Not far from some of the same red-dirt tracks where the sport came of age, NASCAR said Monday it will build a sleek shrine to the sport's greatest paint-traders and leadfoots in the heart of downtown Charlotte.

The selection of Charlotte as the site for the $107.5 million hall -- designed by I.M. Pei, the architect best known for his pyramid addition to the Louvre in Paris -- ended a yearlong race against four other cities for an attraction expected to lure hundreds of thousands of NASCAR fans annually.

"In the end, you look at what's going to be best in the long run," NASCAR chairman Brian France told a crowd of about 1,000 people at the city's convention center. "I'm happy to tell you today the NASCAR Hall of Fame is going to be right here in Charlotte, North Carolina."

Charlotte's proximity to the heart of NASCAR was cited repeatedly by supporters as a reason to put the hall in the city. Lowe's Motor Speedway, in suburban Concord, is home to the longest race on the Nextel Cup circuit, the Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600, and has long hosted NASCAR's annual all-star race.

Nearly all the top race teams are headquartered in the communities north of the city, and many top drivers own luxury condominiums in downtown Charlotte or palatial homes on nearby Lake Norman.

The price of admission is projected at $17 for an adult and $8 for a child.