"Lights. Camera. NASCAR." Debuts at The NASCAR Hall of Fame
Facility unveils largest and most star-studded exhibit to date featuring more than 40 film-themed artifacts
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 16, 2013) – The NASCAR Hall of Fame introduces its newest and largest exhibit in its three-year history, “Lights. Camera. NASCAR.” opens to the public May 17. A never before seen look at NASCAR, the exhibit chronicles how the industry has influenced films, how NASCAR has promoted movies through sponsorship and how film has portrayed the sport’s legends over the years. With more than 40 artifacts on display, box office favorites represented include “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” Disney’s “Cars,” “Days of Thunder,” “Greased Lightning,” “Herbie Fully Loaded” and much more.
The new exhibit, located in the Great Hall within the NASCAR Hall of Fame, is just in time for the excitement accompanying the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 18 and Coca-Cola 600 on May 26 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Lights. Camera. NASCAR.” opens Friday, May 17 and runs through mid-October. Extended hours for the NASCAR Hall of Fame will take place through May 27 to accommodate fans visiting for the May races and attending the Food Lion Speed Street 600 Festival. For specific hours, visit nascarhall.com.
“This exhibit has an incredible universal appeal because movies have an extraordinary ability to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds," said Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “When you pair that fascination with the allure of NASCAR, it becomes an engaging representation of the sport’s reach that embraces five decades of entertainment. It includes movies that have captured the sport’s intensity, parodied its celebrities and benefitted from the type of national exposure that only NASCAR can provide.”
Among the 40+ artifacts that encompass items such as driver uniforms, hoods, scripts, stills and original cars, the exhibit also boasts the largest number of cars featured in the Great Hall to date. The six on display had starring roles in movies and film promotion:
- Cole Trickle’s City Chevrolet car from “Days of Thunder” (1990): Several real life NASCAR figures were the inspiration for the characters of “Days of Thunder” including Cole Trickle played by Tom Cruise, Harry Hogge played by Robert Duvall and Tim Daland played by Randy Quaid. The real life inspiration for each was driver Tim Richmond, crew chief Harry Hyde and team owner Rick Hendrick.
- Ricky Bobby’s Wonder Bread car from “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” (2006): “If you ain’t first, you’re last,” was the mantra for Will Ferrell’s character Ricky Bobby, who drove this car during filming at Rockingham Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
- Herbie Volkswagen Beetle from “Herbie Fully Loaded” (2005): This car, complete with NASCAR racing components such as roll bars, a spoiler and racing slicks, reached speeds of more than 130 mph during filming at Auto Club Speedway in California.
- Doc Hudson car from Disney’s “Cars” (2006): The “Fabulous Hudson Hornet”-inspired car was built by Gunnar Racing, a private company in Palm Beach, Fla., as a tribute to Paul Newman and was driven at the “Cars” movie premiere at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2006.
- 1962 Chevrolet built by Wendell Scott for “Greased Lightning” (1977): Based on the legacy of Wendell Scott, Warner Bros. commissioned Scott to build the car, which would be his last creation. To date, Scott is the only African American to win a premier series race and the first to be nominated for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
- Jeff Gordon’s Jurassic Park car “T-Rex” promoting “Jurassic Park: The Ride” (1997): Built by Hendrick engineer Rex Stump and used to promote Universal Studios new “Jurassic Park”-themed ride, the car picked up the nickname “T-Rex.” Jeff Gordon dominated the 1997 All-Star Race to make it one of the most legendary cars in NASCAR history.
Kicking off the exhibit for families, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will host a kid-friendly “Lights. Camera. NASCAR.” Premiere Party on Saturday, June 1. Kids 12 and under will be admitted free with a paying adult and are welcome to partake in fun-filled programming and activities on the NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza as well as inside the venue including a bounce house, caricature artists, coloring stations and more to celebrate the premiere of the newest and largest exhibit to date.
Tickets to the NASCAR Hall of Fame can be purchased by calling (877) 231-2010 or at nascarhall.com. General admission is $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors and military, $12.95 for children 5-12 and free for children younger than 5. Annual Memberships are available starting at $25 for children and $50 for adults. For updates and details about the NASCAR Hall of Fame, guests can visit nascarhall.com, facebook.com/nascarhall or follow @nascarhall on Twitter.
About the NASCAR Hall of Fame
Conveniently located in Uptown Charlotte, N.C., the 150,000-square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, opened May 11, 2010, and includes artifacts, hands-on exhibits, 278-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop and NASCAR Media Group-operated broadcast studio. The venue is opened 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. seven days a week and has an attached parking garage on Brevard Street. The five-acre site also includes a privately developed 19-story office tower and 102,000-square-foot expansion to the Charlotte Convention Center, highlighted by a 40,000 square-foot ballroom. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. nascarhall.com
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