The Cuts
I am happy to see Kansas City dropped from the running. Although NASCAR has become a national sport and Kansas City is much more centrally located than the other contenders NASCAR's roots are in the southeast and I believe that the NASCAR Hall of Fame belongs there.
I was surprised to see Richmond cut from the list so early in the running. Richmond is the where the NEXTEL corporate headquarters are and I expected them to make it further in this process.
The Three Finalists
For me Atlanta was a bit of a surprise. I expected them to be in the first round of cuts. Apparently they have put together a very nice proposal that has caught the eye of the selection committee.
The two favorites on the list would have to be Daytona and Charlotte. Daytona is where NASCAR was founded, where NASCAR headquarters are and also the home of the Daytona USA attraction. The addition of the NASCAR Hall of Fame would create a very nice NASCAR vacation destination, even when there is no race in town fans could come to Daytona and fill a long weekend with NASCAR activities.
Similarly, Charlotte is the spiritual home of NASCAR as the majority of teams are based in the area. Putting the Hall of Fame in Charlotte would also create a compelling NASCAR vacation destination. Fans could spend a day at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and then spend a day or two visiting the local race shops.
Because NASCAR has a deep history with both Daytona and Charlotte either of those cities would make an excellent choice for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
