Atlanta hopes to avoid NASCAR hall ‘mistakes’

Listen to this article

As the first birthday of the NASCAR Hall of Fame approaches, officials in Atlanta are studying Charlotte’s success – or lack thereof – with the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

According to a story in Friday’s The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, officials in Georgia’s capital, which Charlotte defeated in a race for the museum, are using the hall of fame as a sort of case study. As such, Atlanta is applying lessons learned in the Queen City to the building of future museums and other attractions in the Peach State, the story says.

Here’s an excerpt from the AJC story, which featured the unflattering headline “NASCAR sputters in Charlotte while Atlanta watches”:

“Atlanta, set to begin construction this fall on two museums near Centennial Olympic Park, can glean important lessons from Charlotte’s struggles, officials in both cities say. The National Center for Human and Civil Rights, for example, has delayed construction, pared costs and reduced its size. Neither the center, nor the College Football Hall of Fame, will rely as heavily on taxpayer money as NASCAR did to build and operate its venue.”

“Glean important lessons from Charlotte’s struggles.” I’m sure that’s not the publicity Charlotte’s boosters expected a year ago, when the hall of fame was getting ready to open its doors.

It’s never a good thing when people are using your city as an example of what not to do. It’s basically saying that you’re a screw-up.

Back to the AJC story: It also looked at the NASCAr Hall of Fame’s attendance figures and points out that the hall “didn’t welcome anywhere near the 800,000 visitors projected for its first year of operation.”

Further, the story points out, the museum “didn’t break even either, losing instead an estimated $1.3 million.”

And, the story goes on to say – in a line sure to make the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority cringe – the museum’s first year “didn’t dispel notions that Atlanta … would’ve been a better spot for NASCAR to park.”

Atlantans who are backing future museum projects are saying they’ve “learned from Charlotte’s mistakes,” according to yet another line that should make the CRVA, which operates the city-owned hall, feel battered and bruised.

I’ll be looking to see how city and CRVA officials talk publicly about the hall as its birthday, which is May 11, draws closer. Will they gloss over the attendance struggles and focus more on whatever positives there are, promising that 2011 will bring a turnaround? Or will the blame game begin, with accusations from public officials that not enough is being done to make the museum a success?

Whatever the talk is in Charlotte next month, this much is certain: 2011 will be an important year for the hall: It’s one thing when a venue struggles in its first year in operation, especially in a year in which the recovery from a recession is ongoing. Two bad years in a row, though, would be really serious.

This time next year, will Atlanta still be watching us sputter?

Editor Deon Roberts can be reached at [email protected].