Football
Associated Press 19y

Hall of Fame sites jockeying for position

Representatives from neighborhood groups,
chambers of commerce, local government, private enterprise and the
Central Florida Sports Commission are putting the final touches on
a proposal to bring the NASCAR Hall of Fame project to the Daytona
Beach area.

Officials said the proposal will include a letter of support
from Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Daytona Beach, where NASCAR was founded and is still
headquartered, is vying with several other cities, including
Charlotte, N.C., Richmond, Va., and Kansas City, Mo., to be the
site of the proposed Hall of Fame.

The Daytona Beach project, expected to cost $107 million, would
be a dynamic, interactive facility that highlights NASCAR's rich
racing history and helps tap NASCAR's skyrocketing fan base. The
facility would be built entirely with private sector funding.

"The NASCAR Hall of Fame belongs here in Central Florida,"
said John P. Saboor, executive director of the commission. "This
facility will be a feather in the cap of our state's tourism
offerings. We're in stiff competition to get it, but we believe it
needs to come to Daytona Beach."

The final bids are due to be presented to NASCAR by May 31.

In Raleigh, N.C., more funding for North Carolina's bid is on
the fast track after the state House tentatively agreed this week
to authorize an increase of the Charlotte-area hotel room tax.

The revenues would help finance the museum and a new ballroom
for the Charlotte convention center, next to the proposed site.

The tax would generate $65 million for the actual hall and is
part of a $137.5 million spending package from Charlotte and the
state to persuade NASCAR.

Patience is a virtue
The Coca-Cola 600 is NASCAR's longest race, and
three-time winner Jeff Gordon says it takes a special knack to get
to the finish.

"A 600-mile race is long, so it's very important to take your
time out there," Gordon said. "You don't want to get caught
racing too early and get into trouble. I want to be around when it
counts."

Gordon also has six top-fives and eight top-10s in the 600-mile
event on Lowe's Motor Speedway's 11/2-mile oval.

"You don't want to lay back too much and go down a lap, and the
race is too long to try and stay up front all day," he said. "I
want to stay near the lead pack, keep my car together, and by the
end of the race be in contention for a good finish."

One thing that is different this year is that the suburban
Charlotte track recently had the race surface levigated, a process
that not only smoothed out the racing surface but created two
distinct racing lines.

"The new surface is very fast, and with two racing lines, it
should make for better racing," Gordon explained. "I'm really
looking forward to rubber being laid down out there. It should make
us more maneuverable."

Gordon enters Sunday night's race third in the Nextel Cup
standings, 124 points behind leader and teammate Jimmie Johnson.

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