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Since the clueless Florida legislature decided not to support Daytona's bid to host the official NASCAR Hall of Fame and Museum, only three cities are realistically still in the running: Charlotte, Atlanta and Kansas City. Of course, South Carolina legislators could have made a valid case for their state since it's the home of the first stock car superspeedway and the first stock car racing museum, both in Darlington, but they've been too busy making fools of themselves as usual, having a big time joking about battered women. With Daytona out of the picture, Charlotte has the strongest claim on the hall of fame in terms of history. Some of the sport's early heroes learned all about souping up cars during former careers as bootleg whiskey runners in the NC mountains; and nearby Mooresville is home to many NASCAR race teams and businesses, as well as the NASCAR Technical Institute.

Atlanta has a claim on the attraction because, well, umm, there's a lot of people and tourists in Atlanta.

Kansas City wants the hall of fame and museum because. . . .let's see. . . .OK, other than bringing in tourist money, there's no real reason to put it in Kansas City.

Wherever it winds up, the museum will have plenty of history to exhibit and celebrate. NASCAR's roots go back a long way. After the end of World War II, Detroit began producing fast, powerful cars and many young drivers started racing them in competitions, some of them actually legal. A slew of automobile racing groups arose in an effort to organize and profit from the new sport, and in 1948, NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) was founded in Daytona by the merger of several of these groups, under the leadership of entrepreneur Bill France, Sr., who had begun his race promotion career by running cars up and down the beach.

After a couple of rough years, the sport started taking off with the building of the Darlington Speedway, which hosted the first 500-mile stock car race. In those days, the drivers were more often than not good ol' Southern wildasses, many of whom struggled to distribute their time among cars, women and booze. Curtis Turner, for example, was a hard-living, hard-charging driver and drinker who was as well known for his partying as for his success on the track. And tales of Tim Flock's eccentric ways are legendary, including taking along a monkey during races. The early years were fueled by an almost reckless love of the sport and a lot of downhome ingenuity. But as it grew, the sport became more sophisticated.

By 1959, the Daytona International Speedway was constructed (which beat the hell out of racing on the beach at low tide), and in 1960 television got in on stock car racing when CBS reported from Daytona. The money got better, the cars got faster and disaster followed along. In 1964, three top drivers — Fireball Roberts, Joe Weatherly, and Jimmy Pardue — were killed in racing accidents. In the aftermath, NASCAR began a new, overdue emphasis on safety with the introduction of the roll cage.

Stock car racing has become a complex, technologically sophisticated sport that, in recent years, has spread its influence into new areas and gained millions of new fans.

It's that nationwide following that makes a NASCAR Hall of Fame viable economically. If Creative Loafing were sponsoring the place, it would look something like this.

THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM GUIDE TO EXHIBITS

1. Dem Golden Bones

A specially commissioned sculpture by world-famous artist Claes Oldenburg, this interwoven pile of solid gold chicken bones is NASCAR's own tribute to generations of stock car racing fans who've chomped on untold millions of pieces of fried chicken while attending their favorite sport.

2. Junior Johnson Shrine

The rags-to-riches legend of Junior Johnson is an inspiring one for children, so the museum has fashioned a kid-friendly shrine to NASCAR's most famous former 'shine-runner — Junior's Bootleg Gumballs, with a unique dispenser in the shape of an authentic corn likker still!

3. Hail to the King

NASCAR pays homage to the King, Richard Petty, with a stunning replica of his famous headgear (actual size). Plans are in the works for the city to replace the crown in the Charlotte logo with Petty's own "country crown."

4. The Jeff Gordon Whine and Cheese Café

When you want a meal, a snack, or just something cool to drink, you'll feel right at home here. Think Gordon's a California-Yankee interloper? You can whine about it here. Think Gordon's a great star who's under-appreciated because he's not Southern? Come on in and whine to your heart's content. The café's weekend special is always Southern-fried crow.

5. Tony Stewart Temper Testimonial

A museum exclusive: the official certificate verifying that driver Tony Stewart completed the anger management course NASCAR forced him to take in 2003. Includes authentic broken glass and frame.

6. The Bill Elliott Helium Blaster

Many fans would like to be a great a driver like Bill Elliott, but few of them can. And even fewer can sound like him, no matter how high they try to speak, or how many Four Seasons songs they've sung along with. Until now. Step right up to what will no doubt be one of the museum's most popular exhibits. Take a big whiff of pure helium, and you'll be able to screech, "Hey, I sound just like Awesome Bill!"

7. Official Aryan Surfboard

See the actual surfboard driver Kasey Kahne used in Young Aryan Surfers in Love, the hit movie he made in 2006 with Hillary Duff whom he met on the set, married, and had two perfect children with.

8. Free Chest X-Ray

Every patron of the museum will be eligible to get a quick, painless, and free chest x-ray, compliments of the museum, in honor of NASCAR's "Tobacco Years."

9. J-Wrecks!

A tribute to driver Jimmie Johnson. Formerly the most squeaky clean personality in NASCAR, he's changed his tune, driving flat-out bumpercars style and, according to drivers he's pissed off, causing wrecks left and right.

10. Dead Man’s Curve

As you're going up or coming down our fabulous stairway, you'll pass Dead Man's Curve, a tribute to the drivers who've been killed while participating in NASCAR events. Stop for a second to pay homage to the likes of Fireball Roberts, Dale Earnhardt, Joe Weatherly, Jimmy Pardue, Adam Petty, Neil Bonnett, Kenny Irwin , Tony Roper, John Nemechek, J.D. McDuffie. . . .well, the list kind of goes on but we'll stop there, no need to upset people or anything.

HALL OF FAME MEMBERS -
FIRST 20 INDUCTEES

Richard Petty

One of NASCAR's true all-time superstars, Petty drove car 42 to seven series championships in a career that lasted 35 years. In 1967, he won an amazing 27 of 48 races, including a record 10 straight. No wonder he's considered The King.

Junior Johnson

The legend, the Last American Hero (according to Tom Wolfe), Johnson acquired his skills while driving the NC backroads, delivering 'shine. A full-tilt, old-school driver, he won 50 series races while gaining many new fans for the sport.

Cale Yarborough

One of the most durable and hard-charging drivers ever, Yarborough, the only NASCAR Winston Cup driver to win three consecutive championships, was a four-time winner of the Daytona 500 and a five-time winner of the Southern 500 at Darlington.

Glenn “Fireball” Roberts

Often referred to as the greatest driver never to win a Winston Cup title, Roberts was highly popular, earned 32 wins, but then died tragically after suffering injuries from a horrific accident at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Darrell Waltrip

This immensely popular driver is a three-time series champion and is tied for third on the all-time victory list with 84 wins. He is the only five-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600, and he won the inaugural The Winston in 1985.

Joe Weatherly

A motorcycling champion before moving to stock cars, Weatherly won back-to-back Winston Cup championships in 1962 and 1963 and was obviously on his way to becoming an all-time great when he was killed in an accident at Riverside in California. The stock car racing museum in Darlington, SC, is named for him.

Fred Lorenzen

The first NASCAR driver to earn more than $100,000 in one season, Lorenzen was a highly skilled racer and was Richard Petty's main competition for years even though his participation was spotty. In 1964, for instance, he won eight of the 16 races he entered and finished 13th in the points race despite missing 45 of that year's 61 races.

Dale Earnhardt

The one, the only, the Intimidator earned his title with a hard-charging, take-no-prisoners driving style. The only driver to win Rookie of the Year and the series championship in successive seasons, Earnhardt won seven series championships before dying in a last-lap accident at Daytona.

Wendell Scott

Scott was the only black stock car driver during his career in the 1950s through the early 70s. A superb mechanic, he was forced to operate on a low budget, even enlisting his sons as crew members, due to sponsor discrimination. Still, racing on a shoestring, he finished in the Top 10 in 147 races, and was in the Top 10 in point standings from 1966-69. He is still the only black driver to win a NASCAR race.

Curtis Turner

In NASCAR's earliest days, no one raced, or partied, harder than Curtis Turner. His philosophy of "Run it till it breaks or wins" earned the sport many fans when it most needed them, while his sociability made him a vital part of the drivers' growing group identity. Turner was killed in a crash of his private plane in 1970.

Tim Flock

One of the genuine rough & ready pioneers of stock car racing, Flock holds the record for highest winning percentage (he won 21.2% of the races he entered) and was twice the series champion. A classic "character," Flock competed in eight races with Jocko Flocko, his pet monkey, as a passenger in his race car.

David Pearson

"The Silver Fox" from Spartanburg, SC, Pearson is second only to Richard Petty on the sport's all-time win list (105), and won the series championship three times. From 1973 to 1978, he won an unprecedented 11 straight pole positions at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Bill Elliott

One of the most popular drivers in NASCAR history, "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville" ruled the late-80s and much of the 90s. He holds the single-season record of 11 superspeedway races (in 1985), and was the first driver to win the "Winston Million," also in 1985, which earned him the nickname "Million Dollar Bill."

Buck Baker

The Baker family patriarch, Charlotte native, and former bus driver, Baker was the first back-to-back series champion (1956 and 1957), and won the then reputation-making Southern 500 in Darlington three times.

Lee Petty

Not just the father of Richard, Lee Petty's forceful style helped him win 54 races — seventh on the sport's all-time wins list. The first three-time series champion, he won the first Daytona 500 (1959), and ranked in the Top 5 in the series points chase 11 of 16 seasons.

Ned Jarrett

"Gentleman Ned" Jarrett, whose soft-spoken demeanor belied his aggressive driving style, was a crowd favorite who won 50 Winston Cup races and was a two-time series champion, and that was after having had a championship-winning career in the Busch series races. He retired in 1966 at the age of 34.

Bobby Allison

A highly popular driver, and one of the founders of the "Alabama Gang," Allison was series championship runner-up five times, and won the title in 1983. He is tied with Darrell Waltrip for third in all-time career wins, with 84.

His career was cut short by an accident in 1988.

Buddy Baker

The son of two-time series champion Buck Baker, Buddy made a name for himself in a big way by winning back-to-back Coca-Cola 600s (1972 and 1973), finishing in the Top 5 in 202 races, and becoming the first driver to break the 200mph barrier at Talladega.

Herb Thomas

A former wildcat racing king, Thomas became a linchpin of NASCAR's early days, winning the series championship in 1951 and 1953, and was the first driver to win three Southern 500s (at the time the most prestigious race). The third of those wins, in 1955, came despite being badly injured a mere three months earlier. The next year, Thomas was seriously injured again, ending his career.

Bobby Isaac

Bobby Isaac liked to drive fast, it was that simple. After winning the 1970 series championship, he went on to set a world closed-course speed record, running over 201mph at Talladega. Later, he set 28 world class records on the Bonneville Salt Flats in his trusty Dodge. In 1969, he set a single-season record by winning 20 pole positions. He died following a race in Hickory, NC in 1977.