CRVA Cuts Budget For NASCAR Hall Of Fame – WSOC TV

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — Thank you for participating in our survey. Have you visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame? Have you visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame? Yes. No. Not yet, but I plan to go.

New numbers from the NASCAR Hall of Fame showed November was the second-worst month for attendance since the museum opened last May.

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The official number of people who attended the Hall of Fame was 18,585 in November, better only than September's 16,445. The low attendance prompted the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority to approve a cut in the hall's budget by nearly a third on Wednesday. The CRVA Board of Directors passed a $4.7 million cut, effective immediately.

Still, museum leaders were optimistic that the best is yet to come.

"We're only eight months old," Executive Director Winston Kelley said. "It's not as much about what we do different, but what do we continue to grow on."

This week, the Hall of Fame unveiled a new exhibit featuring popular drivers who had a short career in the sport but a big impact. Kelley told the CRVA it is one of 100 new and returning events this year, including discounted tickets, celebrity appearances, tie-ins with local sports and cross promotions with car, boat and RV shows on the front plaza.

Wednesday's first visitors were Victor and Alice Bosacky, who planned their trip for months.

"I've been interested in stock car racing ever since I was a kid, since 1948," Victor Bosacky said.

Racing fan Larry Smith was also eager to visit the Hall of Fame for the first time.

"Some of the older cars, get a good look at them and the exhibits," he said, describing what he was looking forward to the most.

But Smith is from Ontario, Canada, and the Bosackys are from upstate New York – out-of-towners like most of the hall's visitors. To help attract more locals, the museum is opening its doors for free now through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. The open house allows anyone to get a taste of what the Hall of Fame has to offer.

"It gives us a chance to talk to them, and give them a promotional opportunity to see there is so much there, so much more there than they may have perceived," Kelley said, adding the promotion is off to a good start. Last weekend, the open house alone brought in 4,000 visitors.

But it could be a waiting game for the Hall of Fame to be consistently profitable. As of Nov. 30, the facility was operating on a deficit of $509,703, losing more than $100,000 in the month of November alone. By contrast, the hall was budgeted to have a profit of more than $1.1 million by the end of November.

Previous Stories: December 9, 2010: NASCAR Hall Of Fame Turns Profit In October November 4, 2010: NASCAR Hall Of Fame Officials Working To Boost Attendance

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