NASCAR Hall of Fame not meeting initial attendance estimates, but pleased with start, visitor feedback
NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley and former Sprint Cup driver Ricky Craven discuss the hall of fame. Kelley is pleased with the progress of hall of fame attendance so far. // Jim Fluharty, NASCAR Illustrated
CHARLOTTE – The NASCAR Hall of Fame’s estimate of 800,000 visitors in the first year likely will prove to be a bit ambitious, but Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley said he is pleased with the turnout so far and believes the facility can operate without losing money.
The hall of fame opened in May and cracked the 100,000 mark Aug. 8. At that rate, the number of visitors would be around 410,000 for the first year.
In a two-week survey of 552 visitors conducted in July, 96 percent said the hall of fame exhibits met or exceeded their expectations and 95 percent said it met or exceeded expectations for the cost of admission ($19.95 per person), according to officials at the hall of fame.
“The main thing that I look at is first the overall feedback that we’re getting from guests and how it consistently tells us that we’re either meeting or exceeding their expectations,” Kelley said.
The attendance numbers compared to the original estimates imply that the hall is not meeting expectations, but Kelley says those early estimates were high.
“That 800,000 was more the upper end that was projected back during the good economy,” Kelley said. “That’s still our objective. You always want to have stretched targets. … You always want your revenue number, attendance number, you always want to build on that.
“It is a very solid and steady start that we’re starting to build on.”
The total revenue the hall generated through June was $1.8 million, slightly ahead of projections.
The hall of fame is owned and operated by the City of Charlotte with a licensing agreement from NASCAR. NASCAR gets royalties on virtually everything, including 10 percent of ticket sales. The city will not owe NASCAR money until a year after it opens, and all royalties are deferred until the hall of fame shows a positive cash flow.
What pleases hall of fame executives is that 26 percent of its visitors live more than 500 miles from the hall and 70 percent came from at least 100 miles away. The average age of visitors was spread evenly, with 45 percent 18 or younger and 21 percent ages 45-54.
“We hit the mark that we have a very broad experience for NASCAR fans, non-NASCAR fans, a regional market and a national market,” Kelley said. “You translate that into attendance and I think it’s a very, very solid, steady start. It tells us we have a broad base out there that we can continue to build on.”
The hall of fame is experimenting with showing night Sprint Cup races in its theater. It will show the upcoming races at Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond with an admission fee of $5. Included in that price is the ability to listen to race scanner traffic.
In response to lines on Sunday mornings, the hall of fame has moved its opening time from noon to 10 a.m. on Sundays. It closes at 6 p.m., making it more attractive to be rented at night. It had previously closed at 7 p.m. most weekdays.
