In a surprise announcement on Wednesday afternoon, NASCAR said its Hall of Fame induction ceremony would move from May to January beginning next year.
NASCAR Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony Moves To January Starting In 2012
The first-ever induction ceremony was held on the day after the All-Star race last May, but it was moved to Monday night after the All-Star event this season (May 23). Officials said they were moving the date to avoid a potential conflict if the All-Star race was postponed by weather.
Now, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony won’t conflict with any on-track activity except for possible preseason testing.
“After holding the inaugural Induction Ceremony in May of 2010, we quickly decided a move to January would give this event a life of its own and would ensure the inductees garner the appropriate amount of attention from the fans, the media and the local community,” NASCAR chairman Brian France said. “In addition to this being the right move for the inductees, we also feel like making this a standalone event will greatly benefit NASCAR fans across the country that are itching for news in the early parts of the year.”
January is the traditional home for the preseason NASCAR Media Tour, so it wouldn’t be surprising to have the induction ceremony on a date in close proximity to the time when a large group of media is already gathered.
When the NASCAR Hall of Fame was originally announced, the idea of having the ceremony during Charlotte’s Speedweeks (between the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600) was to offer another event to draw fans to the city.
But after only one year, officials have already concluded the induction ceremony could be better used on another date.
"Race fans already flock to the Queen City in May and October," said Tim Newman, who heads the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. "We plan to work with NASCAR, Charlotte Motor Speedway and the many motorsports businesses in the region to develop January into another must-visit time for the race fan and another opportunity for us to fill hotels, restaurants and attractions."
Charlotte in January is not a very pleasant place, but it won’t matter much – the ceremony is indoors in the Hall’s massive Crown Ballroom.
The shift to January means “Voting Day” is moving as well. Voting for the 2012 Class will take place on June 14 of this year (the voting day has been in October the past two years).
One group who may not be happy with the January date is the National Motorsports Press Association, which holds an annual induction dinner for its own Hall of Fame each January. The inductees won’t cross over (the NMPA’s Hall has been in existence since 1965), but NASCAR’s ceremony will certainly overshadow the NMPA event.
NMPA President Rea White was among five people added to the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting panel on Wednesday. NASCAR VP Steve O’Donnell, Speedway Motorsports Inc. president Marcus Smith, Associated Press reporter Jenna Fryer and Sirius Radio’s Dave Moody were also added.
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