Charlotte City Council greenlights $25M renovation of this tourism spot
Charlotte City Council approved $25 million in public dollars on Monday to renovate the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Improvements to the 16-year-old facility are expected to include relocating the gift shop and cafe, more event space, new security screening equipment and a new dedicated education space for school groups.
Winston Kelley, executive director of the Hall of Fame, said renovations are needed to meet growing demand, especially among students. Around 21,000 students visited last year.
The upgrade “gives us space that we don’t even have now, but also gives our school groups the environment that they need to learn better,” Kelley told The Charlotte Observer.
The Hall of Fame Foundation will also increase its scholarship capacity for students who attend schools in “economically challenged areas,” Kelley said. The foundation awarded around 8,000 scholarships last year to fund field trips to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for students with financial need.
Charlotte will cover the cost through its hospitality fund, which is revenue generated by hotel occupancy, rental car and prepared food and beverage taxes. That money can only be spent on certain tourism-related expenses.
The Hall of Fame welcomes more than 200,000 visitors a year, according to the city. About 65% of those visitors stay in the city overnight.
Hall of Fame and CRVA leadership told council members on the economic development committee in June that the Hall of Fame generates nearly $75 million in economic impact, including $43.1 million in “direct spending” and $2.4 million in tax revenue in fiscal year 2024.
“The cash flows that are projected can service this debt,” Councilman Ed Driggs said on Monday. “I think that’s something from the past that we want to be comfortable with. And I’m satisfied that we do have the capacity.”
Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield, who serves on the Hall of Fame’s board, described the foundation as “very fiscally conservative.”
“It’s been amazing to sit on the board and to learn about the great works that they do, and how they dwindle their funds down into the community to folks who look like me, and that matters to me,” said Councilwoman Tiawana Brown, who also serves on the Hall of Fame board.
Council voted 9-1 in favor of the project. Councilwoman Renee Perkins Johnson was the only member who dissented but did not explain her vote. The board must vote again in 2026 to approve a construction contract.
Monday’s action marks the first time the city has taken on new debt for the Hall of Fame since it was built in 2009, Councilman Malcolm Graham said.
The Hall of Fame is owned by the city and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. It opened in 2010.
This story was originally published November 24, 2025 at 10:45 PM.
