Attendance Declines At NASCAR Hall Of Fame

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Attendance dropped again at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, according to the latest report, continuing a decline that began after the museum's first month of operation.

Hall of Fame officials said the attraction passed the 100,000-visitor mark on Friday.

An analysis of attendance numbers by Channel 9 Eyewitness News shows the museum is getting only 44 percent of the visitors anticipated in projections released before its official opening. If the trend continues, the Hall of Fame will fall far short of the 1 million visitors it expected in the first 13 months of operation.

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The Hall of Fame opened May 11 and averaged 1,428 visitors a day for the 21 days it operated in May.

Average attendance dropped to less than 1,100 visitors a day during June and July, and fell to 843 visitors a day for the first eight days of August.

Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, said he's not worried about attendance numbers.

"If we had a poor product, then I would be worried," Kelley said. "The fact is that we've got an exceptional product, not just in our opinion, but (in) the feedback we've been given, and we've got other revenue streams."

The report released Monday indicates 70 percent of the visitors live at least 100 miles from Charlotte. Kelley said that shows the Hall of Fame is generating tourism for the Queen City.