Kansas City's bid for the NASCAR Hall of Fame was eliminated from consideration Thursday, along with Richmond.

City officials react to HOF announcement

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Every aspect of racing has winners and losers, and the current competition to land NASCAR's Hall of Fame is no different.

NASCAR Thursday announced it had narrowed the field of contending cities interested in hosting the hall from five to three: Daytona Beach, Fla., Charlotte, N.C. and Atlanta.

Kansas City, Kan., and Richmond, Va., were the losers. Not surprisingly, the camp you were in dictated the response.

ALSO NASCAR announced Thursday that three cities -- Atlanta, Charlotte and Daytona Beach -- are still under consideration for serving as the host site for the sport's first officially sanctioned hall of fame.  •   Click here for complete story.

"We learned recently that the economics of the proposals in the competing cities would be hard to beat," said Bob Marcusse, chairman of Kansas City's group. "These were elements outside of our control, and we know that our proposal is visually compelling, attractively located, experientially state of the art and financially sound."

The Kansas City group also noticed that the remaining cities are part of the "deeply embedded culture of NASCAR racing."

Kansas City, for a long time, was thought to be the top contender in the race to land the hall. The city has a track owned by International Speedway Corporation, NASCAR's sister company, as does Richmond.

It had been widely speculated that NASCAR would place the hall of fame in Kansas City and then move the Nextel All-Star Challenge race from its longtime home in suburban Charlotte to the Kansas facility, creating a star-studded weekend that included the race and a hall of fame induction ceremony.

But in the end Kansas City's bid apparently fell short, as did Richmond's.

The news that Richmond was eliminated from contention came as a surprise to the people behind the bid, but did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm for the effort.

"We knew going into it that only one city could win," Josh Lief, executive director of Virginians Racing for the Hall of Fame said Thursday night.

Richmond's hall of fame design

Lief said his group was given no reason for the decision.

"Both of their proposals were outstanding and the passion and enthusiasm the people involved showed for the NASCAR Hall of Fame has made a lasting impression on all of us," Mark Dyer, NASCAR's vice president for licensing, said Thursday in a statement announcing the two eliminated cities.

The elimination of Kansas City and Richmond allows cities, such as Charlotte and Atlanta, to narrow their focus for the final stretch.

"When the deal gets narrowed, it helps," said Mark Lazarus, president of the Turner Entertainment Group and co-chair of the Atlanta bid committee. "We are now able to compete more directly with those who are selected as finalists.

"NASCAR fans will come to this whether it's in Charlotte or Atlanta. We can create new fans for the sport, unique to Charlotte or Daytona."

Atlanta's bid is arguably stronger than ever. Its proposal is riding the wave of the ultra-successful Georgia Aquarium, which opened in November and has already drawn nearly half a million people.

The proposed Atlanta location is in the middle of a "tourist triangle" that includes the Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola and the city's sports arenas.

"For Atlanta, the key is momentum, and we have a tremendous amount of momentum," Lazarus said. "We always have the most compelling numbers and reach and ability to draw people to the hall of fame."

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Atlanta is also relying heavily on strong corporate ties, such as Coca-Cola, UPS, Cingular, Home Depot, NAPA and SunTrust, that link the city to current NASCAR sponsors.

Lazarus says the state of Georgia currently has legislation pending that would help pay for the hall.

"We are getting our state legislatures to vote on the economic package and we know that our stuff is part of that," Lazarus said.

Charlotte officials, however, are also confident of their chances to land the hall, considering its proximity to so many race shops.

"We're certainly thankful to still be in the race," said Tim Newman, officer of the Charlotte Visitors Authority and member of the bid committee. "You can't make it to the finish line if you're not in the race.

"We feel we've submitted a compelling proposal to NASCAR, and we've added nothing new, but we hope ours rises to the top. We're just grateful to be in the competition still."

Newman said the city's selling points are its location and tradition with the sport.

"Well, we didn't come by 'Racing was built here. Racing belongs here.' by accident," he said of the Charlotte bid's tag line. "We have a compelling financial proposal and a great design. Sustainability is NASCAR's primary concern, and we think we've shown the best possible plan."

Florida's legislature approved a NASCAR license tag provision at the end of 2005 that would help pay for the proposed hall in Daytona Beach.

Since plans for a hall of fame were announced early 2005, cities entered and dropped out of the race, with the final five hosting groups of NASCAR officials through the summer.

The Richmond group, along with Gov. Mark R. Warner, met with a delegation from NASCAR in late August, highlighting the city's roots in racing and diverse tourist attractions, including Colonial Williamsburg, Civil War sites and the nation's capital.

Richmond, host to NASCAR races for more than a half-century, was the last stop on a tour of the cities that submitted bids for the hall.

The stock car racing series has said it wants the attraction to appeal to both race fans and those new to the sport.

Lief said there were no hard feelings that his group's effort fell short. Warner, who drew praise from NASCAR for his involvement in the bidding process and enthusiasm for the project, said he's hopeful Virginia fans won't be discouraged.

"We've still got some of the best NASCAR fans on the planet," he said. "And since it 'ain't over 'til it's over' in so many of these deals, Virginia stands ready with a great site, a great proposal and a willingness to work toward a great deal."

During its visit, NASCAR's delegation was taken on a helicopter tour of possible locations for the hall, including a spot at the intersection of Interstates 95 and 295.

The site on I-95, the primary highway connecting the East Coast from Maine to Florida, was a 250-acre tract of farmland that the group said could be developed as more than just a hall of fame, with a hotel, retail shops and other attractions.

The group said that the hall would cost $103 million to build and would be expected, after economic analysis, to attract as many as 700,000 visitors annually.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.