NASCAR on display at Sports Museum of America

NEW YORK -- The roar of NASCAR is now heard in lower Manhattan. The sport has a strong and memorable presence in the new Sports Museum of America, opening Wednesday on lower Broadway in Manhattan's "canyon of heroes."

In the "Dreaming Big" exhibit, for example, Jeff Gordon's facemask from Quarter Midget racing is displayed alongside Billie Jean King's fourth-grade report card (she earned a "Satisfactory" for "sense of fair play" in Phys Ed.).

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Visitors can get up close to Jimmie Johnson's Chevy.

Among the many NASCAR items displayed are Gordon's midget trophy won as an eight year old; Tony Stewart's Winston Cup; Bill France Sr.'s signed pit pass from a visit to Indianapolis in 1936 (he worked in the pits); Lee Petty's race helmet; and Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Chevy. Yep, the whole car is mounted in the racing gallery.

While the bats, sticks, putters, jerseys and helmets from the all-time greats are behind glass, visitors can run their hands on Jimmie's racing machine and lean into the cockpit.

One fellow entered the NASCAR hall and exclaimed in a thick Brooklyn accent, "Dis is the money room!"

Indeed it is. A large number of New York school children surveyed after visiting the museum said NASCAR was their favorite part, according to Philip Schwalb, the museum's Founder & CEO.

Schwalb is a tenacious New Yorker who forged partnerships with more than 50 single sport Halls of Fames, national governing bodies and other top athletic organizations, and put $150,000 on his personal credit cards to kick start the concept of an all-sport celebration, which eventually became a $100-million, 45,000-square-foot museum.

He envisioned a destination where sports fans can "experience the feeling of triumph at the core of all great athletes and all sports."

Schwalb's persistence locked in support from partners in top professional athletic organizations and spurred the generosity of some of the nation's greatest and most legendary athletes.

"We're fortunate to be able to share these athletes' stories, and through them, showcase the excitement, grandeur and significance of sports in American culture," Schwalb said.

He projects the Sports Museum of America will draw 1 million visitors in its first year.

Museum visitors are most likely to remember a video on two huge screens -- one in front, one behind -- putting the viewer inside a stock car, racing in close quarters at Martinsville Speedway. The loud modulating engine revs as each turn approaches truly capture the rhythm of running laps at the flat, paperclip shaped track.

Relevant to the debates raging in NASCAR circles currently is a Dale Earnhardt quote displayed: "The winner isn't the one with the fastest car. It's the one who refuses to lose."

It is those who refuse to lose -- and have an almost inhuman desire to win -- who dominate the Museum's treasure trove of artifacts. There's Wayne Gretzky's battered skates, the ball from Ty Cobb's 3000th hit, Sandy Koufax's 1963 Cy Young Award, Payne Stewart's knickers, a signed home plate from the Polo Grounds finale, and Tim Tebow's Heisman Award acceptance speech notes handwritten in ball point on ripped loose leaf paper with "God bless all the fans!" underscored. There's even the Heisman Trophy itself; the Sports Museum of America is now the revered trophy's annual home.

Fast Facts

What:	Sports Museum of America
Where:	26 Broadway
	New York, NY 10004
Hours:	Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
	Sat.-Sun. 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Opened:	May 7, 2008
Web site:	www.sportsmuseum.com
Phone:	(212) 747-0900

Interactive sports simulators like "Auto Racing: The Need for Speed," let visitors strap into the driver's seat as classic Daytona 500 moments whiz by.

Inspirational videos show sports' beyond-the-field transcendent influence on our world. Jesse Owens defies Hitler with God-given talent and a handful of gold medals. A rag-tag group of college kids triumph over the world's greatest hockey team in an Olympic "Miracle on Ice."

Priceless personal memorabilia on display include Owens' diary from those Berlin Olympics and an invitation to lunch with the Queen of England, as well as the American flag U.S. Hockey goalie Jim Craig wore as he scanned the stands for his dad's face.

There are mementos that can affect, such as a teddy bear from the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Dale Earnhardt Jr. sent an article, "I Know the Man," and a letter he wrote explaining the article's poignance to him.

"It's the only artifact in the museum that makes me cry," said museum curator Laura Purcell. "It is very apparent how much Dale Jr. loved his father."

Female athletes get special, deserved treatment. The Sports Museum of America will house the Billie Jean King International Women's Sports Center.

"It's great to have all sports under one roof, especially in a place celebrating women with the Billie Jean King Center," tennis legend Martina Navratilova said. "I love the intimacy of this museum -- it helps people relate to all sports."

The SMA is located steps away from Wall Street, the Statue of Liberty, the Ellis Island ferries, and the 9/11 memorial currently under construction.

It should be compelling for a lot of people. Mookie Wilson's infamous "slow roller" helps anchor another video celebrating stunning sports moments like Dale Earnhardt getting high fives on pit road from every NASCAR team after finally winning the Daytona 500, Olympian Kerri Strug nailing that vault on a bum ankle, and Hank Aaron's historic 715th home run.

Ensuring NASCAR's presence in this well-designed museum celebrating the powerful magic of sports required the diligence of many people throughout the NASCAR industry. When you visit the nation's first museum of sports, they deserve a tip of Richard Petty's cowboy hat. Yes, that's here, too.